Town Field Primary School

Inspection of Town Field Primary School Thorne Road, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN1 2JS

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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 15 and 16 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school values, ‘Town Field 10’, set the tone for pupils. It is promoted throughout school and understood by all. Pupils are proud of their school. Leaders have created a caring and nurturing place where pupils feel happy and safe. Relationships between adults and pupils are warm and supportive. This makes it easy for pupils to share any worries they may have. Pupils and parents speak fondly of the teachers. One parent commented, ‘The staff know my children well and I feel they are well nurtured. It is a happy school; my children feel safe and confident.’ This is typical of the views of many parents at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils respect this. Most of the time they conduct themselves well both in and out of the classroom. Pupils say that sometimes other pupils disrupt their learning. Adults deal with this immediately so that it does not prevent learning from taking place. Pupils state that bullying is very occasional. When this happens, they are confident that it will be dealt with by staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created a learning environment where pupils are encouraged to work hard and to try new things. This means that pupils build resilience for tackling new learning. Pupils and parents value this. Pupils are supportive of each other. They are eager to share their learning and help each other in class.

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better?

Town Field offers a broad, rich curriculum and a wide range of after-school activities. Clubs such as tag rugby, basketball and dance help pupils stay fit and active. Pupils particularly enjoy and do well in physical education (PE) lessons.

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better?

Teachers prioritise reading. From the Reception to Year 6, pupils are introduced to high quality books. Pupils clearly value the moments they are given to share a story. During these sessions, texts engage and capture pupils’ imagination. Pupils are eager to volunteer their opinions. Leaders have introduced a new phonics programme to help pupils develop their reading. A small number of pupils find it difficult to read fluently. This is because they do not regularly practise the sounds they are learning enough. As a result, some pupils lack confidence with their reading.

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better?

The curriculum in early years is carefully thought through and sequenced. Staff use a book to introduce the curriculum. Through this, children make links between subjects. Rhymes and songs are frequently used to help children remember knowledge more quickly, for example learning number facts to 10. This is particularly effective for children who have English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) . As a result of this, children are confident and articulate in talking about their learning. 15 and 16 June 2022

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The curriculum in mathematics and history is well organised. Quizzes and flashback activities are used to help pupils secure important information. In some subjects such as art, leaders have not planned the important knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to know, use and remember over time. Consequently, pupils are not always able to retain and apply what they should know in their learning. In addition, in a few subjects, teachers do not check what pupils know and do not know effectively to identify any gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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Most pupils with SEND are provided with the appropriate level of work. This is because staff know their pupils well and identify their needs accurately. For pupils with very complex needs, there is an over-reliance on adult support. This sometimes limits pupils’ confidence and ability to work independently.

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Leaders have improved pupils’ personal development over the last few years. The school’s diverse make-up has helped pupils understand and appreciate others from different cultures and backgrounds. Pupils understand the rule of law. They know their voice is valued and have opportunities to debate during lessons.

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Parents are very complimentary about their school. They are particularly appreciative of the support staff gave them during the COVID-19 pandemic. One parent stated that, ‘school maintained a high level of support for parents and children even during lockdown.’

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Leaders, including governors, have strived to create a harmonious working culture. Staff say leaders are thoughtful of the demands of work on their well-being. They work in teams to share the workload. As a result, staff have built positive relationships whereby they are able to lean on each other if ever they experience any difficulties.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors make keeping pupils safe the highest priority. They have provided all staff with appropriate training. Staff are vigilant. They record and report any concerns immediately. Leaders have built positive working partnerships with an extensive range of external services. This supports leaders in involving the right people and getting the right outcome for pupils in a timely manner.

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Safeguarding

Pupils trust the adults in school. They are comfortable sharing their worries. This is because of the kindness and affection staff show them. They trust that if they have a problem, adults will listen, support and help. 15 and 16 June 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subjects do not include all the vital knowledge that pupils need to know. This means that pupils cannot acquire and apply the necessary subject-specific knowledge they need. Leaders need to review the curriculum to ensure that the right content is included in all subjects.  In some subjects, the use of assessment is not used well enough to identify what pupils know and do not know. As a result of this, teachers are unclear what parts of the curriculum need to be delivered next. Leaders need to fine-tune the school’s assessment approaches so it is effective in enabling all pupils to reach their full potential.

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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. 15 and 16 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227438 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.townfield.doncaster.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 and 24 October 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school works informally with The Rose Learning Trust.  43 languages other than English are spoken at the school.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 full inspection since the school was inspected in 2018. It was also the first inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors considered the impact of the pandemic on the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders.  The lead inspector met with the school improvement partner, the chair of governors, the vice chair of governors and two other governors. 15 and 16 June 2022

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 As part of the deep dives, inspectors considered five subjects in detail. These were reading, mathematics, art, PE and history. In each of the deep dive subjects, inspection activities included: meetings with subject leaders; looking at curriculum plans; visiting sample lessons; scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with staff and pupils. Pupils’ work in science was also looked at.  As part of the reading deep dive, the lead inspector observed pupils reading to an adult.  Governors’ meeting minutes, safeguarding information and a range of other information and documentation were also considered by the inspectors. In considering the school’s safeguarding procedures, inspectors held discussions with a range of staff.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View including any free-text responses.  The lead inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and responses to Ofsted’s online pupils’ questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Larissa Thorpe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Pritiben Patel Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 June 2022

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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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