Arbourthorne Community Primary School

Inspection of Arbourthorne Community Primary School Eastern Avenue, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S2 2GQ

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 18 and 19 October 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Arbourthorne Community Primary is a place of joy, inclusivity and learning. Everyone is valued here. Pupils and staff are proud to be part of the ‘family’. Pupils feel safe and know they will be listened to if they have any concerns. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and positive. Staff expect pupils to behave well. Any disruptions to learning are dealt with quickly. Bullying is very rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school values are central to learning and life in this school. Pupils learn to show care and respect for others. This can be seen as they work in their classrooms alongside pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), or in the additional resourced provision, ‘The Hive’, for pupils with severe and complex learning needs. Pupils have a mature understanding of difference. They are determined that everyone is treated equally. Pupils say everyone is special at Arbourthorne.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have a clear vision about the importance of working with the wider community. For example, parents have opportunities to grow food for home, and school, or exchange surplus food at the community fridge. Leaders actively seek opportunities to create partnerships to improve the school and support families.

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better?

The headteacher has a relentless focus on ensuring her vision for pupils to gain the best possible start in life is realised. Leaders and staff focus on developing pupils’ academic success, but also on ensuring that pupils have opportunities to build life skills. Each year, all pupils visit the school ‘home-base’ in Red Robin House. They undertake challenges such as learning to grow and cook food, make beds, or ring doctors or emergency services. Families are welcomed to learn with their children here.

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better?

Leaders have developed the curriculum thoughtfully over time. They recognise that pupils in the school have a wide variety of needs. They ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND, have equal opportunities to access rich and varied learning opportunities. Staff skilfully adapt the curriculum to ensure that all pupils can make progress. Examples of this can be seen with the ‘artist in residence’, who promotes language skills through art teaching or in The Hive, where pupils learn in smaller groups.

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better?

Developing pupils’ language and communication skills is a priority in this school. Staff focus on talk with children in Nursery and Reception classes. They effectively model speaking and listening skills to children. They link exciting learning opportunities to stories and rhymes. Children are encouraged to talk about their learning. Leaders are developing assessment systems further to check that all children access learning in all areas of the classroom. This is needed to ensure that all children make progress as they play. 18 and 19 October 2022

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The focus on pupils’ language development continues throughout the school. Leaders recognise that historical outcomes in reading were not good enough. Some older pupils still have gaps in their knowledge. Therefore, reading is prioritised now. A well-structured phonics programme has been introduced. Leaders have trained all staff to follow this programme. Extra support is given to staff, when it is needed, to ensure that the programme is followed consistently. Pupils practise reading with books that match the sounds they are learning. Pupils who find reading more difficult are quickly spotted and given help to catch up. Pupils across school listen to and read books daily. They talk with confidence about stories.

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The teaching of mathematics is a strength. Leaders check that the well-planned curriculum is used effectively. Important vocabulary is reinforced within lessons. Pupils enjoy and remember their learning in mathematics. Leaders of other subjects are ambitious. For example, links with Sheffield University have been made to enable pupils to learn about robotics. However, sometimes pupils remember ‘doing’ the activity but not the important learning linked to it. In some subjects, leaders still need to clarify the specific knowledge they want pupils to know and remember.

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The work that leaders do to prepare pupils for life beyond Arbourthorne is exemplary. Pupils are taught to have a positive attitude towards others. They show respect and kindness. Pupils talk about the importance of shaking hands and applauding the opposition in sports tournaments, whatever the result. The curriculum supports them to develop a mature understanding of prejudice around race, sexuality and gender. Pupils recognise the needs of disabled pupils in the school and identify the importance of treating people equally. They are proud to take on roles such as anti-bullying ambassadors or peer mediators.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel well supported by leaders. There is a team approach across the school. Some experienced governors work closely with the headteacher to ensure that the school continues to develop and improve further. The local authority recognises how further support can be given to other governors, who are newer to the role.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have a deep understanding of the risks pupils may face in the local area. Consequently, they have created a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. All staff know that it is everyone’s responsibility to keep pupils safe. They are trained to identify any signs of harm. Pastoral leaders ensure that this training is updated regularly. Systems to record concerns are rigorously kept, and robust action is taken when issues are raised. Leaders are passionate about helping families in times of need. 18 and 19 October 2022

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Pupils have effective understanding of online safety. Leaders ensure that role models, such as the police, are used well to inform pupils about dangers in the local area.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, curriculum plans do not outline the essential knowledge leaders want pupils to know and remember. This means that teachers cannot assess what individual pupils have learned, and pupils learning is not always planned effectively to build over time. Leaders should ensure that important subject knowledge is clearly identified in all subjects and ensure that teachers use assessment effectively to plan subsequent learning.  Leaders’ monitoring, in some subjects, does not identify where areas of the curriculum require more development or where teachers’ subject knowledge isn’t sufficient to support learning effectively. As a result, leaders do not know precisely if the curriculum is being taught as they intended or if pupils’ learning is secure in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that monitoring supports staff to teach all subjects to the same high standards.

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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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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. 18 and 19 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241387 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Caroline Beattie

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 July 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 under the same act.

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average primary school.  There is an additional resourced provision to support pupils with severe and complex learning needs.  There is a nursery class at the school.  There are breakfast and after-school clubs for pupils who attend the school.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 18 and 19 October 2022

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 The inspectors completed deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing and geography. They reviewed planning, met with subject leaders, visited lessons, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke to teachers and pupils. The lead inspector also listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documentation and policies. They spoke with the headteacher and other senior leaders. A meeting was also held with the coordinator for SEND.  Inspectors visited the additional resourced provision for pupils with severe and complex learning needs.  The lead inspector met with members of the local governing body remotely, including the chair of governors.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors held meetings with the designated safeguarding leaders in the school. A meeting was also held with the school business manager to scrutinise the single central record. The inspector considered

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safeguarding processes and asked staff questions to establish their understanding of these procedures.  Inspectors observed pupils during playtime and lunchtime. They discussed safeguarding with pupils.  Inspectors considered the views of parents by speaking to a number of them during the inspection. Responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments and a letter received, were also reviewed. The responses to the staff and pupil surveys were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Andrea Batley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Cummings Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 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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