Summer Lane Primary

Inspection of Summer Lane Primary Summer Lane, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S75 2BB

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Inadequate Previous inspection grade Good 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is going through a difficult period. Current leadership arrangements are temporary. New leaders have already got to know the school well. They have carefully prioritised next steps. However, their work to improve the school is in its very early stages.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not learn well. Most pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not well supported. Some staff have low expectations of pupils with SEND. In the early years the activities that staff provide do not help children to learn and develop well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils are focused and keen to do well. They are safe and happy. However, when pupils lose focus, staff sometimes do not get them back on track quickly. At social times, most pupils behave well. Bullying is rare. Leaders act quickly and effectively to address any bullying. However, a small minority of pupils, and parents and carers, still worry that bullying is not taken seriously enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils participate in activities such as sporting competitions and visits to the local library. However, pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their talents and interests. The school has recently introduced a new programme of wider experiences intended to help all pupils to engage with the local community and be ready for life in modern Britain. It is in the early stages of being rolled out.

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

The school is currently being led by an interim headteacher, who is temporarily seconded from another school, and leaders from a supporting multi-academy trust. A new interim executive board (IEB) has just been established to strengthen governance of the school. These temporary leaders have a clear and accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas that need developing.

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

The curriculum is new. It is well designed but poorly implemented. Pupils do not build knowledge as they move through the school. Staff do not design effective learning experiences for pupils. Some staff have gaps in their subject knowledge. Over time, the school has not identified gaps in pupils’ knowledge caused by weaknesses in the previous curriculum. In 2024, published outcomes in English and mathematics for those in Year 6 were very poor.

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

The supporting trust has introduced the new curriculum and a range of training and networking opportunities for staff. Staff are given information about what pupils need to learn and when. Subject leadership is strengthening. The curriculum includes opportunities for pupils to revisit previous learning. Staff are committed to the pupils and local community. They appreciate the support and training that leaders provide. However, it is too early for this important work to have had an impact. 21 and 22 January 2025

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Pupils learn to read quickly. Staff are well trained and supported to teach phonics. Pupils learn to sound out and blend words. Pupils needing further practice get helpful support to catch up with their classmates. Most pupils enjoy reading. However, they struggle to talk about books that they have read in depth and detail.

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Most pupils with SEND are not supported to learn well. The school has not ensured that pupils’ needs are accurately identified and met. Staff do not adapt tasks to enable pupils with SEND to access the curriculum. The school is receiving effective external support to ensure that this is addressed. However, this work is in its early stages.

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Children in the early years do not get off to a strong start. A new early years curriculum is carefully designed to help children gain the knowledge and skills they need. However, as in other parts of the school, the curriculum is poorly implemented. The activities that staff provide do not help children to learn. Staff do not guide children to help them get the most out of each task. Children’s play is not purposeful. They are not immersed in learning and often wander around. Staff do not develop children’s language effectively. Children are not well prepared for Year 1.

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Current leaders have introduced strategies to improve behaviour at social times. For example, play leaders now organise activities for their peers at breaktimes. This is having a positive impact. Breaktimes are calm. Pupil leaders are proud of the contribution they make to the school.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal, social and health education is new. It is well thought through. Pupils learn about a range of topics, such as British values and online safety, to prepare them for secondary school and beyond. Pupils continue to have gaps in their knowledge due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum.

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The new IEB has the necessary leadership experience to support the school to improve. The temporary leaders have identified the right priorities. They have a clear strategy to develop the school and a strong commitment to staff and pupils. However, at the time of this inspection, the school remains dependent on temporary leadership arrangements and external support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not make effective pedagogical choices. Pupils do not learn well. The school must ensure that teachers have the subject and pedagogical knowledge needed 21 and 22 January 2025

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to implement the curriculum effectively so that pupils learn and remember important knowledge.  The needs of pupils with SEND are not accurately identified and met. Teachers do not make necessary adaptations to help pupils with SEND to access the curriculum and learn well. The school must ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are accurately identified, and that staff successfully adapt their approach when needed.  Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge because of weaknesses in the previous curriculum. They are not sufficiently ready for their next stage of learning. The school must identify pupils’ gaps and prioritise the teaching of important knowledge so that pupils are ready for their next stage.  Some staff have low expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils sometimes disengage from learning and staff do not get them back on track quickly. The school should ensure that staff have consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and

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implement successful strategies to enable pupils to behave well.  Activities provided for children in the early years do not support their learning and development well. Children are not well prepared for Year 1. The school should ensure that staff design purposeful activities that enable all children to learn the early years curriculum.  The school is reliant on external support. Temporary leaders are introducing improvements to the school that need to be maintained. Those with responsibility for governance should ensure that leadership capacity is developed so that improvements to the school are sustainable.  The range of opportunities to develop pupils’ talents is limited. Some pupils do not benefit from regular opportunities to explore their interests and try new things. The school should ensure that all pupils engage with the wider offer and have opportunities to develop their talents and interests.

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 The school may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection. The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority Interim executive board

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School details

Headteacher Ann Nixon (Interim Acting Headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 November 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has an interim headteacher in post, who has been seconded temporarily from another school.  The school is receiving support from a multi-academy trust.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, 21 and 22 January 2025

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managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with two temporary leaders who are currently leading the school. The lead inspector also met with the chair of the interim executive board.  Deep dives were carried out in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors discussed and reviewed the curriculum in some other subjects.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to pupils formally and informally about their learning and their experiences at school. An inspector also spoke to parents as they dropped their

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children off at the school gate.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the school day, including during breakfast club, during lesson visits and at breaktime. Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their views on behaviour at the school.  Inspectors reviewed the parental responses received through the Ofsted online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also considered the responses received through Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.  An inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority.

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Inspection team

Zoe Helman, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mike Smit Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 January 2025

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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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