Silkstone Primary School

Inspection Report Silkstone Primary School

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106602 Unique Reference Number Barnsley LEA 277593 Inspection number 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006 Inspection dates Mr Terry McDermott CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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High Street School address Primary Type of school Silkstone Community School category Barnsley, South Yorkshire S75 4LR 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01226 790333 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01226 790333 Fax number 194 Number on roll Mr A Coe Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr S Barber Headteacher 28 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277593 20 February 2006 - 4 to 11 21 February 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This average sized school serves the village of Silkstone to the west of Barnsley. This is an area of some social advantage, and the number of pupils eligible for free school meals is much less than average. All pupils speak English as their first language. Attendance is above average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is about one third of the national average. A new headteacher has been in post since September 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Silkstone Primary School, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. It gives good value for money. Under the enthusiastic leadership of a new headteacher, it accurately evaluates its own strengths and areas for improvement. Inspectors largely agree with the school's view of its effectiveness although they found pupils' development and well-being and the care, guidance and support provided for them to be even better than the school judges. Achievement is good. Pupils start school with above average standards. They make good progress overall and, as a result, they leave at the end of Year 6 with standards that are exceptionally high. Pupils show outstanding regard for one another. They are mature, sensitive and sensible. The school takes excellent care of them. Older pupils undertake 'buddy' roles to support the younger ones. Pupils really enjoy their life at school. Relationships between all adults and pupils are good. Behaviour is excellent both in lessons and

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Grade: 2

during break times. Standards in the Foundation Stage are above average, learning is good, and pupils make good progress. Teaching is consistently good and on occasions outstanding. Pupils find lessons interesting. They have a clear desire to learn and they make good progress but they do not always know what they need to do next to get better. The new headteacher has reinvigorated an already successful school and the staff are fully engaged with a drive to raise achievement still higher. Previously high standards have been maintained. There is good capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

Raise attainment and improve achievement further by clearly and consistently: • telling pupils what they are going to learn in every lesson so that they are clear about what they are to achieve and can check this at the end of the lesson • ensuring that marking in books informs pupils about what they need to do next to improve. 2 Inspection Report: Silkstone Primary School, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils start Reception year with above average levels of attainment. Because provision in the Foundation Stage is good, pupils make good progress through Reception and into Years 1 and 2. As a result of this good progress, standards have been significantly above average overall at the end of Key Stage 1 for the past five years although there has been a gradual fall in standards since 2003. This is explained by the prior attainment of pupils in Year 2 during this time. Particular characteristics of the 2005 group of Year 2 pupils account for standards in writing being lower than usual that year. Good progress in Years 3 to 6 means that standards have been exceptionally high at the end of Year 6 in recent years. Standards have risen sharply in the past three years, especially in English and mathematics. The extra support arranged for Years 3 to 6 by the active and very skilful deputy headteacher has made a strong contribution to the

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Grade: 2

school's continued success in raising standards. No group of pupils underachieves. The information contained in the well established system for checking pupils' progress allows the school to set challenging targets for pupils in Year 6. It consistently meets these targets and often exceeds them. High standards in English and mathematics indicate that pupils have the skills to equip them for future economic well-being.

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Grade: 1

The school makes outstanding provision for pupils' personal development and well-being. As a result, pupils are friendly, helpful and very polite; their behaviour is exemplary in lessons and around the school; and they take responsibility for ensuring that others, such as new or younger pupils, are looked after and happy. Pupils' social and moral development are outstanding. Pupils state emphatically that they have never experienced bullying. The school is a very harmonious community where pupils play and work in very supportive and helpful ways. Their spiritual and cultural development are good. School assemblies provide good opportunities for reflection. Pupils' knowledge and understanding of ethnic diversity is good because work in art and music reflects the influences of many cultures and because of a wide range of visits and visitors to the school. Attendance is above average. Pupils say they like school. When asked what was special

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Grade: 1

about the school, one pupil replied, 'It's a brilliant place to be'. This comment is typical of pupils' views about their school. The school encourages pupils to adopt healthy lifestyles. Large numbers engage in an extensive variety of sports and games. Pupils talk confidently and knowingly about healthy diets, the importance of exercise and general safety. The school council is active and taken very seriously. Pupils contribute to the wider community by helping to raise funds for local charities and environmental good causes. 3 Inspection Report: Silkstone Primary School, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Some outstanding lessons were seen. All staff have high expectations for pupils' behaviour and achievement. Consequently, pupils want to do well and work very hard. The pace of learning is fast, particularly in the outstanding lessons. Pupils enjoy lessons and make good progress both in activities which involve the whole class and when working independently. Teachers are skilled at making lessons lively and interesting through introducing a variety of well resourced activities. The emphasis on engaging pupils in discussion and effective questioning enable even the youngest pupils to communicate confidently and express their ideas well. Teachers make good use of information gathered from assessment to ensure that work set is well matched to the needs of individual pupils. This means that high attaining pupils are challenged well and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities also

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Grade: 2

take a full and active part in lessons. However, there is some variation in the quality of marking and teachers do not consistently remind pupils of what they are to learn from the lesson. Pupils could make even better progress if they were clearer about what they are trying to achieve and how they might go about improving their work.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good overall with some excellent enrichment activities. This helps pupils enjoy school and achieve well. Work in lessons is complemented by an outstanding array of lunchtime and after school clubs. Pupils have many opportunities to participate in high quality musical activities and to engage in sport. The school makes good use of museums and other educational facilities in the locality. There is a good emphasis on promoting safe and healthy lifestyles. Systems to monitor and support pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are exemplary. The school is fully aware of those pupils who have additional gifts and talents and implements effective strategies to support them. Good links with a local secondary school help pupils in Year 6 to make a smooth transition to the next stage of education.

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Grade: 1

The school is an extremely caring community where all pupils are valued and flourish. Pupils feel safe, happy and secure at school. Parents praise the school highly; for example, one described it as 'a lovely caring and well disciplined school'. Child protection requirements and health and safety procedures are securely established and are well understood by staff. Excellent systems are in place to ensure that children 4 Inspection Report: Silkstone Primary School, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006 make a confident start when they join the Reception class. These include pairing the children with older pupils who look after them in the playground. The exemplary procedures to identify vulnerable pupils and strong links with parents and outside agencies ensure that these pupils, like others, are well supported. Staff are skilled at providing pupils with just the right level of guidance to help them to become

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Grade: 1

independent learners. Pupils are closely involved in setting and evaluating their learning targets.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The recently appointed headteacher motivates staff very well, bringing out the best in them and in pupils. As one senior member of staff said, 'He is allowing us to blossom'. The headteacher has quickly ascertained the strengths of the school and has pinpointed areas for further development. Since his arrival, he has introduced a good range of strategies aimed at raising standards still further. He has built a wide based leadership team with a clear focus on continuing to raise achievement for all pupils. Recently introduced procedures for developing the monitoring of teaching have the support of all staff. Information on how well pupils are making progress is up to date and valid. It is used effectively to help teachers in planning lessons. The school runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis and provides a fully inclusive, calm and pleasant learning environment for pupils. The school is justifiably proud of the

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Grade: 2

high regard in which it is held by parents, and it involves them very well in their children's learning. The experienced and effective governing body is committed to its role as a 'critical friend' and takes its responsibilities seriously. The headteacher's clear focus on improvement, the active and skilled involvement of senior staff, and the sophisticated analysis of the progress which pupils make, together with the school's good track record in helping pupils to achieve well, indicate that it has the capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Silkstone Primary School, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Silkstone Primary School, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for looking after us when we visited your school. We appreciated the welcome you gave to us and the time many of you gave to talk with us, and to let us know your views. I liked having dinner with you, and particularly liked your singing (and the magic!) in assemblies. These are our main findings from the inspection - Silkstone is a very welcoming school. You told us that the adults in school look after you and keep you safe. We found that the school really wants you to stay healthy and is doing all it can to help you to achieve healthy lifestyles in what you eat, and how you exercise. - Your behaviour is extremely good, and you listen very well to the views of others. We found that you looked after each other exceptionally well, respected the adults who help you, and also looked after the environment around you. - We asked your parents and carers for their views of your school. They nearly all said how

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

much they appreciate and value the work that all the staff do for you. - You told us you like lessons because they are exciting and interesting. We think they are too. We think that you work hard, make good progress, and reach high standards, but we also think that the teachers could help you to do even better. - So we have asked Mr Barber to make sure that the teachers tell you clearly what you are going to learn at the start of every lesson, and we have also asked that they write in all your books, telling you what you need to do to reach the next level of learning. Thank you once again for helping us on our visit. Please keep working hard and doing your best, and good luck to you all for the future.

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