Lydgate Infant School

106999 Unique Reference Number Sheffield LEA 277679 Inspection number 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006 Inspection dates Ms Joan McKenna 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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Lydgate Lane School address Primary Type of school Sheffield Community School category South Yorkshire S10 5FQ 5 to 7 Age range of pupils 0114 2662450 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0114 2678268 Fax number 315 Number on roll Mr J Scott Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Cockburn A Headteacher 31 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277679 20 February 2006 - 5 to 7 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 three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This large infant school serves an advantaged area and most pupils come from professional families. Very few are entitled to receive free school meals. Around a quarter of pupils are from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. Around half of these, often from families where an adult has come from abroad to study or work for several years, are at early stages of speaking English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below that found in most schools.

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Key for inspection grades

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

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which provides well for pupils' academic and personal development. This judgement agrees with the school's view of its effectiveness. Pupils of different heritage and ability achieve well and pupils of all ages reach standards that are above average for their age. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at end of Year 2 are significantly above the national average and have been for at least five years. A good curriculum is provided and it is well taught. Systems for tracking pupils' achievement in Years 1 and 2 do not yet give an easily accessible overview of their progress towards targets. These are being improved. Pupils are well cared for and they feel safe and secure in school. They enjoy school very much and behave well. They have good attitudes to learning most of the time. Not enough opportunities are provided for pupils to take on responsibility within the school. Provision in the

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Grade: 2

Foundation Stage is good. Leadership, management and governance are good. The headteacher provides clear direction and leaders at all levels are involved in improving the school. Monitoring and evaluation of performance is good and mainly accurate. This results in consistently high academic standards. However, some areas of school life, such as aspects of pupils' personal development, are not monitored closely enough. The school judged its pastoral areas to be outstanding but inspectors found them to be good. Inspectors agree with the school's judgements in other areas. The school provides good value for money. It has maintained high standards since the last inspection and is well placed to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Extend opportunities for pupils to exercise responsibility. • Continue to improve systems for tracking pupils' achievement, and ensure that systems for monitoring aspects of pupils' personal development are fully in plac

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well. They enter the Reception class with levels of attainment that are above expectations for their age. They make good progress in all the six areas of learning. By the time they complete the Reception year, most pupils reach the goals expected of them for their age, and many exceed them. Pupils continue to make good progress during Years 1 and 2. Assessments made at the end of Year 2 show that standards in reading, writing and mathematics are significantly above the national average and have been for at least the last five years. Targets set for pupils' attainment are challenging. Different groups of pupils make similarly good progress. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive good support which enables them to achieve well. Pupils from minority ethnic groups also achieve well. Those who do not speak English fluently receive the help they need to enable them to make good progress

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Grade: 2

in their learning. Both girls and boys achieve well. However, while both groups attain 2 Inspection Report: Lydgate Infant School, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006 high standards, fewer boys than girls reach the higher levels expected of them in writing. The school is aware of this and is taking action to improve boys' writing skills.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is good. Pupils clearly enjoy school and this is reflected in their well above average attendance levels. In the main, pupils behave well, are keen to succeed and try their best in lessons. On a few occasions some pupils, mostly boys, are inattentive in class. Pupils say they feel safe at school. The school is very successful in teaching pupils how to deal confidently with inappropriate behaviour. One girl said, 'I just say stop, don't do that.' Pupils have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. They talk of the importance of eating fruit daily and of taking exercise. Lunchtimes are socially enjoyable occasions, especially when games equipment is provided. Some older pupils act as 'Playtime Pals', helping to look after others at playtimes and lunchtimes. Other limited opportunities for pupils to take on responsibility within their own school community exist. Pupils contribute to the wider community, for example

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Grade: 2

by charity fundraising. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Assemblies place a strong emphasis on raising awareness of social and moral issues, helping pupils develop a good sense of right and wrong. The school draws very well on the varied cultural backgrounds of pupils so that they gain a good knowledge and understanding of the lives and customs of others.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. In Reception, there is a suitable balance between teacher and child-led practical activities. Teachers encourage pupils to think carefully about what they are doing and why. Pupils work with a good level of independence. Problem solving skills are well taught. Practical learning extends to Years 1 and 2 and is very well liked by pupils. In particular, the times when they have free choice of activities makes learning fun. However, planning for these sessions in Years 1 and 2 does not indicate fully what skills the pupils are expected to learn. Furthermore, the checking of which activities the children visit to ensure they receive a varied experience and appropriate development of knowledge and skills in different subjects is at an early stage of development. Planning for literacy and numeracy is thorough. Work is well matched to pupils' differing needs and as a result they work

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Grade: 2

with a real sense of enthusiasm. Teachers have varied success during whole class sessions. Some make effective use of 'talk partners' to ensure all participate. However teachers' questions are sometimes neither engaging nor challenging enough to encourage pupils to think. Class rules are occasionally not insisted upon. This leads to some inattentive behaviour. 3 Inspection Report: Lydgate Infant School, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006 The success of developments in helping pupils to assess their own work, and of the increasing use of improvement targets, can be seen in how well they describe aspects of their writing. However, the quality of marking is more variable. It praises good work but does not always clearly tell pupils how they can improve it.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It meets statutory requirements and pupils' individual needs. There is good attention to the teaching of basic skills of literacy and numeracy which results in consistently high standards. Currently the school is promoting learning through an emphasis on practical activities, which pupils enjoy very much. The school has yet to evaluate the full impact of this on standards and achievement. The curriculum is enhanced by a varied range of extra curricular activities which include clubs for history, French and singing and some sports. There are effective links with a local specialist sports college. A number of visits and visitors enrich the curriculum well. For example, a visit to the 'Victorian Classroom' to support learning in history was enjoyed by Year 1 pupils. This resulted in some good descriptive writing. Provision for pupils' personal and social development is good and pupils are well prepared for the next

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Grade: 2

stage of their learning. The importance of keeping safe and healthy lifestyles is emphasised. Pupils have ample opportunity to drink plenty of water and eat healthy food.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of pupils, working well in partnership with other agencies. Thorough induction procedures help new pupils settle into school very quickly. Close personal help provides well for pupils at early stages of learning English. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported. 'Social groups' are proving effective for the few pupils who find working and playing alongside others difficult. Risk assessments are conducted regularly to keep pupils safe. These include regular visits by a health and safety expert to advise the school. Child protection procedures are thorough but some newly appointed staff are not familiar enough with them. Pupils' academic progress is monitored but the systems in Years 1 and 2 do not yet give an easily accessible overview of pupils' progress towards targets. These are being improved. A careful track is kept of pupils' personal development in the Reception

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Grade: 2

classes, but systems do not extend to Years 1 and 2.

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Grade: 2

The quality of leadership and management is good, ensuring that pupils' achieve well academically and personally. The headteacher provides clear direction and is committed to continually improving the school. She promotes team work, and other leaders are actively involved in developing their own areas of responsibility and in whole school 4 Inspection Report: Lydgate Infant School, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006 initiatives. Emphasis is placed upon monitoring and information about strengths and areas requiring development is acquired. Action is taken to tackle the identified priorities for improvement which has a positive impact on maintaining high standards. However, the school's self-evaluation judges the pastoral aspects as outstanding when in fact they are good. This is because some areas of practice, such as the impact of new initiatives and the consistency with which some whole school expectations are

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Grade: 2

implemented, are not monitored closely enough. Governors are effective and are generally well informed about the school. They support the school and are actively involved, questioning and challenging when needed. The views of parents are sought on issues, such as about school uniform. The large majority of parents is happy with the school and the education it provides for their children, although a small minority of parents express some concerns about a variety of individual things. The school has maintained the high standards found at the last inspection and it is well placed to continue to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Lydgate Infant 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: Lydgate Infant 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 2 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 2 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 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 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 2 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 2 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 being so friendly and making us feel welcome when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to you and watching you learn very much. What we liked most about your school - You get on very well with each other and play and work together nicely. - You know how to keep healthy and the importance of a good diet and exercise. - You enjoy your work and try hard to do what your teachers ask. This helps you learn. - Your teachers know you well and they give you good support. - The headteacher and other staff are working hard to make your school even better. What I have asked the school to do now - Find more ways for you to be involved in the school and to take on some responsibilities. - Make sure that your teachers have good information about how well you are progressing. You can help your teachers by continuing to work hard and listening carefully when they are talking to you. I hope that you continue to be happy at school.

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