Mosborough Primary School

Inspection Report Mosborough Primary School

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107039 Unique Reference Number Sheffield LEA 277690 Inspection number 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006 Inspection dates Mr Joe Peacock 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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Off Queen Street School address Primary Type of school Sheffield Community School category South Yorkshire S20 5ES 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 0114 2486211 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0114 2477121 Fax number 272 Number on roll Mr C Rosling - Josephs Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr G Hamilton Headteacher 3 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277690 22 May 2006 - 5 to 11 23 May 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

The school, which is situated in the historic village of Mosborough to the south east of Sheffield, moved into a new building five years ago. It is larger than average with almost all of the pupils coming from a White British background. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average and the number with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is in line with the national average. The school has gained various awards, the latest being a top international Eco-Schools Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Mosborough Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which is giving good value for money. It knows itself well and inspection judgements agree with the school's self-evaluation in all areas. The many issues from the last inspection have been dealt with successfully, including some significant improvement in standards. The new school building with its very good resources has been a strong contributory factor. The only disappointment is the size of the library and poor quality of many library books. Standards are slightly above average and pupils achieve well. They do particularly well in mathematics and science but their performance in English in Key Stage 2 is lower, mainly because of their weaker writing skills. An action plan to tackle this is already in place. The standards and quality in the Foundation Stage are good. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Their personal development and well-being are good. The school meets the needs of all its pupils well through its strong curriculum and the good quality

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Grade: 2

care, support and guidance that parents particularly appreciate. The quality of teaching, assessment and pupils' learning is good overall and leads to their good progress but, in a minority of lessons, the quality of teaching is inadequate. Leadership and management are good overall, but subject coordinators are not sufficiently involved in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in lessons. This means that good practice is not always shared. Governance is good. Governors are committed to the school and are fully involved in monitoring the school's performance. The school's capacity to improve further is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

In order to raise standards, especially in English: • ensure that the best practice in teaching writing skills is disseminated throughout the school • improve the monitoring of teaching and learning in order to eliminate inconsistencies in practice • improve the quality and range of books in the library.

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Grade: 2

Standards have improved significantly since the previous inspection. Results in the 2005 national tests at the end of Year 6 are above average in mathematics and science but in line with the national average in English. Overall, this represents good achievement for pupils who enter the school with attainment levels broadly in line with expectations for their age. They make good progress because of the good teaching they receive. Standards in writing are a weaker area and this is resulting in satisfactory, rather than good progress in English. 2 Inspection Report: Mosborough Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006 By the end of the Foundation Stage, most children achieve the early learning goals expected of them. By the end of Year 2, standards are just above average as confirmed in the 2005 test results, and this represents good progress considering the pupils' starting points. Good progress is maintained in Years 3 to 6. Standards in Year 6 are

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Grade: 2

above average in mathematics and science with all pupils expected to meet their targets in these two areas. In English, standards are lower and not enough pupils are reaching their set targets. The school has correctly identified that it is pupils' writing skills which are affecting the overall standard. The good practice aimed at bringing about improvement is not yet embedded in all classes. Pupils of different abilities all make equally good progress because of the focused support they receive.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They respond well to the good opportunities provided to promote their spiritual development. They show interest in moral issues. For example, in one lesson, pupils readily debated the rights and wrongs of returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece. The school community works well together and pupils' social and cultural development is good, although provision for their multicultural development is less prominent. Pupils generally behave well and show good attitudes. Around the school they are polite and have good relationships with one another. In class, pupils respond well to the opportunities provided for them and show good attitudes towards their work. Their good behaviour and positive attitudes diminish, however, when the quality of teaching is weaker. The school has placed much emphasis on building learning power in pupils by developing characteristics such as resilience and resourcefulness. The results of this

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Grade: 2

are positive and of benefit to pupils both in their learning and personal development. Pupils enjoy their education and their attendance at school is above the national average. They develop a good understanding of safe and healthy living, and they have an outstanding appreciation of community issues as shown with the Eco Award. All are very knowledgeable about the effects of pollution and how to safeguard their local environment.

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Grade: 2

The overall quality of teaching and learning is good. It underpins the overall good progress that pupils make. Some examples of outstanding teaching were seen in Years 2 and 5. In the well staffed and resourced Foundation Stage, the quality of teaching is good. Teachers plan interesting and exciting learning experiences such as a pirates' picnic and make good use of the spacious outdoor area and paddock. 3 Inspection Report: Mosborough Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006 In Years 1 to 6, the quality of teaching varies from inadequate to outstanding. Where teaching is most effective, challenging tasks are set for pupils of all ability levels and there are excellent relationships between staff and pupils. In less effective lessons, there is not the same good range of strategies to keep the pupils interested all the time and, therefore, some lose their concentration. This affects the progress that they

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Grade: 2

make. A clear action plan designed to improve the teaching of writing skills is in place to guide all staff. This has not yet had sufficient time to impact on standards. All teachers carefully assess pupils' progress and use the information well to set challenging targets. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well provided for by their teachers and by teaching assistants who demonstrate a good range of specialist teaching skills. Parents appreciate the quality of teaching but some have noted with reservation the unsettling impact on their children of unavoidable staff changes in Years 1 and 2.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is broad and balanced, with music and art being very prominent and well taught throughout the school. Pupils produce good quality work in these subjects and the school has the Artsmark Award. Computers are used extensively to add interest in most lessons and to support pupils' learning. Year 6 pupils, for example, demonstrated exceptional skills when producing their personal profiles as PowerPoint presentations for their next school. Pupils respond well to the recently introduced opportunity to learn French. The curriculum is well matched to the different needs of pupils including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The annual topic on healthy living and discussion of safety issues also benefits pupils. Mosborough is one of the first two schools in the Sheffield Authority to gain the Eco-Schools Award and the whole school community shows real interest in, and a good

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Grade: 2

knowledge of, environmental issues. Pupils appreciate the good range of clubs and visits which add further breadth to the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. This good level of support and attention given to pupils' well-being underpins their enjoyment of learning. Pupils are confident and feel there is always someone they can turn to for help. Child protection procedures are in place and understood by staff. Arrangements for health and safety are robust. The school gives good attention to ensuring a safe, pleasant learning environment. Pupils are taught how to lead healthy lifestyles and to keep safe. Academic and personal progress is monitored effectively. Pupils are involved well in assessing their own learning and teachers provide them with helpful comments in their marking so they have a clear understanding of how to improve their work. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are very well supported. Their individual targets are clearly defined and help them to build effectively on their learning. Effective use is

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Mosborough Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 2006 made of outside agencies to ensure they receive the help they need. There are good arrangements to prepare pupils for their transfer to the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. This is also the view of the school community. Governors have a good knowledge of the school and contribute well to its development. The headteacher has provided clear educational direction over a number of years and his experienced leadership has helped to secure significant improvements since the time of the last inspection. A number of aspects of the school's work that were satisfactory at that time are now of good quality. Financial management is good and ensures that a wide range of resources are available for most subjects. Modern technology in particular has been significantly improved with computers readily accessible to all. The staff are fully committed to future development and subject teams are being formed to secure further improvements in selected areas. Subject coordinator roles are now better distributed and the leadership offered by post-holders is improving.

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Grade: 2

Nevertheless, the scrutiny of teaching and pupils' work is restricted and assessment arrangements in the foundation subjects are underdeveloped. The provision of books in the library is inadequate and is having a negative impact on pupils' standards in English. Self-evaluation is good and inspectors agree with all the school's judgements. The school uses self-evaluation effectively to guide the school improvement plan. The areas for development in this year's plan are appropriate. The school developments place emphasis on important values, for example, those related to pupils' personal development and their environment. Pupils express great interest in these aspects of their work. Pupils' achievement has improved, as has the image of the school in the perception of the school community. As one parent put it, 'The school is absolutely fabulous'. 5 Inspection Report: Mosborough Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 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: Mosborough Primary School, 22 May 2006 to 23 May 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 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 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 helping us when we visited your school. We really enjoyed talking to everyone and looking at your work. Below are the things that we particularly liked. - How much you enjoy coming to your lovely new school. Your attendance is better than that of a lot of other schools in the country. - How lucky you are to have such a good headteacher and so many good teachers. - The many interesting and exciting things provided for children to do when they start in the Reception classes. I wish we could have seen more activities outdoors but the rain was so bad, wasn't it? - The many opportunities that you have to use computers and to do art and music. I wish we could have seen the Afghan rug that you are making for the art festival with your visiting artist when it is finished. - Finally, we were very impressed with your top Eco Award and by how much you are involved in looking after your school and the local community.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We are asking your headteacher, staff and governors to concentrate on improving three things in particular: - the quality of your writing needs to be improved as it is affecting how well you do in English - all your teachers should try and help each other more and share their ideas on the best way to raise standards, especially in English - we think that your library is too small for the size of the school and that the old books should be replaced as soon as possible. Thank you again for helping us with the inspection of your school. We enjoyed spending the two days with you.

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