Southroyd Primary and Nursery School

Inspection Report Southroyd Primary and Nursery School

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107847 Unique Reference Number Leeds LEA 277851 Inspection number 15 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 Inspection dates Mr Jim Griffin 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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Littlemoor Crescent School address Primary Type of school Pudsey Community School category West Yorkshire LS28 8AT 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0113 257 0197 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0113 257 0197 Fax number 431 Number on roll Mrs Jenny Ferguson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs J Poynting Headteacher 8 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277851 15 May 2006 - 3 to 11 16 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

Southroyd is a larger than average school, with two classes in each year group. Until the current year, the number of pupils had steadily declined due to the declining birth rate in Leeds. It serves a mixed socio-economic area with pockets of significant deprivation. Almost all pupils are of white British heritage. A few pupils are of Chinese, Polish or mixed race backgrounds, and for some English is not their first language. Eligibility for free school meals is average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average, as is the number of pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Southroyd Primary and Nursery School, 15 May 2006 to 16 May 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school, with outstanding features in the care and personal development of pupils. The school's self evaluation is accurate in all key features. Staff, parents and pupils rightly speak positively about what the school provides and achieves. It provides good value for money. In response to the good teaching, pupils make good progress to achieve average standards from below average starting points. Children get off to a good start in the Nursery. Most settle quickly and make good progress in the Foundation Stage, because of the good provision that helps them learn independently and purposefully, both indoors and outdoors. In Years 1 to 6, pupils are taught well, but there are still opportunities to use assessment information more to provide consistent challenge for all learners. Most pupils have good attitudes to learning. There is a striking self-confidence and maturity in the attitudes and opinions of pupils by the time they

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Grade: 2

reach Year 6. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exemplary. Pupils behave well both in and around the school. The curriculum is good. The impressive range of responsibilities given to older pupils and the extensive range of extra-curricular activities are particularly strong features. Pupils get exceptional levels of care, support and guidance. They benefit significantly from the range of partnerships the school has with outside agencies. Leadership, management and governance are good, although the monitoring of teaching and learning is not yet rigorous enough to ensure consistent, good learning. There has been good improvement since the previous inspection. The school has good capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

In order to raise pupils' good progress even further the school should: • Monitor the quality of teaching more rigorously to identify how pupils can make faster progress. • Use the school's assessment information more effectively to set more challenging targets and support learning.

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Grade: 2

All groups of pupils make good progress because of the good teaching they receive. When they join the Nursery, children's standards are below average. Sometimes there is a significant number of children who are well below average, especially in communication, language and literacy. By the end of Year 2, pupils make good progress to achieve standards which are usually close to the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. The results in 2005, at the end of Year 2, were below the national average because the cohort contained a high number of lower attaining pupils. 2 Inspection Report: Southroyd Primary and Nursery School, 15 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 In Years 3 to 6, pupils continue to make good progress to achieve standards, which are broadly average. Occasionally, they are above average for more able cohorts. In 2005, standards were broadly average. The school is taking effective action to improve

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Grade: 2

the somewhat weaker progress rightly identified in mathematics. The school met appropriately challenging targets in 2005, based on matching the performance of similar schools. The school is now well placed to begin the journey to reach even more challenging targets.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Older pupils are strikingly self-confident and articulate. This is a tribute to the school's sustained work that is highly valued by parents. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They gain an increasing awareness of world faiths and cultures through religious education, history, music and art lessons. The excellent links with a partner school in India significantly deepen pupils' understanding of the wider world. Assemblies are used very well to promote moral and social development, based on planned themes for the week. Pupils' attendance and punctuality are good; the school works very hard to support and encourage the few pupils who have lower attendance levels. The behaviour of pupils is very good. For example, their calm and respectful entry into the hall for assembly was impressive. Pupils clearly enjoy their lessons. They have many

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Grade: 1

opportunities to work in small groups and, with 'talking partners', to extend their thinking skills. Younger pupils in Year 2 had a wonderful time during an adventure day. They engaged in a very wide range of linked activities designed to enrich their knowledge of Scottish customs, music and dance in preparation for a literacy assessment. Pupils make an exceptional contribution to the school community, through the school council and the wider responsibilities enjoyed by Year 5 and 6, such as helping Year 3 with reading. Older pupils know about the importance of healthy eating and lifestyles. As a result of their outstanding levels of confidence and maturity, pupils are very well prepared to make a positive contribution to society and the workplace in later life.

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Grade: 2

Very good relationships give pupils confidence to learn well throughout the school. They grow increasingly eager to ask and answer questions. Teachers' good organisation and classroom management ensure lessons run calmly and smoothly. Well-targeted questions and good use of resources help pupils to think hard and learn. Pupils appreciate the productive atmosphere. 'All the teachers are brilliant, they push you 3 Inspection Report: Southroyd Primary and Nursery School, 15 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 but also help you', said a Year 6 pupil. When necessary, teachers support their high expectations of pupils' behaviour with effective discipline and reward systems. Occasionally, however, teachers allow the pace of teaching to drop, which leads to some inattention from pupils and weaker learning. Teachers accurately identify and help pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Support staff make a very positive contribution to learning by working closely with

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Grade: 2

individuals and groups to ensure their progress. The recently improved assessment systems accurately track pupils' progress. They are having a positive impact on successfully identifying areas where progress could be improved and guiding teachers' planning. As a result, tasks are well matched to the needs of pupils with different ability levels. However, the information is not yet fully used to identify individual targets, thereby promoting even better progress.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It meets statutory requirements and meets the needs of pupils. A good range of activities ensures all pupils enjoy their learning and equips them well for secondary schooling. There is strong and successful emphasis on pupils' personal and social development as well as their basic skills. Frequent, imaginative linking of work in different subjects captures pupils' interests and helps their learning. Increasingly, assessment information is used to improve the learning of pupils of different abilities. Good provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities allows them to be fully included in all activities. A very wide range of visits and visitors effectively promote pupils' personal and social skills as well as their academic learning. Well-attended clubs promote a wide range of interests, including sports and music for pupils throughout the school.

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, support and guidance to pupils is outstanding. Pupils with a wide range of needs and abilities attend. They feel valued, safe and secure. Very effective and relevant support and welfare are provided for a number of vulnerable pupils. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and those for whom English is not their first language, are met very effectively. In addition to teaching and support staff, the school makes very good use of a range of external professionals and agencies. Child protection procedures are securely in place and appropriate safety checks are made on staff new to the school. Regular fire drills are undertaken and effective risk assessments take place in advance of school trips. Lessons in personal, social, health and citizenship education include 'circle time', when pupils discuss their feelings and any concerns in a supportive atmosphere. This

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Grade: 1

contributes significantly to pupils' comfort, confidence and sense of well being. Pupils rightly feel their views matter and are taken on board by adults. As one very happy 4 Inspection Report: Southroyd Primary and Nursery School, 15 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 Year 6 pupil remarked - 'this school is a very good environment for learning'. Guidance and support for pupils' academic progress is very good in Year 6 and good elsewhere.

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Grade: 2

Overall the quality of leadership and management is good. This is reflected in pupils' good academic progress and outstanding personal development. The headteacher, well supported by the deputy, provides a clear sense of direction and effective support and encouragement for staff. Clear steps have recently been taken, as part of staff restructuring, to strengthen the leadership capacity among other staff. Self-review and the use of data are now established and effective at senior level. Some work is still needed to ensure consistent use of this information by all staff. The quality of teaching and learning is regularly monitored. Staff speak positively about the confidence they gain from having their lessons observed by senior staff. The school is now aware that its monitoring would benefit from a greater emphasis on learning and the identification of key improvement areas. Performance management is well

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Grade: 2

established and has a positive impact on all staff's ability, including non-teaching staff, to contribute to wider school improvement. For example, in the current cycle, all teaching staff have a pupil progress objective, centred around the progress of a critical group of pupils. The contribution of the governing body is good. Governors have an accurate understanding of performance in most areas of school life. They work very well with the headteacher, based on mutual trust and open sharing of ideas and concerns. Their varied experience and knowledge of their community provide important insights and support for leaders, staff and pupils. 5 Inspection Report: Southroyd Primary and Nursery School, 15 May 2006 to 16 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: Southroyd Primary and Nursery School, 15 May 2006 to 16 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 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 3 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 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 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 welcoming us to your school and for being so friendly and helpful. It was very useful to hear how much you like your school. We really enjoyed our visit and want to share with you what we discovered. What we liked most about your school: - we think your school is a good one; the staff work hard to make sure you are well taught and that you are happy, healthy and well cared for - you work hard and you get on well with each other - we were impressed with how seriously older pupils take their responsibilities, including the way Year 6 help the Year 3 with reading - you have a real say in what goes on at school - you have more clubs than we find in most primary schools - your parents and carers are very pleased you come to this school. What we have asked your school to do now: - try hard to find out what your teachers could do to make your learning even better - use all the information it gathers to help you learn more effectively and to set accurate targets.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Please keep up your enthusiasm for learning inside and outside the classroom.

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