Dalton School

Inspection Report Dalton School Junior Infant and Nursery

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131849 Unique Reference Number Kirklees LEA 282270 Inspection number 18 January 2006 to 19 January 2006 Inspection dates Mr Roger Gill 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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Mayfield Avenue School address Primary Type of school Dalton Community School category Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD5 9HN 3 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01484 226577 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01484 226578 Fax number 492 Number on roll Mr C Walder Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Stephen Englefield Headteacher 25 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282270 18 January 2006 - 3 to 11 19 January 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 primary school in Huddersfield is situated within an area of average socio-economic characteristics. Most children are of white British heritage, but there is a sizeable minority from other heritages; a few are learning English as an additional language. An average proportion of children has learning difficulties and/or disabilities, but more than is usual have statements of special educational needs, including those in the unit for visual impairment. Most children start school with skills and knowledge below those typical for their age. Since the school was last inspected, there has been a change of headteacher and deputy headteacher. Furthermore, there has been a substantial turnover in staff.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Dalton School Junior Infant and Nursery, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 2006

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Grade: 3

The school is satisfactory with many good features. Since the last inspection, it has survived significant disruption, particularly caused by constant staff turnover. Children's progress became erratic because teaching lacked continuity. This is emphatically not the case now. The thoughtful and ambitious headteacher has weathered the storm well and improved achievement. Lost ground is being recovered: learning and achievement are sound and back on track because teaching is satisfactory and improving fast. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage to reach the nationally expected levels by the end of Reception. The school knows that achievement is satisfactory, but judges itself to be good, partly because the head of steam generated makes it a little optimistic. Leadership and management are satisfactory, but the work done to rescue the school has been good. The school's distinctive character, valued by parents, children and

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Grade: 3

governors, is one of strong teamwork. It is back on track with a strong capacity for further improvement; the school now provides satisfactory value for money. A positive ethos results in good personal development among pupils. Their enthusiasm for learning is nourished well. As one child justifiably declared on the school's website, 'I think Dalton School is a brilliant place in which to learn.' Children's progress is tracked, test results are analysed and teaching is evaluated soundly in the main. A great deal of information is gathered, but the use of it is not yet fully effective in terms of accelerating children's progress throughout the school and making all teaching at least good.

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What the school should do to improve further

Build on recent improvements in children's achievements to accelerate them even further by: • improving the analysis and use of information about children's progress to set clearer and more ambitious targets for success; and • monitoring the effect of teaching on children's progress and achievement to ensure that all teaching is of at least a good standard.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory and improving. Children gain knowledge, skills and understanding at a good rate in the nursery and Reception classes. In 2005, standards in Year 2 were low, unusually, because there were considerably more pupils than in previous years with learning difficulties. Moreover, these children had not escaped the disruption caused by staff changes. Nevertheless, progress by the end of Year 2 is currently satisfactory with writing advancing at a fast pace. By the end of Year 6, standards are below average owing to the gaps in children's knowledge, but they are achieving soundly. In some cases their progress is rapid: writing is romping ahead 2 Inspection Report: Dalton School Junior Infant and Nursery, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 2006 owing to the school's successful methods. Children generally fulfil their teachers' expectations. However, targets are not closely enough matched to pupils' needs in all

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Grade: 3

classes to produce even better results. There are differences in achievement between pupils: boys could be doing better because some lessons lack enough practical activity, but the school is tackling this with resolve. Children with learning difficulties and the few who are learning English as an additional language progress satisfactorily, like their classmates, but visually impaired children and those with specific disabilities such as autism achieve well.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being is good with some outstanding features. In some lessons personal development is first rate because children are so confident and collaborate so well. Relationships throughout school are positive. One pupil expressed a view, held by many, that, 'our school is a place filled with fun and laughter'. Pupils enjoy school and want to learn, which is reflected in the satisfactory and improving attendance. Behaviour is consistently good; older pupils develop mature attitudes and take on responsibilities well. They act as 'befrienders', playground leaders and share reading with younger pupils. Pupils know that their views matter because the school council has a strong voice in the school. Good provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has a significant effect on the way pupils think and behave. As a result, asylum seekers are welcomed warmly into the fold. Moreover, pupils with a visual impairment are included fully in

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Grade: 2

school life. Healthy living is promoted well: pupils understand the need to eat healthy food and take regular exercise. Year 6 pupils make a splendid job of selling fruit and vegetables at break time; good financial acumen is demonstrated by the way they record their sales and balance the books.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Lessons are planned carefully and good organisation is a strong feature of most lessons. Successful teaching is lively from the start; children's interest is captured and held throughout. Furthermore, activities provide challenging work for all. This made learning outstanding in a Year 2 mathematics lesson: children loved solving problems. The entire class, from those with learning difficulties to the gifted, prospered in a goldmine of a classroom that contained excellent visual prompts and a superb array of resources. In less successful lessons, introductions are too long and children lack time to practise their skills. Moreover, some tasks are either too easy or too hard, so progress slows. Teaching assistants contribute well to children's learning, but in a few lessons they are underemployed at times. 3 Inspection Report: Dalton School Junior Infant and Nursery, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 2006

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Grade: 3

The assessment of children's work is sound and developing fast. Teachers are generally aware about what pupils can do and set appropriate targets. The marking of work is positive and helpful. Learning is guided well in writing, owing to the elaborate system of assessment used. Formal assessments keep a track of children's attainment over time, but this information is not always examined closely enough to pinpoint where progress could be even better.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Although much improved, it is too soon for it to have had a full influence on pupils' achievement. Lessons are well planned and organised. Good provision in the arts, physical education and the Foundation Stage is rightly recognised by national awards. There has been significant improvement in ICT provision since the last inspection. Pupils also enjoy lessons in elementary philosophy. Extra curricular activities are very good, well attended, and appreciated by the children. Education for personal development works very well: essential elements of health, safety, drugs awareness, sex education and citizenship are all woven together successfully. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties is sound, and good for visually impaired children and those with autism. The curriculum also caters for children with particular gifts and talents. It is designed to help them generate their own ideas, learn how to think laterally

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Grade: 2

and solve demanding problems in teams: a very useful preparation for the world of work.

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Grade: 2

Parents, children and the school assert that care and support are strengths of the school and inspectors agree. Year 6 pupils state, proudly, that they would recommend the school to others because of the care provided. All children receive very well coordinated support from the entire team. Pupils who find it difficult to learn are well supported and, as a result, they make the same progress as others. The school provides well for the health and safety of pupils and risk assessments are conducted regularly. Child protection procedures are in place and adults know what to do if they have a concern. Pupils feel safe and know who to turn to for help. The school takes swift action if bullying occurs. Attendance is well monitored and absences followed up rigorously. Staff are knowledgeable about children's personal development. The guidance given to children about their academic progress is satisfactory and improving.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school has recovered well from the negative effect of staffing changes. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and staff are dedicated to raising achievement. They are improving standards, ensuring that 4 Inspection Report: Dalton School Junior Infant and Nursery, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 2006 children's personal development is promoted well. The school is well placed to improve even further. All children are included well: visually impaired children feel completely at home, as do asylum seekers. Governors give good support and fulfil their responsibilities satisfactorily. Their commitment is not yet informed by a system for monitoring and evaluating academic progress. Subject leaders support their colleagues well by offering advice and arranging training. Staff confidence has risen as a result, for example, in teaching mathematics, writing and ICT. However, the scrutiny of information about children's learning in

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Grade: 3

subjects lacks sufficient evaluation to reveal where progress is not as fast as it could be. Thus, for example, the school estimates that progress in writing outpaces that in mathematics, but lacks hard evidence to prove it. Nevertheless, the school knows itself reasonably well. It judges its qualities accurately except that, without evidence to judge the impact of its actions, it overestimates the school's effectiveness. The quality of teaching is monitored regularly, but methods are not yet fully effective in pinpointing how children's progress can be improved more quickly. Outstanding teaching exists alongside satisfactory lessons. Coaching, whereby teachers work together in pairs, has been established to tackle this uneven profile, but it is too soon to see many results from this potentially useful initiative. 5 Inspection Report: Dalton School Junior Infant and Nursery, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 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: Dalton School Junior Infant and Nursery, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 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 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 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 3 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 2 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 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 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 your help when we inspected your school. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit because everyone was so helpful and friendly. We would like to share with you what we thought. These are some of the things that we particularly enjoyed: - the way that all children get on so well together and enjoy lessons - the sense of teamwork that exists throughout the whole school - the way that your school has coped with the frequent changes of teachers in the last few years - the good start given in the nursery and Reception classes - the pride that you all have in your school building and the work on display. We know everyone wants to do even better and we have suggested a couple of things that we think will help: - we would like your teachers to look even closer at the progress you are making and always set you clear and ambitious targets to reach - we would like your headteacher to develop, even further, the observation of lessons to decide

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