Ossett South Parade Primary

Inspection Report Osset South Parade Primary School

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134376 Unique Reference Number Wakefield LEA 282575 Inspection number 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 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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Fairfield Road School address Primary Type of school South Parade Community School category Ossett, Wakefield WF5 0DZ 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01924 302880 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01924 302880 Fax number 332 Number on roll Mr S Hardy Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Nigel Blakeley Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282575 2 November 2005 - 3 to 11 3 November 2005 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 is a large primary school in Ossett, which is situated in an area with average socio-economic characteristics. Most children are of white British heritage with a very few others learning English as an additional language. An above average proportion of children have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Most children start school with skills and knowledge below that typical for their age. The school was established in January 2004 after an amalgamation of two others on the same site and is currently lodged temporarily while a new school is being built. A new headteacher, deputy headteacher, leadership team and governing body have been appointed since the school was established.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. It provides good value for money. It has made rapid progress since 2004, when it was established as a full primary school. The school modestly judges its effectiveness to be satisfactory. This is a rather cautious estimate about how quickly the difficulties associated with the amalgamation have been solved. Children progress well in the Foundation Stage to reach the nationally expected levels by the end of the reception class. Achievement elsewhere is good overall with some occasional dips linked to a small amount of satisfactory teaching. The school's distinctive character, which is recognised by parents, children and governors, is one of energetic teamwork. This has placed this new school on a confident path with a strong capacity for further improvement. This is a well led and managed school in which children are highly valued. The headteacher has, with the help of a very capable senior staff, galvanised everyone in

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Grade: 2

the pursuit of very good achievement. The school's positive ethos results in the children's good behaviour and generally good personal development. As one child declared with some justification, 'this is a brilliant and exciting place'. The way that the children's progress is tracked, test results are analysed and teaching is evaluated is sound overall. A great deal of information is gathered, but the use of it is not yet fully effective in terms of accelerating children's progress evenly throughout the school and making all teaching at least good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise achievement in reading and writing even further by continuing to improve the consistency of teaching and children's involvement in assessing their learning. • Strengthen the system for evaluating the effectiveness of teaching by judging it against children's progress and achievement.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Children usually meet the targets set for them, but sometimes success in writing and reading just misses the mark. Progress is good from the nursery class onwards, so children reach the expectations for their age by the end of their year in reception. They continue to make good progress and by the end of Year 2 have reached standards that are above average generally. However, achievement is only satisfactory at the higher levels in reading and writing. By the end of Year 6, standards were well above average in 2004. They fell slightly in 2005 because some children did not fulfil their potential in writing. The school is rigorously addressing this and pupils are back on track this year. There is an element of uneven progress in English within Years 3 to 6, where achievement is good in most lessons, but only satisfactory in some. Progress in mathematics and science is consistently good and this is reflected in the

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Grade: 2

significant achievements made by the end of Year 6. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are good and pupils make good progress in other 2 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 subjects. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress towards their targets. The few who are learning English as an additional language also make quick progress.

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Grade: 2

Children enjoy school, which is reflected in their above average attendance. They behave well, are keen to learn and are proud of their achievements. Concentration is good and intense on occasions such as when children are playing instruments together in lessons or in assembly. They keep themselves safe, socialise well and are very polite. Bullying is rare and children are right to feel confident that it is dealt with quickly. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Children express their feelings well, particularly when working in small groups, and value each other. They are developing a good awareness that all are equal whatever their background, and the school helps children make good connections with other countries through Internet links. School councillors work eagerly at their tasks, discharge their responsibilities effectively and describe themselves as 'over the moon' at being selected. The personal

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Grade: 2

development of children who find it hard to control their behaviour is influenced positively by the learning mentor. They understand that this helps them to improve their work and learning. As one child stated, 'talking to her helps me because she is somebody who cares . I can tell her anything'.

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Grade: 2

Good teaching results in good progress overall. The best lessons are characterised by an air of magic and fast pace. For example, in a Year 4 mathematics lesson about money and multiplication, the teacher played the role of a nervous job seeker in a bowling alley. This fired the children's imaginations. Learning about how to help the applicant was vastly enjoyable and speedy in its effect. Moreover, in Year 6, brisk teaching about the measurement of irregular shapes, using the electronic whiteboard, set a demanding challenge. Children responded with a desire for success. The teaching of reading and writing has been overhauled in the last year and lessons are often taught well as a result. For example, children enjoy the way comprehension is made engaging in the newly designed reading sessions. Some teaching of English in a mixed class of Years 3, 4 and 5 lacks the bite found elsewhere because learning

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Grade: 2

is not built firmly enough on previous assessments and advice about what to do next lacks precision. The thorough assessment of work leads to helpful targets being set. These are couched in apt language. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities progress well because their learning is guided by useful assessments. 3 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Children study many interesting things and make good progress. Projects link subjects together in an exciting way, which children enjoy. Work in the Foundation Stage ensures good progress. Basic skills in Years 1 to 6 are planned effectively, particularly in the revitalised programmes for reading and writing. Studies are well served by ICT with the regular use of electronic whiteboards and the Internet. Work for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well planned and there is good provision for those with gifts and talents, for example, in music. Beyond lessons, there are many valuable sporting and musical activities and residential visits. The work in small groups with teaching assistants successfully encourages collaboration and boosts confidence. Children consider healthy food options and lifestyle choices, linking effectively with local supermarkets, for example, to learn about healthy food and the

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Grade: 2

world of work. They cope well with change caused by the building work.

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Grade: 2

This is a good aspect. Potential health and safety hazards associated with the building site are assessed well. Sensible measures ensure that children are safe at school. Written procedures are not always up to date because circumstances change constantly; a relative weakness in an otherwise robust system. Children feel safe, are well cared for and enjoy school. They are confident that adults will listen to them. Arrangements for child protection are in place and followed. The learning mentor is very good at supporting vulnerable children. This is a health conscious school in which physical activity is prized highly. As one child said about the new playground equipment, 'they are not only toys you know - they are to help keep you active and fit!' Most children's learning is guided well and parents feel able to support at home. Advice about how to improve work is outstanding in some classes but in others it is not yet

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good; they are effective in helping children achieve well. The headteacher's style of leadership has been just right during the amalgamation. As one member of staff put it, 'it has been managed in the most sensitive and humane way possible'. The school is outstanding at turning problems into opportunities. Children's achievements are not compromised despite the many changes of routine. The school has a very firm grasp on relative weaknesses in reading and writing and is tackling them well. 4 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 The subject leaders guide their colleagues skilfully, offering advice and training to improve expertise. Parents and children are strongly in favour of what the school has to offer. Pupils enjoy their learning far more now that the curriculum has been enriched to include special study weeks and fascinating topics that link subjects together.

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Grade: 2

Governors fulfil their responsibilities and know the school very well. They allocate resources well, including teaching assistants, to support children's learning. The school has a good understanding of its own strengths and weaknesses. Strong teamwork means that everyone is involved in the extensive programme of monitoring teaching and learning. As a result, children's performance in tests is analysed frequently. This is very useful in Year 2 and Year 6, but the evaluation of children's progress in other years has not yet been in operation long enough to be fully effective. Moreover, the quality of teaching is monitored regularly, but methods do not yet pinpoint how children's progress and achievement can be improved. 5 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 .

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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: Osset South Parade Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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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 NA 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 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 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 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 enjoyed. - Yours is a good school with some first-rate features. - You certainly behave well despite your school being a building site. - The chances you have to think how the school can be improved. - Yours is an active and healthy school. - You have a lot of interesting things to do including sharing learning with children abroad. We know everyone wants to do even better and we have suggested a couple of things that we think will help. - We would like all your teachers to make it clear to all of you all of the time what you need to do to make even better progress in your reading and writing. - We would like your headteacher and others to see your lessons to decide how good your learning is and how your progress could be even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Best wishes to you all. We hope you have a wonderful time in your new school and meanwhile keep being so helpful to your teachers in this difficult time.

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