Parkside Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 5 May 2006

Inspection Report Parkside Primary School

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117935 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire LEA 282705 Inspection number 4 May 2006 to 5 May 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Margaret Shepherd Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Western Road School address Primary Type of school Goole Community School category DN14 6RQ 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01405 763634 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01405 767612 Fax number 461 Number on roll Cllr Malcolm South Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Brian Morris Headteacher 1 January 2004 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282705 4 May 2006 - 3 to 11 5 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

Parkside Primary School is a larger than average school, with 461 children on roll. Children enter the school with standards at the expected level. It has an average number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The proportion of children eligible for free school meals is below average. As the result of local authority reorganisation, 35 children joined the school in September from three different neighbouring schools. The school has undergone a high proportion of staff changes and staff illnesses over the past three years. The deputy headteacher has only been in post since September.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Parkside Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 5 May 2006

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. This matches the school’s own judgements. The previous inspection found that the school had serious weaknesses. This designation no longer applies and the school now has a satisfactory capacity for future improvements. Overall, leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher’s leadership and management are good. He has been determined to improve the school’s provision and has been successful in tackling the weaknesses. He has worked very hard to improve the consistency in the quality of teaching and it is now satisfactory with good features. He has also set up efficient systems to ensure that each child’s progress is monitored carefully as they move between classes. The combination of these strategies has had a positive impact on children’s standards and achievement, which are now satisfactory throughout the school. This includes children with learning difficulties and/or

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Grade: 3

disabilities. The achievement of more able pupils is satisfactory but opportunities are missed to increase their rate of progress further by challenging them consistently throughout lessons. • Personal development and well-being are satisfactory with some good features. Behaviour is good, as is moral and social development. These good features are a result of the school’s emphasis on sensitive care and support. Guidance is satisfactory. Some children have an understanding of what they need to do to improve their reading, writing and mathematics, but this is not the case throughout the school. The curriculum is satisfactory overall. Opportunities are missed to extend literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills across other subjects. The quality of provision and standards in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory, with outdoor learning less effective than indoor learning.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop the use of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills across the curriculum. • Extend children’s understanding of what they need to do to improve their own work. • Provide consistency in the challenge for the more able children in lessons. • Extend the outdoor learning for the Foundation Stage children.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory and standards are average. Standards at the end of Year 6 and achievement through the junior classes have been variable over time. In 2004 standards were average and achievement was satisfactory overall and good in science. There was a considerable drop in standards in 2005; achievement was inadequate overall and particularly low in mathematics. This was due to a successive pattern of 2 Inspection Report: Parkside Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 5 May 2006 disruption in staffing for this year group as they moved through the junior classes. This situation has now been resolved effectively. The school has worked hard to put a range of good quality strategies in place to improve the consistency of achievement both through each year group and when children move between classes. Children’s learning now builds systematically on their previous knowledge and skills. These strategies, together with the improved quality of teaching, have resulted in children

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Grade: 3

now making steady progress as they move through the school. School data show that standards in the current Year 6 are average. This represents satisfactory achievement from their Year 2 standards. Standards in Year 2 have been rising over the last three years to average last year. The school has sustained these standards this year. Children make satisfactory progress in the Foundation Stage. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make at least satisfactory progress and they often make good progress. Children eligible for free school meals achieve as well as other children. The headteacher sets teachers challenging targets for their children to reach each year.

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Grade: 3

Personal development and well-being are satisfactory with good features. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory overall. Cultural development was a weakness in the previous inspection and it is now satisfactory. Moral and social development is good. Children have a clear understanding of right and wrong. This leads to good behaviour in lessons, around the school and at playtimes. There is harmony and good relationships between the established children and those who have come from neighbouring schools. Children have a good understanding of keeping safe and healthy. They have confidence that the school will ‘do all that it can’ to ensure they are free from bullying. They appreciate that they need to eat healthy food, drink water regularly and take exercise. A large proportion of children exercise regularly by cycling to school. Children enjoy school, particularly when teaching is lively and

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Grade: 3

interesting. A small number of children find it more difficult to concentrate when satisfactory lessons are not as demanding as the best. Attendance is satisfactory. Rates dropped last year but this year they are back to the expected level. Children’s contribution to the community is good. The school council takes its work very seriously and councillors are proud of their responsibilities. Children have the personal qualities and satisfactory skills to prepare them for the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory with good features. This is an improvement since the previous inspection where it was a serious weakness. The partnership between teachers and teaching assistants is good and this supports children with learning 3 Inspection Report: Parkside Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 5 May 2006 difficulties and/or disabilities effectively. Teachers manage behaviour well, which produces a calm and productive context for learning. The level of challenge in lessons matches the average child’s needs well but there is not a consistent level of challenge across each part of the lesson for the more able children. Where teaching is good, there is a fast pace to learning and an interesting range of carefully sequenced activities. Assessment is now satisfactory. It was a weakness in the previous inspection. There are appropriate assessment systems in place which are being used to improve children's

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Grade: 3

writing. However, teachers are not using these systems effectively enough across other subjects to support individual children in understanding what they need to do next to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

The quality of the curriculum is satisfactory. The school has worked hard to ensure that the different elements within each subject are covered systematically. There has been a particular focus on increasing the amount of problem-solving activities in mathematics, resulting in improved achievement in this subject throughout the school. There are good quality opportunities for children to learn musical instruments. The school covers basic skills within English, mathematics and ICT lessons effectively and is now in a good position to extend the focus of literacy, numeracy and ICT across the curriculum. The curriculum for personal, social, health and citizenship is good. The Foundation Stage curriculum is satisfactory overall. There is a clear focus on basic skills, but opportunities are missed to incorporate outdoor learning into planned activities and the outside areas are drab and uninviting.

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Grade: 3

The quality of care, support and guidance is satisfactory overall with some good features. Procedures to safeguard children are satisfactory. The care of vulnerable children is good, as is the support for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Guidance for children’s academic development is inconsistent. Some children have a good understanding of parts of their work and what they need to do to improve. That understanding is not seen consistently across all three aspects of reading, writing and mathematics.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. This is an improvement since the previous inspection where management was inadequate. The leadership and management of the headteacher are good. He has a very clear vision of how to take the school forward and is determined to improve the school’s provision. He tackles key areas for improvement systematically, such as providing additional expertise to support and extend the staff’s development. There has been a considerable 4 Inspection Report: Parkside Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 5 May 2006 improvement in the monitoring and evaluation procedures, particularly for teaching and learning. This has had a significantly positive impact on the quality of teaching which in turn has led to consistently satisfactory achievement by children through the school. The headteacher takes a long-term view of staffing, considering new appointments carefully. This strategy has now resulted in a good balance within the

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Grade: 3

teaching team. He introduces new systems efficiently, which ensures continuity in the provision for children as they move through the school. The new deputy headteacher is enthusiastic and is playing a leading role in further improving the assessment systems. The role of the coordinators, which was a weakness in the previous inspection, is satisfactory. Governance is satisfactory. The governors are committed to taking the school forward and have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Self-evaluation is satisfactory. The involvement of parents in this process is satisfactory. They appreciate the school’s provision. Improvement since the previous inspection is satisfactory overall and the school now has a satisfactory capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Parkside Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 5 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: Parkside Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 5 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 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 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 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 Parkside Primary School Western Road Goole DN14 6RQ 8 May 2006 Dear Children Thank you very much for welcoming us into your school. We really enjoyed talking to you and looking at your work. The best things about your school are: your good behaviour in lessons, around the school and at playtimes your understanding about keeping safe and healthy your School Council and your contributions to your school community the partnership between your teachers and the teaching assistants and the way that children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported the way that the staff care and support you all the opportunities for you to play musical instruments the way that your headteacher works hard to improve your school. To improve your school more, we have asked all the adults to: help you use literacy, numeracy and ICT more in all your different lessons

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to make the work more challenging for more able children right through the lesson to help you to understand what you need to do to improve your work in reading, writing and mathematics to make the outdoor learning more interesting. Best wishes Maggi Shepherd, Geoffrey Yates, Kathryn Dodd Lead inspector and team inspectors

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