Todwick Primary School

Inspection Report Todwick Junior and Infant School

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106907 Unique Reference Number Rotherham Local Authority 287645 Inspection number 31 January °1 February 2007 Inspection dates Bill Keast Reporting inspector

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

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Kiveton Lane School address Primary Type of school Todwick, Sheffield Community School category South Yorkshire S26 1HJ 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01909 771138 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01909 771138 Fax number 192 Number on roll (school) Mrs L Waller Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr R Lincoln Headteacher 10 September 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 287645 31 January °1 February 2007 4°11 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This average sized primary school in the village of Todwick near Rotherham draws its pupils from a generally favoured area. An average proportion of pupils has identified learning difficulties and/or disabilities and few pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds. The school has had difficulty in maintaining a consistent teaching force for the last three years.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Todwick Junior and Infant School, 31 January °1 February 2007

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Grade: 3

This school provides a sound education for its pupils and gives satisfactory value for money. Pupils enjoy coming to school because of the good relationships they have with their teachers and the good care and support they are given. They feel safe and have someone they would turn to if they had a worry. Pupils behave well both at school and on visits. They understand and remember the safety and the health messages which are well promoted by the school. This is a strength of the curriculum, with the school working well in partnership with others to promote pupils' well-being. Pupils make a satisfactory contribution to the community through their fund-raising activities and make satisfactory progress in developing the skills that will help them succeed in the future. The good programme of residential visits is particularly effective in helping pupils develop their social skills. Pupils' standards are average by the end of Year 6 and their achievement is satisfactory.

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Grade: 3

The quality of provision in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and improving. Pupils make satisfactory progress in this year as they learn new routines and to work and play with others. Results in national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2006 were broadly average and pupils made satisfactory progress. This was a significant decline from the two previous years and this has been due to the impact of staffing difficulties which are still having an adverse affect on pupils' learning. Overall, teaching is satisfactory because, through staff illness and movement, pupils have not had the previously consistent and continuous high quality teaching. The school knows its strengths and where improvement is needed but, in judging all features to be good, has been overgenerous in its judgements. Inspectors agree with the school's judgements on pupils' personal development and on their care, guidance and support but not about other aspects of its work. Actions taken to tackle weaknesses

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Grade: 3

have resulted in improvement but monitoring of classroom performances has not been sufficiently rigorous to allow leaders to clearly identify what action would be most effective. Improvement since the previous inspection has been satisfactory with two of the three issues being resolved. While current monitoring procedures identify progress made by pupils by the end of a year they have not been able to check if pupils are making the expected progress during the year. The staffing uncertainties have resulted in the headteacher taking personal responsibility, on a day-to-day basis, for too many issues. While this situation continues, the school's capacity to improve is satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of teaching so that all pupils experience teaching of a consistent and sustained high quality in order to raise standards and achievement. • Ensure pupils' progress is effectively promoted through regular monitoring and personalised targets. 2 Inspection Report: Todwick Junior and Infant School, 31 January °1 February 2007 • Ensure monitoring is sufficient and rigorous enough to clearly identify what needs to be improved and leads to well focused actions.

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Grade: 3

Children enter the Foundation Stage with standards that are above those generally expected for their age. Their progress in this first year is satisfactory as they maintain standards above national expectations. Above average standards are maintained by the end of Year 2 although there has been a downward trend in the last two years. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics are similar. Progress in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory. Results at the end of Year 6 in national tests fell significantly in 2006 to broadly average. There were similarly significant drops in mathematics and English while science results remained significantly above average. There has also been a downward trend in these results for the last two years. The school did not meet its targets and pupils did not make the expected progress. All groups of pupils made similar progress in Key Stage 2 which was in line with average progress made nationally.

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Grade: 3

Current standards in Year 6, although broadly average, are not high enough overall. Standards in English are higher than in mathematics. The school is now setting more challenging targets in order to raise achievement.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is good. Pupils are proud of their school and their attendance is good. They say they particularly like the visits they make, the visitors who come to their school and teaching in the new computer suite or which uses the interactive white boards. The vast majority of parents confirm their children enjoy school. In discussion pupils praise the school's anti-bullying procedures which help them feel safe. The extent to which pupils recognise safe practices and adopt healthy lifestyles is good. The extent to which they contribute to the school and the wider community is not as great because they have few planned opportunities to do so. Pupils' development of basic skills is effectively promoted but most pupils have few opportunities to take responsibilities or be involved in activities of an enterprise nature.

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Grade: 3

Within the overall satisfactory teaching there are strengths. Relationships are good. Pupils are managed well and teachers remain calm while dealing with the occasionally challenging behaviour of a small number of pupils with behavioural difficulties. Classroom support assistants are used effectively. Focus weeks, visits and visitors are 3 Inspection Report: Todwick Junior and Infant School, 31 January °1 February 2007 well used as stimuli for subsequent work. The outcomes of professional development are apparent in the similarity of structure within lessons, for example, a starter activity which sets the context and the daily or weekly targets displayed near the board. However, teachers do not routinely tell pupils what they are expected to learn through a piece of teaching: weekly targets may record an area of focus rather than the target of the learning and too long may be spent on things pupils can already do and too

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Grade: 3

little on what they find more difficult. Marking, while regular and giving appropriate praise, does not always tell pupils how they can improve their work or refer back to targets that have been given previously. Staff changes and the succession of temporary teachers that some pupils have had, due to staff illness, contribute to the inconsistency of teaching and are unsettling for pupils. As a result teaching is not as effective as it was in previous years.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum meets national requirements and is enhanced by the introduction of Spanish in Years 3 and 4. The school makes good provision to develop pupils' understanding of safe practices and healthy lifestyles. Opportunities for residential visits are particularly strong and pupils look forward to and benefit from these. Planning opportunities for pupils to make a positive contribution to their school or local community, or to develop some of the enterprise and personal skills which will help them in their future, are not as structured. The school plans to meet the needs of pupils identified as gifted or talented through more challenging work and tasks but has not checked to confirm that this is happening. The needs of pupils with learning or behavioural difficulties are clearly met with the help of classroom assistants. The school provides comparatively few activities at lunchtime or after school to broaden

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Grade: 2

Child protection procedures are in place. Procedures for safeguarding pupils meet national requirements. Appropriate risk assessments are undertaken ensuring a safe environment both in the school and on visits. The school promotes messages of anti-bullying, safety and healthy life styles well. Good provision is made for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities with a comprehensive range of support strategies and regular reviews of progress. The regular teachers and classroom assistants know the needs of their pupils well and plan work to meet them. End of year targets are set for all pupils and the older pupils know what theirs are. Classes have weekly targets in literacy and mathematics and pupils have individual targets particularly in literacy. Pupils are helped to improve their work both through discussion and by written comments on their work. However, the use of individual targets is limited.

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Todwick Junior and Infant School, 31 January °1 February 2007

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Grade: 3

The school recognises the impact that staff changes and absences are having on teaching and on pupils' progress. The staffing structure has been reviewed, following the national requirements and a new structure has been created. This has not yet had time to show an impact. To ensure continuity the headteacher has taken on additional responsibilities, for example, the provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The leadership role of subject leaders is underdeveloped so that monitoring is mainly carried out by senior leaders. As a consequence, monitoring to ensure that agreed strategies and actions are taking place in the classroom has been limited and lacking sufficient rigour. Analysis, particularly of test results, correctly identifies weaknesses in aspects of pupils' learning and actions are taken to tackle them. Each year group now has challenging targets in English and mathematics and action has

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Grade: 3

been taken to help pupils achieve them. These actions have led to improvement but, because the expected outcomes are not always clearly expressed, it is difficult for leaders and governors to evaluate how effective they have been. The governors are very supportive of their school and have ensured that statutory requirements have been met. However, they have not been sufficiently critical either in holding leadership to account or in their regular visits. The school makes every effort to accommodate different pupils' needs. As a result all pupils are included in all activities. 5 Inspection Report: Todwick Junior and Infant School, 31 January °1 February 2007 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Todwick Junior and Infant School, 31 January °1 February 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Todwick Junior and Infant School, 31 January °1 February 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Todwick Junior and Infant School, 31 January °1 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so polite and helpful when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking with you and watching you at work and play. We think your school is giving you a satisfactory education. Your teachers and your classroom assistants take good care of you and help you all to be successful in your learning. You say that you feel safe at school and that there is always someone you could go to talk to if you are worried. The school helps you to develop your personal skills well. You are lucky to have opportunities to stay away for a night or two and you look forward to and enjoy these occasions. You behave well and have a good understanding of how to keep fit and healthy. Some of you have responsibility as school council members and others, particularly in Year 6, have other responsibilities in the school. You get on well with your teachers and you told us you enjoyed your lessons. You told us you particularly liked working in the computer suite and when teachers

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

used their new interactive whiteboards. However, some of you have several different teachers in a year and this is unsettling for you. As a result the standards of your work at the end Year 6 are not as high as they should be and, although you are working hard, you need to make greater progress. Your teachers want you to be as successful as you can. To help you learn as well as you can we have asked the school to do its very best to make sure that you are all taught equally well and with as few changes of teacher as possible. We have also asked that teachers assess the standard of your work a little more often and use this information to check how well you are progressing and to give you more individualised targets to help you move on. Finally we have asked your teachers to be very clear about the improvements they need to make so that the things that they do are most effective. We hope you will continue to enjoy your school and send our best wishes for your future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

9 Inspection Report: Todwick Junior and Infant School, 31 January °1 February 2007

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