Treeton CofE (A) Primary School

Treeton CofE (A) Primary School Inspection report

p.1

106946 Unique Reference Number Rotherham Local Authority 287660 Inspection number 15 May 2007 Inspection date Rosemary Eaton Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 254 School

p.1

The governing body Appropriate authority Rev A Isaacson Chair Mr P Haller Headteacher 18 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection Wood Lane School address Treeton Rotherham South Yorkshire S60 5PN

p.1

0114 2692677 Telephone number 0114 2692677 Fax number

p.1

3 °11 Age group 15 May 2007 Inspection date 287660 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

This is an average sized primary school. Many of the pupils come from backgrounds that are socially and economically disadvantaged. However, the population is changing as new housing is built in the area. Almost all pupils are White British and none is at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Treeton CofE (A) Primary School, 15 May 2007

p.3

Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school. Understandably, pupils say that they 'learn all kinds of things' and that 'teachers don't make lessons boring'. In fact, both the curriculum and the quality of teaching are outstanding. They combine so successfully to stimulate pupils to learn, that pupils make remarkable progress as they move up though the school. Many children start the Foundation Stage with skills well below those expected for their age. By the time pupils leave school at the end of Year 6, standards are exceptionally high, particularly in mathematics and science. This represents outstanding achievement. The headteacher encourages teachers to be creative and exploit opportunities to make learning meaningful and enjoyable. Their enthusiasm is infectious and inspires pupils' love of learning. Varied and exciting lessons and topics provide frequent first-hand experiences and links are consistently made between subjects. As a result,

p.4

Grade: 1

pupils appreciate the relevance of what they are learning and have regular opportunities to consolidate their skills and knowledge. For example, after spending a day as Victorian children, Year 6 pupils used information and communication technology to create newspaper articles with headlines such as, 'Praise indeed for the hardworking boys'. A host of clubs provide varied opportunities for pupils to learn new skills and pursue their interests, in photography or football for instance. Clubs and visits also successfully promote pupils' personal development, which is outstanding. Pupils enjoy school enormously and do their best to adopt a healthy lifestyle, through vigorous exercise for example. Very positive attitudes and skills such as the ability to work in teams contribute to pupils being exceptionally well prepared for their lives beyond primary school. They are regularly involved in projects in

p.4

Grade: 1

the local community and raise funds for the school and charities. Other than through the school council, pupils do not have many occasions when they can take on significant responsibilities within school, for instance, to help make playtimes safe and enjoyable. Pupils are cared for well so they are confident to tackle new and challenging experiences. Their progress is tracked carefully and teachers respond quickly when any pupils are not meeting their individual targets. In some classes, pupils are beginning to assess their own learning but most are not given this opportunity to identify what they need to do in order to improve. Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher's determination to provide as well as possible for every pupil is shared by all staff. This intention is expressed in ambitious and effective plans to build even more on the school's success. Members of the senior leadership

p.4

Grade: 1

team and subject leaders contribute significantly to its outstanding capacity to continue to improve. The school is truly at the heart of the local community. It works gladly to support projects such as developing a wildlife area, therefore providing pupils with yet more experiences that they are unlikely to forget. Unsurprisingly, parents report that they have 'nothing but praise for the school and all the staff'.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for pupils to take more responsibility for deciding how to improve their own learning, and to support other pupils and the school community.

p.4

Grade: 1

An increasing number of children begin the Foundation Stage with skills that are broadly typical of children of their age. However, the majority struggle to communicate and have low levels 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Treeton CofE (A) Primary School, 15 May 2007 of concentration combined with poor social skills. Children make outstanding progress during the Foundation Stage, especially in language development, but many do not reach the levels expected at the start of Year 1. Results in the Year 2 national tests have improved over recent years, especially in writing, and were broadly average in 2006. In 2005 and 2006, the Year 6 test results were above average in English and exceptionally high in mathematics and science. The school predicts a dip in results in the current year because an unusually large proportion of Year 6 pupils have learning difficulties. English results are expected to be closer to those in

p.4

Grade: 1

the other subjects because a great deal of work has taken place to improve pupils' reading skills. Boys and girls, pupils of minority ethnic heritage and those who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities all make exceptional progress. They achieve outstandingly well.

p.5

Grade: 1

Pupils explain that they are happy in school because they like their teachers and other pupils are so friendly. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils have regular opportunities to learn and practise social skills, through meeting new people in varied contexts. They have helped to identify the qualities the school aims to engender, such as 'love for everyone, from everyone'. Equally, they want to ensure that there is never any bullying, bad language or racism. In fact, behaviour is usually very good so pupils feel safe and confident. The school council is very active and consults each class before taking action such as purchasing new football nets. Pupils agree that, 'We like selling things and raising money.' However, the school has not yet tapped pupils' full potential to contribute to helping each other, for example, by providing services such as mediation.

p.5

Grade: 1

Teachers choose activities and resources carefully and imaginatively. For example, Year 2 pupils created excellent picture postcards to portray a baby teddy's travels to countries such as Australia, constructing interesting sentences such as 'A kangaroo is chasing me.' This work demonstrated how expertly teachers combine learning in different subjects to provide authentic contexts for pupils to apply and enhance their skills. Teachers question pupils consistently well to check their understanding and probe deeper, demanding that they think hard. They use assessments of pupils' learning very effectively to help match tasks accurately to what they need to learn next. Occasionally, pupils discuss their work and pinpoint how it can be improved but self-evaluation is not a regular feature of lessons. Teachers and teaching assistants use praise and encouragement to very good effect so pupils apply themselves and cooperate. Pupils

p.5

Grade: 1

particularly appreciate the way in which their work is displayed quickly, enjoying this acknowledgement of their efforts.

p.5

Grade: 1

Pupils value being allowed time to study topics, such as Ancient Egypt, in depth. The organisation of the curriculum enables them to learn many interesting facts, for example, about the Second World War. Pupils then apply and enhance their knowledge through relevant and exciting activities like designing and constructing models of air raid shelters and investigating their 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Treeton CofE (A) Primary School, 15 May 2007 fitness for purpose. Provision in the arts and physical education is very strong and has been recognised through the ArtsMark Gold and ActiveMark awards. Visits and visitors are a regular feature of school life, supporting pupils' progress and personal development. For example, children in the Foundation Stage learned about the needs of real babies through a 'clinic' in their classroom. These young children are provided with a careful balance of opportunities to

p.5

Grade: 1

play and make choices, together with closely focused activities led by adults.

p.6

Grade: 2

This aspect is good. In most respects, the school leaves no stone unturned in its efforts to ensure pupils' safety. For instance, potential risks are assessed comprehensively and minimised. Staff are well aware of their responsibilities with regard to child protection. However, the teacher who takes the lead in these matters has not yet received enhanced training to help her fulfil this role. There are clear and effective systems to promote good behaviour and pupils fully understand the consequences of not meeting the school's high standards. They know that they must speak out if they have concerns and they are certain that bullying is not tolerated. A close eye is kept on particularly vulnerable pupils so that they and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are fully involved in school life and able to progress as well as other pupils. Partnerships with a very wide range of agencies enhance the support the school

p.6

Grade: 2

provides. Academic assessment is well organised, especially in English and mathematics. Pupils making faster or slower progress than expected are identified quickly and given additional challenges or extra help.

p.6

Grade: 1

The headteacher ensures that pupils' primary years are packed with interest and strenuously promotes both their learning and their personal development. Systems to monitor the school's work provide an accurate picture of its strengths and areas of relative weakness. Parents' and pupils' views are sought and taken fully into account. However, nearly all the judgements made by the school about its performance are too cautious. The senior leadership team is well established and highly effective. Its members each fulfil significant responsibilities and play key roles in maintaining the school's success and driving it forward. Governors are well informed and very supportive. They have begun work on setting up a regular pattern of focused visits in order to be more directly involved in monitoring the school's performance. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Treeton CofE (A) Primary School, 15 May 2007 .

p.6

Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Treeton CofE (A) Primary School, 15 May 2007

p.7

Inspection judgements

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

p.8

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? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

p.8

Achievement and standards

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

p.8

learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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

p.8

and interests of learners?

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

p.8

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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Treeton CofE (A) Primary School, 15 May 2007

p.8

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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Treeton CofE (A) Primary School, 15 May 2007

p.9

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Treeton Church of England Primary School, Treeton, S60 5PN Thank you for being so helpful during my visit. I enjoyed meeting you and talking to you about the school. Part of my job involves letting you know what is most impressive about the school and how it could be improved. You told me how much you like your lessons. I can understand this because you have outstanding teachers who make sure learning is fun. They organise lots of exciting activities such as visits and make sure you learn a great deal. This is why you make extremely fast progress and usually get really good results in the Year 6 National Curriculum tests. The school also gives you lots of opportunities to learn about staying safe and healthy and encourages you to raise money for charity and to buy things you need. Work like this means that your personal development is also outstanding. The school council is one good way in which you are able to help other

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

children but I would like your teachers to find more. I have also asked the school to let you get more involved in marking your own work so you know exactly how you can improve it. Your headteacher and the staff work very hard to provide you with an outstanding education. I know that you all play your part as well, by trying very hard in lessons and getting involved in clubs and activities in the community. You are lucky to go to this school and I want to send you all my best wishes for the future. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Treeton CofE (A) Primary School, 15 May 2007

p.10