Crossflatts Primary School

Crossflatts Primary School Inspection report

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107253 Unique Reference Number Bradford Local Authority 287762 Inspection number 17 °18 July 2007 Inspection dates Ronald Cohen 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 350 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Peter Foy Chair Mrs Hilary Craven Headteacher 1 July 2002 Date of previous school inspection Morton Lane School address Crossflatts Bingley West Yorkshire BD16 2EP

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01274 782070 Telephone number 01274 782803 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 17 °18 July 2007 Inspection dates 287762 Inspection number .

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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

Crossflatts Primary school is a larger than average school, serving a wide catchment area which includes a mixture of rural and urban communities, private and council housing, with some small pockets of affluence. A significant proportion of the pupils are from relatively disadvantaged areas. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The school population is largely White British, with a small Asian and mixed race minority. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including pupils with a statement of special educational need, is above the national average. The school's growing numbers include a higher than average proportion of pupils who join the school at times other than the usual entry date.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Crossflatts Primary School, 17 °18 July 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with several outstanding features. It provides good value for money and has good capacity to improve. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and have confidence in its work. A typical view expressed by parents is: 'We are very happy and proud to have our children attend this school.' The good care that all adults show means that pupils feel safe and secure and are ready and willing to learn. They are fully aware of how to stay safe and have an excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles. Attendance is good. Pupils show high levels of self-confidence and enjoy school. The good development of pupils' personal skills helps to promote their good attitudes and behaviour and supports the good progress they make. Central to the high quality of education is the vision and determination of the headteacher. Together with her newly formed senior leadership team, she has instilled a common purpose

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Grade: 2

and a very clear and consistent sense of direction at all levels, so all staff work together as an effective team. Areas of development identified at the school's last inspection have been successfully addressed. Self-evaluation is effective and leads to a mostly accurate picture of strengths and areas for development. Governors have good procedures for supporting and challenging the school through a well structured committee system. Pupils make good progress as they move through the school, although the rate of progress is not consistent across all years. For most children, their skills are below those expected for their age when they start Nursery. Provision in the Foundation Stage is excellent and this leads to very good progress. Children get a good start to their school years and reach standards that are broadly in line with national expectations for their age when they begin Year 1. By the end

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Grade: 2

of Year 2, pupils have built on this good start and reach above average standards. Progress slows during Key Stage 2, with pupils reaching average standards in English, mathematics and science. The overall progress of pupils at the end of Year 6 is affected by high levels of mobility. Of the 2006 cohort, 30% entered the school after Year 2, and of these, 10% arrived at the school in Year 6. Teaching is good overall. In the best lessons, learning is placed at the centre of activities. Lessons have pace and challenge, and they have a buzz about them as pupils are engaged in their own learning. In the minority of lessons which are less effective, the pace falters and some pupils lose concentration. Teaching and other assistants are used well to support pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those pupils for whom English is not their first language. Good teaching takes place within the context of a good overall curriculum. Some of the aspects

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Grade: 2

of the curriculum are outstanding. For example, there is an outstanding extra-curricular and enrichment provision, which gives pupils opportunities to broaden their horizons through a range of visitors and visits. Pupils' work on developing enterprise and business skills is very good. However, increasing opportunities for learning across subjects is still at an early point of development.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve standards and achievement in English, mathematics and science at Key Stage 2.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the consistency of teaching and learning so that it is all at least good. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Crossflatts Primary School, 17 °18 July 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good and their standards are broadly in line with the national average. Children enter Nursery with skills which are below national expectations. They make rapid progress in the Foundation Stage due to good teaching and an outstanding early years curriculum which provides a varied range of directed activities, including some in which they are encouraged to make choices. Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1 and by the time they enter Year 3, the majority of pupils have attained standards in reading, writing and mathematics which are above the national average. The rate of pupils' progress slows during Key Stage 2. Published test results for Key Stage 2 show that the standards reached by pupils in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6 are broadly average. This is partly due to the increasing number of pupils joining the school between Years 3 and 6 in recent years. Pupils

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Grade: 2

with English as an additional language or with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported and make similar progress to other pupils in response to the positive help they receive.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good, and some facets are outstanding. The great majority of pupils say they thoroughly enjoy coming to school and feel safe there. Most have very positive attitudes towards their work and behave well. A few pupils display challenging behaviour, but staff deal with this effectively to minimise the disruption caused to other pupils. Attendance is above average. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is good and is especially enlivened by multicultural educational visits. Pupils are gaining a range of skills they will need as adults through, for example, running a school bank and managing the school council's pupil office, where pupils can discuss problems and ideas with their fellow pupils. The literacy and numeracy skills of older pupils, although satisfactory, do not fully reflect the potential shown earlier in their school career. Pupils have an excellent understanding of how

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Grade: 2

to lead healthy lives. They make an outstanding contribution to the school community through, for example, their support for several charities; their staging of many drama performances and through the proactive school council which gives pupils of all ages the opportunity to influence what happens in the school.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. In the more effective lessons, planning focuses on pupils' learning, and teachers make a special point of checking regularly that all pupils are learning successfully. Support in class for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good. Teaching assistants work well with teachers. They are well organised, know what they are doing and provide valuable support. There are good relationships between adults and pupils, based on mutual respect. This means that pupils feel valued and engage in learning enthusiastically. Teachers make learning enjoyable, with activities such as role play to bring learning to life. They use a range of strategies such as practical learning activities and group discussion to keep pupils engaged and motivated. Interactive whiteboards are used well, and 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Crossflatts Primary School, 17 °18 July 2007

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Grade: 2

the use of digital photography adds another valuable dimension to pupils' learning. In the few less effective lessons, teachers do not always ensure that pupils have plenty of opportunities to learn in different ways to suit them. Sometimes, the lack of pace and the activities lead to pupils losing concentration, and this affects their progress. Marking is a strong feature of teaching. It is mostly regular and detailed and indicates to pupils what they need to do in order to improve their work. However, this is not yet universally the case.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good overall. Some aspects are outstanding. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is excellent and contributes strongly to the progress pupils make in those years. A further strength is the outstanding range of residential visits which, along with a wide range of popular after-school clubs, offers pupils many chances to discover new talents and develop the skills which support personal development, and adds to their enjoyment of the school's curriculum. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well provided for. Provision for those with particular gifts and talents is developing well, but the school does not sustain achievement uniformly through both Key Stages 1 and 2. Information and communication technology (ICT) makes a valuable contribution to pupils' learning across all subjects. However, other forms of cross-curricular learning are in early stages of development, and have not yet fully impacted

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Grade: 2

on pupils' learning. There are good links with parents to help them support learning.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support to pupils at the school is good. Good use is made of a range of external agencies which provide additional help to the school's own staff in ensuring that vulnerable pupils and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive a high quality of both pastoral and academic support. Child protection procedures are understood, and staff work to agreed policies. Appropriate action is taken to audit health and safety systems and to ensure that pupils know what to do in the event of fire or if they have an accident in the playground. Vetting procedures for staff and visitors fully meet the latest national guidelines. Pupils are aware of class-based targets for improvement but the school's provision of specific academic guidance, designed to ensure that all pupils consistently know what to do to improve their own learning, is not yet fully in evidence across the whole school.

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Grade: 2

Leadership is good and the school is well managed. The headteacher is totally committed to the school and has built a strong team of senior staff around her. She has a very clear vision of excellence for all aspects of the school's work and she transmits this very effectively to other leaders and to her staff. Leaders, at both senior and middle management levels, are ambitious to make the school outstanding and are right to be proud of the improving achievement of pupils, as a stepping stone towards fulfilling that aim. They, together with the staff, support the headteacher well. Leaders regularly check the quality of teaching. They have a clear vision for the school and have put together a suitable improvement plan. Governance is good. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Crossflatts Primary School, 17 °18 July 2007 Governors know the school well, and are focused on improving standards. They play a full part

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Grade: 2

in leading the school, helping set the agenda and holding it to account for results. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Crossflatts Primary School, 17 °18 July 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Crossflatts Primary School, 17 °18 July 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? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 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

2 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 2 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 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

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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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Crossflatts Primary School, 17 °18 July 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Crossflatts Primary School, 17 °18 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so polite and friendly to us when we recently visited your school. We enjoyed meeting you, and our conversations with you helped us get a really good picture of your school. I am writing to let you know what we found out. We found that Crossflatts Primary School is a good school, and some things in the school, like the way you all do so much to help each other, are really excellent. You told us that you feel school is a very friendly place to be, and that you enjoy coming to school. We can see this in the ways in which you very cheerfully take part in the activities the school puts on for you. We were very pleased that many of you, especially the older children, do so much to help around the school. We were also impressed with the excellent way that everyone is keen to be healthy and fit. That's really important. We also found some things that the school could do to improve further. So we have asked your

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

headteacher and the other teachers to make sure that pupils in Years 3 to 6 make even better progress in English, mathematics and science. We have asked them to make sure that all your lessons are exciting and keep you interested and busy all the time, and that your teachers give you more opportunities to find things out for yourselves. Of course, many of your lessons are like this, but not quite all of them. The headteacher, and the other teachers who help her run the school, have very exciting plans to further improve everybody's learning. This means that you can expect lessons which make you think more and write more, but with the teachers' help, we believe you will find the work really interesting and that you will benefit in the end. We know that by the time you read this, the new school year will have begun. We hope you have had a smashing time during your holidays and that you are now back at school, feeling

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

refreshed and looking forward to an exciting and challenging year. Thank you once again for being so polite and cooperative, and good luck in the future. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Crossflatts Primary School, 17 °18 July 2007

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