Shade Primary School

107522 Unique Reference Number Calderdale Local Authority 287837 Inspection number 14 °15 February 2007 Inspection dates Diane Auton 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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Knowlwood Road School address Primary Type of school Shade, Todmorden Community School category Lancashire OL14 7PD 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01706 812913 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01706 816374 Fax number 209 Number on roll (school) Mrs Amanda Ward Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Simon Harbrow Headteacher 4 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 287837 14 °15 February 2007 3°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

Shade Community Primary School is an average sized school. The number of children entitled to free school meals is below the national average, but the school serves a socially and economically mixed district. Most of the children are from White British backgrounds and all have English as their first language. The number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below the national average. Between 2003 and 2005, the school experienced several changes in staffing and did not have a permanently appointed headteacher. A succession of temporary arrangements for leading the school was put in place, until the appointment of the present headteacher in September 2005. The school holds the Activemark for physical education and the Primary Quality Mark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Shade Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007

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Grade: 3

The school's overall effectiveness and the value for money provided are satisfactory. This is a school with a good reputation with parents, based on its success in previous years. However, a two-year period of staffing difficulties and no permanent leadership has taken its toll. Standards and achievement have both fallen from good to satisfactory levels. Faced with these difficulties, the new headteacher has revitalised the school by bringing staff and governors together with a common purpose to put the school back on track. The support for vulnerable children and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good; these pupils' achievement has improved and is now satisfactory. Children are safeguarded and supported well. The good curriculum fosters their needs and interests well. For all of these reasons, their personal development is good. Children have a good awareness of the importance of healthy and safe lifestyles and also a well

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Grade: 3

developed sense of personal responsibility. These factors are preparing them well for the future. Children enter school with attainment typical for their age and are currently leaving Year 6 with average standards overall. Their satisfactory progress is a result of satisfactory teaching and learning. There are examples of good teaching in the school with some that is occasionally outstanding. When this is the case, children's progress accelerates and the quality and quantity of the work they produce improves significantly. However, teachers' expectations are not all equally high and this accounts for children's uneven progress. The school is aiming to provide the children with better quality feedback on learning. However, this has not as yet led to consistently constructive marking of their work. This weakness has not been fully recognised because the scrutiny of children's written work is not sufficiently rigorous.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory, and improving under the new headteacher's influential stewardship. The school's initial self-evaluation is over-optimistic in judging all aspects of the school's work to be good when most of them are satisfactory. Nonetheless, the headteacher has a realistic understanding of the quality of teaching across the school and of what the school needs to do to improve. Senior staff have begun to check children's progress by inspecting samples of written work from every class, but this process is not rigorous enough and needs further development in order to bring about improvement. While it is a caring and supportive school, academic guidance and support is currently satisfactory, although improving. Recent significant improvements in writing and strengthened provision to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are positive indicators of the

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise teachers' expectations of what children can achieve to move progress from satisfactory to good. 2 Inspection Report: Shade Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007 • Provide consistent and constructive feedback to help children to know how well they are performing and what they need to do to improve. • Inject greater rigour into checking the quality of work in children's books to help them to make more even progress.

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Grade: 3

On entry to the Foundation Stage, children's attainment is at typical levels for their age. They make satisfactory progress, so that by the end of the Reception year their attainment continues to be as expected for their age. They make good progress in their personal development and in reading. However, their physical skills development is limited by the school's lack of suitable space to create good outdoor learning opportunities for the youngest children. In Key Stage 1, children make satisfactory progress and reach average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. This has been the case for the last two years, although previously standards were higher. Children continue to make satisfactory overall progress through Key Stage 2. By the end of Year 6 they reach average standards in mathematics and science and above average standards in English. Better progress in English is the result of a recent

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Grade: 3

concerted whole-school effort to raise standards in writing. In 2006, the school met the realistic targets it set for its Year 6 children which was an improvement on the previous two years. Progress is currently satisfactory, but remains inconsistent between year groups. It is very good in Year 4, where teaching is strongest. The less able children and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities had previously made slower progress, but improved additional support has brought these children's progress up to the same rate of their peers. Boys, girls and the more able children all make equally satisfactory progress.

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Grade: 2

Children's spiritual, moral and social development is good. They work well independently and together and are learning to make informed decisions. They have a satisfactory understanding of cultural diversity and have acquired a pronounced distaste for any form of racism or bullying. Behaviour is good, in and around school. The headteacher's firm stand against inappropriate behaviour resulted in several exclusions last year but there have been none this year. One child explained, 'Behaviour has improved because poor behaviour is no longer acceptable.' Children's enjoyment of school is fuelled by the many interesting additional activities provided and is reflected in their good attendance. They have a well developed sense of community. When acting as school council members and playground leaders, for example, they take their responsibilities very seriously and relish opportunities to have a voice in the running of the school.

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Grade: 2

These factors enhance their understanding of citizenship. Children have a good awareness of the importance of healthy diet and exercise and the school is working towards the Healthy Schools' award. They have a heightened appreciation of how to 3 Inspection Report: Shade Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007 avoid potential dangers such as alcohol, smoking and drugs. Involving children in projects such as recycling and redeveloping the use of school grounds is helping to secure their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 3

Because lessons are well managed, calm and purposeful, children respond well and try hard. The use of assessment to measure children's learning is satisfactory and improving, particularly in the way it is helping to identify and support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Teachers ensure that when literacy and numeracy lessons are planned, children's different learning needs are taken into account. In Year 4, where teaching is outstanding, a combination of meticulous preparation, very high expectations and well organised activities results in rapid learning. However, teachers' expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving are not equally high in all classes. This is reflected in the differences in the accuracy, quantity and presentation of the work produced by children and accounts for the uneven rate of progress. This is why teaching and learning are not as good as the school believes. Foundation Stage children

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Grade: 3

benefit from working in a happy atmosphere within which their progress is carefully tracked. However, the activities provided, although often stimulating, are not always tailored sufficiently to meet children's different learning needs.

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Grade: 2

In addition to covering all subjects thoroughly, the curriculum includes a modern foreign language, instrumental music and additional art and sporting activities. Information and communication technology (ICT) is good in all areas and children are increasingly using their skills as a tool for learning. A wealth of worthwhile additional activities, such as visits, visitors and a very good selection of after-school activities, fortify children's enjoyment of school. The benefit of support from parents working alongside children is reflected, for example, in the delight on Reception children's faces as they make huge models. A strong thread of personal, social and health education significantly enhances children's personal development. Adapting the curriculum to meet the needs of children with learning and social difficulties has increased their confidence and achievement.

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Grade: 3

The creation of the post of inclusion manager has enabled the school to address weaknesses it identified in its provision for vulnerable children and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Record keeping, planning and provision for these children is now good. Good links with outside agencies support effective multi-agency work 4 Inspection Report: Shade Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007 when children require this. Effective training for teaching assistants has increased the school's capacity to meet the differing needs. Systems are in place to ensure site security and health and safety. All adults are subject to statutory vetting and staff training in child protection is regularly updated. The guidance provided for the children to help them know how to improve their work is a current school priority, because its quality is uneven from class to class. Marking practice is inconsistent. Target setting

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Grade: 3

that involves children in evaluating their own work is at a very early stage of development and does not yet take place in all the classes.

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Grade: 3

Following two years of temporary leadership the appointment of the current headteacher has significantly strengthened the leadership of the school. The headteacher is working sensitively with the whole school community to achieve shared aims. Children, staff, governors and parents all appreciate his good leadership. This is establishing a clear vision for improvement based on an analytical approach. One example of the impact of his work is reflected in the improved provision for vulnerable children and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities: this has resulted in improved achievement. Effective systems have been developed to check and improve the work of the school with a clear focus on the way children's progress is measured, tracked and supported. This has been a worthwhile step and has brought together the combined efforts of senior staff, ensuring a coordinated approach to school improvement. However, although children's written work is checked, leadership and

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Grade: 3

management of the process is not rigorous enough to ensure that the rate of children's progress increases from satisfactory to good. Governors have responded positively to the headteacher's encouragement to become more active in holding the school to account. While there is more to do, they have the school's best interests close at heart and have helped to guide it through a very difficult period into a new era of improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Shade Primary School, 14 °15 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: Shade Primary School, 14 °15 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 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

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 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?

3 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: Shade Primary School, 14 °15 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: Shade Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming us to your school this week. We really enjoyed being with you and finding out about all the good things you do at Shade Community Primary School. We appreciated your politeness and your friendliness and we enjoyed the chats we had with you. We were pleased to see that you are all making progress. We were especially happy to see how well you have worked to improve your writing and we'd like to see the same kind of improvement now in your mathematics and your science work. We've asked the headteacher and the staff to help you to make even better progress with your learning by: • helping you to understand that everything you do must be the very best you can achieve; we want you all to be aiming high - satisfactory isn't good enough for the children at Shade • giving you more detailed advice about what to do to improve your work when they mark your books • checking your books very carefully to see that you are making good progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You can help by taking the good advice your teachers give you and by continuing to be yourselves - the happy, friendly well-behaved children we met this week. Good luck with your Space for Shade project. It's a wonderful project and we hope everything goes well and that you achieve your aims for it. 9 Inspection Report: Shade Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007

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