Spring Bank Primary School

Spring Bank Primary School Inspection report

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107890 Unique Reference Number Leeds Local Authority 287942 Inspection number 22 °23 March 2007 Inspection dates Janette Corlett 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 197 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Ros Morton Chair Mr Michael Brawley Headteacher 8 October 2001 Date of previous school inspection Spring Road School address Leeds West Yorkshire LS6 1AD

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0113 2043120 Telephone number 0113 2781428 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 22 °23 March 2007 Inspection dates 287942 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Spring Bank Primary School is situated near the centre of Headingley, some 2 miles north of the City of Leeds. Pupils come from a range of social and economic backgrounds. The percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is slightly above average, and the proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. The majority of pupils are from White British families. In 2006 the school was reaccredited with the Activemark Gold award. The school also holds a Healthy Schools Advanced Standard award and Investors in People accreditation.

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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: Spring Bank Primary School, 22 °23 March 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school with good provision for pupils' care and personal development. The efficient use of assessments and the skilful way in which learning is planned for children in the Reception class means they have a good start to their education. In its self-evaluation, however, the school has been over-generous, overestimating achievement and judging the overall quality of teaching and learning throughout the school to be better than it is. Although there is some good teaching, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall enabling pupils to make satisfactory progress. By the time they leave Year 6 they attain standards which are broadly in line with the national average. The school's provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those with English as an additional language also enables them to achieve expected progress. The school's positive ethos and effective provision for personal and social education ensure

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Grade: 3

that pupils relate very well to each other and generally feel safe and secure. Personal development is good and pupils value opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy through regular exercise, a balanced diet and avoiding harmful substances and potentially dangerous situations. They are confident in their approach to adults in the school and know that their concerns will be taken seriously and effective action taken where appropriate. They especially value the learning mentor who 'is always there when we need her.' They have a good understanding of right and wrong. Behaviour around the school buildings and in the playground areas is generally good. Pupils are well able to voice their opinions and have the opportunity to be heard through the school council. Pupils mostly enjoy learning because the good curriculum meets their needs and offers them many enriching experiences. They respond enthusiastically to a wide range of after-school

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Grade: 3

clubs, visitors and visits which help them to develop effective personal and social skills. Parents contribute well in supporting their children's learning and homework. Links with pre-schools and secondary schools ensure smooth transfers and enhance the curriculum. Parents are very supportive of the school and appreciate the fact that the headteacher is always outside at the beginning and end of the school day to talk with them and actively encourages open communication. The headteacher is building a committed leadership team that knows where the school needs to go. The team has established systems to track pupils' progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 and these are firmly in place. The governors ensure good financial management of the school's resources, and this shows good improvement since the last inspection. School leaders know that standards reached in English, mathematics and science by the end of Key Stage 2 need to improve. However, they have been insufficiently focused

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Grade: 3

on raising the quality of teaching and learning, and the resulting impact on standards has not been rigorously monitored. The school gives satisfactory value for money and demonstrates a satisfactory capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that leaders focus their plans on improving the consistency and quality of teaching and learning across Key Stages 1 and 2. • Ensure that pupils make better progress and attain higher standards in English, mathematics and science. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Spring Bank Primary School, 22 °23 March 2007

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Grade: 3

The range of children's abilities is varied as they start school in the Reception class but generally standards are broadly average. Children make good progress during their first year at school. By the time they enter Year 1 most have achieved, and some have exceeded, the learning goals that are expected. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1 and by the end of Year 2 standards are generally just above average in reading and mathematics but more broadly average in writing. The progress pupils make continues to be satisfactory in Key Stage 2 and by the time pupils leave Year 6 standards in English, mathematics and science are broadly average. This apparent drop in standards from slightly above average in Key Stage 1 to more broadly average in Key Stage 2 is due to the particular circumstances of pupils joining the school during the key stage and still represents satisfactory progress overall. Since 2002 standards by the

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Grade: 3

end of Year 6 have been steadily declining and in 2005 dipped to just below average but returned to average levels in 2006. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language make similar progress to others in the school.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Pupils generally enjoy being at school although some comment that their lessons are not very interesting. Indeed, in lessons where teaching is good, pupils' behaviour is good. Attendance is satisfactory. Pupils understand the importance of healthy lifestyles because the school encourages healthy eating and makes good provision for physical education through timetabled lessons and additional sporting activities in which many participate. The school was recently reaccredited with the Active Mark Gold award and holds a Healthy School award. Pupils feel safe, and provision for their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is good. Assemblies are used well to raise moral issues and give time for reflection. Cultural displays and events such as Fairtrade Week promote cultural awareness. There is an active school council which gives pupils opportunities to express their views. Pupils

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Grade: 2

are encouraged to make a positive contribution to the community through raising funds for projects in school and for various national charities. The school provides satisfactory opportunities for pupils to prepare for their future economic well-being through developing their basic skills in English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT).

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Grade: 3

Overall teaching and learning are satisfactory in Key Stages 1 and 2. In the Foundation Stage teaching is good and engages children fully in their learning. In Key Stages 1 and 2 teachers prepare their lessons well, and effectively deploy teaching assistants in most classrooms to give focused support for small groups of pupils. In the better lessons, teachers' good subject knowledge sets challenging tasks to make pupils think and engage in their learning. However, such good practice is not consistently seen in either Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2. Many lessons involve too much listening to the teacher and this limits how much the pupils actively participate and are challenged to take responsibility for their own learning. The pace of teaching in several lessons observed was not sufficiently brisk to engage 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Spring Bank Primary School, 22 °23 March 2007 the pupils' full interest: pupils became restless, with the result that they made only satisfactory

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Grade: 3

and not better progress. Teachers are starting to use ICT to good effect to add extra variety and interest. Marking of pupils' work is regular and teachers' comments are helpful in showing pupils what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum which provides for the needs of the majority of learners; it is especially good for lower attainers and pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Provision for ICT is good, and teachers' use of interactive whiteboards effectively supports pupils' learning. The Foundation Stage curriculum gives young children a good variety of structured play activities to support their learning and personal development, with access to the outdoors in all but the most inclement of weather. Pupils from Year 2 onwards learn French, and there is a very wide range of extra-curricular activities including dance, gymnastics, music and other sporting clubs which are popular and have a high uptake. Pupils enjoy the annual 'Healthy Sports Week'; they also benefit from visitors to the school such as the fire service, visits outside the school and a residential outdoor

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Grade: 2

activity week for older pupils. Displays around the school are testament to the school's good provision for art and design. The curriculum supports pupils in their learning and enriches their development of personal and social skills.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support for pupils is good. The staff are highly committed to care and promoting learners' health and safety. Parents rightly feel that their children are well cared for and supported. Parents comment that 'there is an excellent caring ethos at Spring Bank' and 'children are happy and feel safe and successful.' Systems to ensure safeguarding of pupils and to assess risk in and around the school meet requirements. As a result, pupils generally feel safe and secure, and particularly value the support of the learning mentor. Effective support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language allows them to make similar rates of progress to other pupils. The school identifies vulnerable pupils and works effectively with a range of outside agencies to support them. There are good systems in place to track pupils' progress. However, these are at an early

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Grade: 2

stage of being used to intervene effectively to support pupils who are not achieving as much as they should, particularly the more able pupils in some Key Stage 2 classes.

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Grade: 3

The school's leadership and management are satisfactory. School leaders know what the school needs to do to improve but have not acted effectively to reverse the trend of declining standards and achievement over time. While most of the issues from the last inspection have been addressed, subject leaders still need to develop their skills in monitoring teaching and learning. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Spring Bank Primary School, 22 °23 March 2007 School leaders promote equality of opportunity for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for pupils with English as an additional language, but there is not always enough challenge for higher-attaining pupils in Key Stage 2. The governors have worked hard to effectively ensure good financial management of the school's resources. They are well informed about the school's current priorities but have a limited awareness of the school's performance

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Grade: 3

in relation to national expectations, and have not challenged school leaders to account for the downward pattern in achievement in Key Stage 2. The school provides good accommodation and equipment, including ICT, and gives satisfactory value for money. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Spring Bank Primary School, 22 °23 March 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Spring Bank Primary School, 22 °23 March 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? 2 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 3 The attendance of learners 3 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?

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: Spring Bank Primary School, 22 °23 March 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: Spring Bank Primary School, 22 °23 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Spring Bank Primary School, Leeds, LS6 1AD Mr Wall and I recently visited your school to see how well you are doing. It was lovely to talk to you about the things you do in school, and the way you care for one another and feel safe. You certainly know about being healthy and how to keep fit through lots of exercise, as you have plenty of opportunities to take part in sports and know how important it is to eat a range of healthy foods. I enjoyed seeing so many of you taking part in gymnastics, and hope you had fun taking part in the competition you were entering. There are many things which your school does very well indeed. You have lots of people who really care for you and are ready to listen to any worries or concerns you may have in school. Your teachers work very hard to help you learn and show you ways in which to improve your work. They also take you on visits to interesting places and provide a wide range of clubs and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

activities after school. We think your school is satisfactory. We have asked the school to make things better by trying to make your lessons even more exciting and interesting. This will help you reach higher standards in English, mathematics and science. You can help your teachers by always working as hard as you can and behaving sensibly in your lessons. Thank you for making us feel so very welcome in your school, and for being so polite and helpful during our visit. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Spring Bank Primary School, 22 °23 March 2007

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