Pudsey Waterloo PrimaryOfsted inspection, 2 Nov 2006

Inspection Report Pudsey Waterloo Primary

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134408 Unique Reference Number Leeds Local Authority 294131 Inspection number 1 °2 November 2006 Inspection dates Roger Gill 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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Victoria Road School address Primary Type of school Pudsey Community School category West Yorkshire LS28 7SR 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0113 336 8020 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0113 255 9924 Fax number 339 Number on roll (school) Mr Mike Stein Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Kay Priestley Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 294131 1 °2 November 2006 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This large primary school was established in September 2004. The school moved into its new building in January 2006, before which most classes were housed in temporary accommodation. It serves an area that contains a typical range of family backgrounds. Most children are of White British origin, but a small group is of a minority ethnic heritage; a very few are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. A below average proportion of children is eligible for free school meals. Fewer children than is typical have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Most children start school with skills and knowledge typical for their age. The headteacher and the rest of the leadership team all took up their posts at or just after the opening of this new school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Pudsey Waterloo Primary, 1 °2 November 2006

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school with some good and rapidly improving features. The way that the headteacher, governors and senior staff have steered the school through a challenging period, associated with the formation of this new school, has been successful. The school quickly found its feet once everyone was in the same, impressive building. Leadership and management are satisfactory. There has not been time for some of the well conceived plans to bear fruit and as a result, the school offers satisfactory value for money. Nevertheless, based on what has been achieved so far, the capacity for further improvement is good. Governors, staff and children are all positive about the new school and its possibilities for the future. The school's good partnerships within the community have contributed well to the children's good personal development. This was summed up neatly by one parent who considered, when thinking about the advances that the school has made in a short time, ''I find

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Grade: 3

this to be an all-rounder school encouraging and developing an ethos that gives everyone opportunities for success.' The very large atrium provides a welcoming space for the many whole-school learning events which take place. It is symbolic of the community and creative atmosphere that prevails in many parts of the school. The enthusiastic team of staff ensure that children enjoy their education and, as a result, attend regularly. Children want to be healthy. They love, for example, the well balanced meals provided by the kitchen staff who work well with the headteacher and governors to make lunchtime an enjoyable and social event. Standards are broadly average by the end of Year 2 and above average at Year 6. These results represent satisfactory achievement for the children concerned. Achievement is good in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception). This results from successful initiatives undertaken since the school began. Standards in Year 2 have yet to be

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Grade: 3

influenced by the good provision in the Foundation Stage. In addition to the satisfactory progress being made in Years 1 and 2, children are forging ahead with their writing as a result of the innovations introduced into teaching. However, achievement in English and mathematics, is not yet consistent across the school, which is why achievement is satisfactory overall by the end of Year 6. The rate of progress made by children is closely linked to the satisfactory quality of the teaching which they receive. There are variations because outstanding teaching sits alongside the satisfactory and occasionally unsatisfactory. In some lessons all children receive the same work irrespective of their ability and in others higher attainers are stretched to the limit. Children's involvement in assessing their own learning and discussing their personal targets is satisfactory. It varies in quality too much from class to class for learning to be consistently good. The

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Grade: 3

curriculum is influential in helping to make children's achievement in English, mathematics and science satisfactory. Enrichment through sport and music is especially effective because it has such a good effect on children's personal development. Their effort and confidence in physical education, linked to their love of singing and playing instruments, validates the expert tuition in these subjects and the extra opportunities provided outside lessons. 2 Inspection Report: Pudsey Waterloo Primary, 1 °2 November 2006 The school knows itself well, but its systems of self-evaluation are not yet comprehensive enough to provide teachers with detailed advice about how to raise attainment and improve achievement. Teaching and learning in lessons are checked regularly and teachers receive useful advice up to a point, but not enough emphasis is given to how fast children are progressing in order to improve achievement from

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Grade: 3

satisfactory to good. The senior leadership team is clear about what needs to be done and poised to pursue its plans, but ideas about what makes some teaching so successful have not yet been crystallised and disseminated well enough to have the required effect.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Share best practice in teaching to ensure that all lessons provide good levels of challenge. • Develop the systems of self-evaluation relating to teaching and children's learning further to ensure that all children achieve well, particularly the higher attainers. • Ensure that all children are involved in assessing their own learning to improve standards in English and mathematics.

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Grade: 3

Overall, children achieve satisfactorily. They go beyond the nationally expected level at the end of the Reception year. This represents good progress from a typically average starting point. Thereafter, children's standards are broadly average by the end of Year 2 and above average by Year 6; children capable of higher attainment could do better. The school is tackling this to some effect. More children are producing above average pieces of writing. There is more work to do in making sure that the same thing happens in mathematics. Progress by the end of Year 6 fluctuates between subjects. In 2005, progress in English was strong, but this was not sustained in 2006. Achievement in science improved in 2006 because some adventurous teaching had the desired effect. In mathematics, children's grasp of the basics, such as tables, is not yet firm enough to produce consistently above average standards. Children who receive additional

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Grade: 3

support, such as those who find learning difficult, make satisfactory progress. This is because the support they receive is thorough and well organised.

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Grade: 2

Good personal development has been created by leadership despite the drawbacks of the temporary accommodation and upheaval of moving into the new school. Children's enjoyment results in good attitudes and behaviour. They embrace healthy lifestyles and relate well to others. Moreover, attendance is above average. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Older children speak of the, 'wow factor' in lessons, which cause them to marvel at and question things. There is a strong communal atmosphere in school and children are keen to get involved. For example, the school 3 Inspection Report: Pudsey Waterloo Primary, 1 °2 November 2006 council prompts everyone to consider how classroom waste could be recycled. Many children contribute well in class, but some lack opportunities for planning their own work and reflecting on their own progress. This limits their personal development. Moreover, the links with local business and the world of work in general could be

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Grade: 2

stronger in paving the way to adult life.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is good in the Foundation Stage and thereafter broadly satisfactory. There is some successful teaching in every year group, but variations persist in the quality of planning, questioning and assessment. In some lessons, progress slows because children are not sufficiently challenged to think and develop their own ideas. In science, by contrast, children make deductions from their own investigations. This kind of learning has had an immediate effect on standards at the end of Year 6. Some elements of teaching are first-rate. In a Year 6 lesson on decimals, for example, a real buzz of excitement left children champing at the bit to be given even harder work. In mathematics the grouping of children, with a similar ability is beginning to have a good effect, particularly because teachers from local secondary schools provide specialist support. The assessment of children's learning is satisfactory, but sometimes

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Grade: 3

not enough is undertaken throughout the school, to evaluate how groups and classes have done and precisely what could be improved.

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Grade: 3

A sound curriculum ensures that children achieve satisfactorily in English, mathematics and science. Work in the Foundation Stage is well planned to allow children to discover things for themselves, but also to teach them essential skills. Elsewhere, the programmes of work are generally well honed to suit the abilities of all children in most classes. On occasions, children do the same work. This limits the rate of progress made. There is a good range of additional activities such as sports clubs, interesting trips and an energetic choir, which have a positive effect on children's personal development. The spacious atrium provides an ideal space in which children develop creativity in art, drama and music. Moreover, research on computers and in the library zone is enhanced by the calm and studious atmosphere, which prevails. The integration into other subjects of literacy, numeracy and information and communication

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Grade: 3

technology is beginning to be effective, but is at an early stage.

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Grade: 3

Children are cared for well, so they feel safe and valued. They are encouraged to lead healthy lives. Parents agree, correctly, that the direction given to their children is 4 Inspection Report: Pudsey Waterloo Primary, 1 °2 November 2006 positive and worthwhile. Furthermore, they are right to speak highly of the care provided in the Foundation Stage. Child protection procedures and risk assessments are in place and working. A listening ear is always available for any child with difficulties. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make similar progress to their classmates as a result of the support they receive. Children are just beginning to be given their own targets in writing and mathematics. In some, but not all, classes children relate these to the work in hand, but this kind of assistance varies in quality too much, throughout the school for academic guidance to be good.

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Grade: 3

The leadership and management have been successful in establishing the school and ensuring that children's personal development is good. The school has mapped out the right course for itself and governors have shown good skills in sustaining the momentum of development. The task of producing good academic achievement is taking a little longer than first imagined because teaching lacks consistency. The school is correct in judging teaching, curriculum, and leadership and management to be satisfactory. It is slightly over optimistic about its overall effect and children's achievements because the systems for self-evaluation are not yet fully in place. There is scope for children beyond the Foundation Stage to make even better progress. The headteacher gives a good lead and has moulded the leadership team into a potentially effective group. Between them, they have already helped to raise performance in

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Grade: 3

writing, science and in the Foundation Stage. The school gives satisfactory value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Pudsey Waterloo Primary, 1 °2 November 2006 .

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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: Pudsey Waterloo Primary, 1 °2 November 2006

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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 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA 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? 2 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?

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: Pudsey Waterloo Primary, 1 °2 November 2006

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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: Pudsey Waterloo Primary, 1 °2 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for your help when we inspected your school. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit because everyone was so welcoming and friendly. We would like to share with you what we thought. These are some of the things that we found to be good about your school: • we loved your school building - it must be so good to learn in it • your school tries very hard to help you lead healthy lives - school meals are lovely • some of your lessons help children to make very quick progress • Nursery and Reception children learn in exciting ways • we agree with you that science lessons have become more interesting recently • your writing is better now that you study 'Big Writing'. We know everyone wants to do even better and we have suggested three things that we think will help: • your headteacher and teachers need to make sure that all lessons are as good as the best ones • your teachers should study your work and test results even more closely and then suggest

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

how lessons could be better, particularly for those of you who can race ahead • we would like you all to be fully involved in thinking about how well you have done and what you could do to improve your skills in English and mathematics. You can all help by thinking how well you are getting on and what you need to do to improve. We know you can do it. 9 Inspection Report: Pudsey Waterloo Primary, 1 °2 November 2006

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