Bankfoot Primary School

Bankfoot Primary School Inspection report

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107248 Unique Reference Number Bradford Local Authority 309354 Inspection number 9 °10 April 2008 Inspection dates Amraz Ali HMI 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 275 School The governing body Appropriate authority Savina Forrest Chair Mrs Juliet Wright Headteacher 17 January 2005 Date of previous school inspection Bolingbroke Street School address Bankfoot Bradford West Yorkshire BD5 9NR 1274 732068 Telephone number 1274 371716 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 9 °10 April 2008 Inspection dates 309354 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school serves a diverse ethnic community in an area of above average social and economic deprivation. It is larger than the average primary school. A very large majority of pupils are of Asian British heritage; many of these pupils do not speak English as a first language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average as is the proportion of pupils eligible for a free school meal. The school has several awards including the National Healthy Schools Award, Investors in People, the Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark and the Activemark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Bankfoot Primary School, 9 °10 April 2008

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Grade: 3

Bankfoot is a satisfactory school with good features. The headteacher's determined leadership provides the school with clear direction and a sense of purpose. This has ensured that the school has continued to develop since the previous inspection. She has introduced a number of initiatives to raise standards and, although it is too early to judge their long-term impact, there are signs that the school is improving many aspects of its work. These include the improved tracking of pupils' standards, which is helping to identify individuals and groups of pupils who are falling behind. Improvements to the quality of teaching and learning and the use of senior staff to work with small groups of pupils are beginning to accelerate pupils' progress. Particular successes include improvements in the teaching of phonics in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 and steady improvements in reading standards across the school. These give the school

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Grade: 3

good capacity to improve further. The school enjoys a strong reputation locally and is extremely well supported by parents. 'My child wouldn't be happy anywhere else,' reflects the views of many parents. In 2007, the school's results were below the national average. This represented satisfactory progress for pupils given their low starting points in the Nursery. However, progress is uneven and inconsistent from year to year and between subjects. It is most consistent in Years 1 and 2. At Key Stage 2, it is more variable but improvements in the quality of teaching and learning are helping pupils make up some of the ground lost in previous years in English and mathematics. The current pupils in Year 6 are making at least satisfactory progress and are on track to meet challenging targets. Most are working at the level expected for their age. Standards are best in science and weakest in writing. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall with a healthy number of examples

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Grade: 3

of good teaching and learning across the school. However, this level of teaching is not consistent enough to bring about good progress for all pupils. All teachers establish good relationships and clear expectations of pupils' behaviour and this ensures that pupils are well motivated to learn and keen to take part in lessons. Planned activities generally meet the needs of most pupils but on some occasions the pace of learning slows and expectations are not high enough, particularly in providing appropriate challenge for the more able pupils. Good care, guidance and support ensure that pupils enjoy coming to school and value the opportunities that are offered to them. This is reflected in pupils' good personal development and well-being. Pupils' behaviour is good, they get on well together and they are keen to learn and to do their best. The curriculum and other activities are good because they have been well adapted and timetabled

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Grade: 3

to meet the needs of the pupils and the community. For example, the good range of clubs before and after school and at lunchtime allows all pupils to attend without missing community based religious instruction classes after school. The good emphasis on the acquisition of basic literacy and numeracy skills helps to prepare pupils for their future economic well-being. A range of visitors into the school and visits to places of interest enhance the curriculum. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall with some strengths. The headteacher is successfully enabling teachers to take increasing responsibility for managing subjects and aspects of the school's life. While some subject leaders are driving their subjects forward and raising standards, this is not always the case. Sometimes there is insufficient focus on actions likely to bring about improvements in standards. Furthermore, action planning at subject leader

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Grade: 3

level does not clearly identify specifically the expected changes in pupils' performance and, as 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Bankfoot Primary School, 9 °10 April 2008 a consequence, standards have not improved as much in some subjects as in others. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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Grade: 2

Children get off to a flying start during their time in the Nursery and the Reception class. They settle quickly because of the good induction procedures. Many members of staff speak the same language as pupils, which provides effective support for the high number of children who are at the early stages of learning to speak English. Developing children's speaking and listening skills is given a high priority, as is developing their understanding of letters and sounds as a key skill to help them to learn to read. Children are encouraged and skilfully guided to play and work together and, as a result, they are happy, enjoy their learning and achieve well from their very low starting points. The well-planned curriculum provides a wide range of interesting, high quality experiences in a stimulating and secure learning environment. There are strong links with parents, who appreciate the care and support they and their children receive. A typical

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Grade: 2

comment by a parent described children as being, 'in safe hands'.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards, particularly in Key Stage 2 and in writing across the school.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the quality of teaching so that more of it is consistently good or better.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the effectiveness of subject leadership through plans that are linked closely to changes in pupils' performance. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

From low starting points, pupils make satisfactory progress overall as they move through the school and reach standards that remain below average, but are improving. Achievement has been satisfactory but uneven. Pupils make better progress in Key Stage 1 than in Key Stage 2. Progress is better in science and most variable in writing. The standards that pupils reach by the end of Year 6 are below average and have been so for the previous five years. During this period there has been a steady improvement in the proportion reaching the expected Level 4, though few pupils attain the higher Level 5. However, low standards at the end of 2007 reflected a low attaining Year 6 class with a high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. While these pupils met their individual targets, they did not manage to attain the expected level for their age group. The boys made much better progress than girls during their

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Grade: 3

time at Key Stage 2. Inspection evidence shows that progress is now more even and boys and girls are now doing equally well. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress. The achievement of the more able pupils is satisfactory: with greater challenge, they could achieve higher standards. 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Bankfoot Primary School, 9 °10 April 2008

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Grade: 2

Pupils' good personal development and well-being is reflected in the way that they develop good relationships with each other and with their teachers. Pupils are welcoming and enjoy helping new pupils to settle quickly into the school. Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy attending. Attendance has improved since the previous inspection but remains below the national average. Pupils are polite and helpful and play together exuberantly. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. This is helped by the effective use of weekly faith worship groups which allow pupils of the main three faiths to come together to practice and learn about their own religion. These groups, along with whole school assemblies, make a strong contribution to pupils' understanding of their own culture and the cultures of others. Pupils know what they should eat to stay healthy and enjoy the many opportunities to take

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Grade: 2

exercise. School councillors are very clear in their role of making their voice heard and listening to everyone's ideas. They are rightly proud of the things that they have initiated such as raising money for charities and organising a 'winter fayre'. Pupils eagerly take on responsibilities as lunchtime monitors and sports leaders. Pupils say that bullying is rare and see the school rules as being fair. Pupils follow established routines well and understand the importance of adopting safe practices. There is active involvement with the local community. Pupils' good social skills and their improving basic skills provide them with a positive basis for continuing their education.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' satisfactory progress is the result of satisfactory teaching over time. There are clear signs that teaching is improving and, during the inspection, a significant amount of good teaching was observed across the school. This is beginning to have a positive impact on pupils' progress. Teachers manage behaviour well and enjoy productive relationships with pupils. Good use is made of interactive whiteboards to engage pupils. Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for the large number who start school at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. This support enables these pupils to be fully included and make similar progress to their classmates. The quality of planning is good. Improved use of assessment information is helping teachers to match work effectively to pupils' needs. There are times, however, when expectations are too low, for

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Grade: 3

example, in providing challenge for the more able. When pupils are insufficiently engaged in their own learning, the rate at which they acquire new knowledge and skills is not quick enough. As a result, pupils' progress stalls. Improvements in tracking and regular progress reviews are helping teachers to identify when pupils are not making enough progress and provide extra support when necessary. Although there are some inconsistencies, marking and individual target-setting are helping pupils to know how to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The good curriculum is broad and balanced and places appropriate emphasis on developing basic skills. Pupils' personal development and well-being is supported effectively through a programme that develops their social and emotional skills and helps them to explore their feelings. There are good opportunities for pupils to engage in sport and to learn about leading 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Bankfoot Primary School, 9 °10 April 2008 a healthy lifestyle. The curriculum is very effectively enriched by visiting musicians and poets who help to engage pupils' interests and enthusiasm. Pupils particularly enjoy educational visits to places that help to bring their learning to life. For example, after a visit to a chocolate factory a pupil stated that he now knew the history of chocolate. There are strong links between subject areas. The topic approach helps to make the curriculum relevant to pupils' cultural background.

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Grade: 2

For example, a topic on food around the world included many foods that were familiar to pupils and involved work on science, literacy and geography. This has a positive impact on pupils' learning because it generates real interest and motivates pupils to engage with enthusiasm. There are good opportunities for pupils to practise their writing and information and communication technology skills in a range of subjects.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good, especially in promoting pupils' physical health and emotional well-being. Procedures for ensuring the safety and welfare of pupils are secure and the school works well with other agencies to support pupils in overcoming barriers to learning. Parents overwhelmingly agree that their children are, 'in safe hands' and they appreciate how hard the school works to ensure the, 'very good understanding between staff and parents'. The well-attended breakfast club provides a positive start to the day for pupils, who value the 'kind' and 'friendly' adults, who care for them. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported well in meeting their targets, as are those at the early stages of learning English as an additional language. There has been good guidance and support provided for parents with regard to the impact on learning of taking extended holidays during term time.

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Grade: 2

Consequently, the number of families taking long holidays has reduced. Pupils' standards and progress are tracked effectively. Teachers provide pupils with personal targets to improve their skills in English and mathematics. They give pupils guidance on their progress towards the targets and many pupils are able to talk with some confidence about how this is helping them to improve their work. There is good liaison with external agencies in meeting the specific needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Grade: 3

Leadership is satisfactory overall with some good features. The headteacher provides good leadership: she has high expectations and is determined to improve the performance of the school. She does not flinch from making difficult decisions and taking firm action when this is necessary to tackle issues that are restricting pupils' learning. Improvements to the quality of teaching and learning are beginning to improve pupils' progress. The headteacher works unstintingly to ensure that all pupils are included into the life of the school. She knows the school well and has an accurate picture of its strengths and areas for improvement .She has been the driving force for change to good effect and is now successfully enabling teachers to take increasing responsibility for subjects and aspects of the school's life. However, there is still some way to go. Some subject leaders have been successful in raising standards and in

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Grade: 3

improving provision across the school but this has not been the case for all subjects. Plans for subject improvement are not always clear in relation to the impact they want to make to pupils' work and learning. Governors are enthusiastic, supportive and have responded well to training. 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Bankfoot Primary School, 9 °10 April 2008 They have demonstrated their ability to challenge the work of the school but there is scope to extend this further with a heightened focus on securing higher standards. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Bankfoot Primary School, 9 °10 April 2008 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Bankfoot Primary School, 9 °10 April 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Bankfoot Primary School, 9 °10 April 2008

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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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Bankfoot Primary School, 9 °10 April 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Bankfoot Primary School, Bradford, BD5 9NR Thank you all very much for the warm, cheerful welcome and for all the help you gave my colleagues and me when we came to see how well you are learning. We had an interesting two days in your company and would like to tell you what we found out. Bankfoot is a very friendly school. It provides you with a satisfactory quality of education. This means that things are satisfactory overall, with some good aspects and some things that can be improved. Mrs Wright and all of the staff work hard to make sure that you are happy and enjoy your time at school. You enjoy your lessons and try hard to do the work your teachers give you. We were pleased to see that some of you take your roles very responsibly as school councillors, lunchtime monitors and sports leaders. The progress that you make is satisfactory overall, but it varies from year to year. We think

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that this could be improved, especially between Year 3 and Year 6 and in writing across the school. We have asked Mrs Wright, your teachers and governors to make sure that teaching and learning are as good as they can be by planning work that meets everyone's needs, especially those who are more able. We have also asked the school to make sure that teachers with special responsibilities for different subjects know what they have to do to improve things so that you get better in your work. I know that you will want to help too. You can do this by continuing to behave well and doing your best in lessons. 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Bankfoot Primary School, 9 °10 April 2008

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