Summerfield Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 30 Apr 2008

Summerfield Primary School Inspection report

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107967 Unique Reference Number Leeds Local Authority 309553 Inspection number 29 °30 April 2008 Inspection dates Brenda Clarke 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 258 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Chris Hopewell Chair Mrs Karon Wittmann Headteacher 11 April 2005 Date of previous school inspection Intake Lane School address Leeds West Yorkshire LS13 1DQ 0113 205 7520 Telephone number 0113 205 7537 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 29 °30 April 2008 Inspection dates 309553 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

This is a larger than average sized primary school. Most pupils come from a White British background and live in close proximity to the school. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average as is the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school has a relatively new headteacher appointed in April 2007. The school has gained National Healthy Schools' status, Activemark and the Stephen Lawrence Level 2 Award for its work on racial equality.

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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: Summerfield Primary School, 29 °30 April 2008

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Grade: 3

Summerfield Primary School is a satisfactory school, which is emerging from a period when pupils' achievement was not good enough. Most parents are pleased with the quality of education provided. A typical parental view is that, 'Summerfield is a caring, friendly school'. This is confirmed by inspection findings. Pupils' personal development is a good aspect of the school. They enjoy school, get on well together and feel safe. School council members say, 'this is a bully free school!' Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are fully included in all aspects of school life. Pupils know how to lead a healthy lifestyle and take part energetically in the daily 'Wake and Shake' physical activity sessions. Standards, by the end of Year 6, have declined since the last inspection. This is because systems used, in the intervening years, to track pupils' progress were not rigorous enough and resulted

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Grade: 3

in insufficient progress being made. The headteacher's leadership has ensured a halt in this decline. Recent well thought out target-setting arrangements are in place and pupils' attainment and progress is regularly checked against challenging targets. This is bringing about satisfactory improvement in pupils' achievement. Standards are rising but they are still not as high as they could be. However, these effective procedures are still developing and have had too little time to impact significantly on pupils' progress. Nevertheless, achievement is satisfactory, despite standards being currently below those expected nationally in Years 2 and 6. By contrast, children are progressing well in the Foundation Stage. Teaching is satisfactory but it is not consistent enough. One of the main reasons why pupils' progress is satisfactory overall is because the quality of teaching varies too much from class to

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Grade: 3

class. Where teaching is satisfactory, progress is adequate, but teachers do not make sufficient use of assessment to provide work that closely matches pupils' differing capabilities, especially the more able. This has resulted in too few pupils reaching the higher levels in national tests. Hence, standards remain below average by the end of Year 6 with science being the weakest subject. Where teaching is effective there is good pace and challenge that grabs pupils' attention and interest so they make rapid progress in their learning. All teachers manage behaviour well so that pupils are considerate and listen politely to one another and adults. Relationships between staff and pupils are good, enabling pupils to gain confidence and feel well supported. Effective learning support assistants provide extra help for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities enabling them to make satisfactory progress in line with their peers.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher's effective consultative style encourages and involves all staff and governors in school improvement. However, the school's current priorities as represented in the plans for improvement are too wide ranging and are not focused sharply enough on the school's major priorities of raising standards in English, mathematics and science, and improving the quality of teaching and learning. The curriculum is satisfactory and is enriched by an interesting range of visits and visitors, which add excitement to pupils' learning. Good partnerships with other schools helps pupils feel confident about their transfer to secondary school. Satisfactory improvement since the last inspection, accurate self-evaluation and the recently introduced, but as yet not entirely fulfilled, steps to raise standards, give the school a satisfactory capacity to improve. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Summerfield Primary School, 29 °30 April 2008

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Grade: 2

The quality of provision in the Foundation Stage is good. Children start Nursery with skills that are below the levels expected. Good teaching and effective support from knowledgeable teaching assistants ensure that children make good progress so that by the end of Reception, standards are broadly typical of children of their age. Adults' good questioning skills encourage children to talk about their learning. This leads to good progress in their ability to speak well and listen to others. Children enjoy learning from a relevant, interesting curriculum and behave well. Staff work effectively as a team and children's progress is carefully checked. The Foundation Stage is well led and managed. Careful, detailed planning meets children's needs and ensures good achievement. High standards of care help children to feel happy and secure. There are good links with parents, many of whom stay each morning to help their children with activities

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Grade: 2

such as counting. Nursery staff make good use of the outdoor area. However, current timetabling arrangements restrict use of this facility by the Reception class. This limits opportunities for these children to consolidate their learning outside. Nevertheless, the school has the improvement of this timetabling issue in hand.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in English, mathematics and science by improving the quality of teaching.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that all teachers plan work, which is closely matched to pupils' differing capabilities, particularly the more able. ■ Ensure that school improvement planning has a sharper and more specific focus on raising standards. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged to be 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

Achievement is satisfactory but progress from Years 1 to 6 is uneven because of variations in teaching and learning. Most pupils make sound progress, but more able pupils are capable of achieving higher standards. In 2007, standards by the end of Year 6 were broadly average in English, below in mathematics and well below in science. Inspection findings indicate a similar picture in English and mathematics with improved attainment in science. Currently, pupils in Year 6 are progressing soundly in mathematics and science because teaching is becoming more organised and ambitious. Standards in English are still higher than those in mathematics and science owing to the school's successful attempts to improve pupils' writing. The results of assessments in Year 2 over the past two years show that standards were below average and no pupils reached the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Current standards in Year

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Grade: 3

2 remain below average. However there is some improvement in the rate of progress made in reading and mathematics owing to the school's recent emphasis on calculations and effective teaching of letters and sounds. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Summerfield Primary School, 29 °30 April 2008

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school and most attend regularly. Parents say things like, 'when not at school, children can't wait to get back!' Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. Pupils' attitudes to learning are good and they form strong relationships with others. Pupils know how to stay safe and the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. They make a good contribution to the school and local community, supporting charities and competing in sporting events. School council members take their roles seriously. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. While pupils' understanding of their own culture is strong, their knowledge of other cultures is not so extensive. The gaining of the Stephen Lawrence award has gone some way in addressing this issue. The effective work of the learning mentor and teaching assistants is supporting vulnerable pupils well, enabling them to participate fully in

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Grade: 2

school life. Older pupils learn about the world of work, but their below average standards in mathematics and science do not prepare them well enough for future learning.

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Grade: 3

The satisfactory teaching and learning is reflected in the progress that pupils make. There are examples of good lessons but not all teaching possesses the qualities found in them. For example, in the best lessons, interesting introductions capture pupils' attention so they listen carefully. Learning is conducted at a brisk pace because teachers' planning ensures that activities are closely matched to pupils' differing capabilities. Teaching assistants are deployed well to assist individuals and groups of pupils. However, the good work is matched by lessons in which teachers' expectations are not high enough so that tasks are not matched well enough to pupils' differing needs. In these lessons pupils made satisfactory progress. The quality of marking is inconsistent. It is good in English but in mathematics and science it does not show pupils how to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

The satisfactory curriculum is soundly planned over a two-year programme to ensure that pupils learn in a balanced way. Due emphasis is placed on basic skills, but the programme for science includes too few opportunities for pupils' to practise their investigative skills. The school is beginning to tackle this. As a result, standards are rising in science. Until very recently, teachers have used published schemes of work that do not always take account of pupils' backgrounds and interests. Teachers are beginning to capitalise on pupils' interests as the bedrock of their planning. This has led to visits to interesting places such as the Rodley Canal. This broadens the scope of learning. The curriculum is enriched by a number of additional features such as the wide range of clubs or the enjoyable, 'Science Week'. There are effective programmes for additional support in reading and writing but not in mathematics and science. There are limited

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Grade: 3

initiatives in place to boost the achievement of more able pupils. This goes some way to explaining why standards vary between subjects and why too few pupils attain the higher levels in national tests. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Summerfield Primary School, 29 °30 April 2008

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory with good features. Pupils benefit from and appreciate the school's good care and support. The high levels of care and the watchful eye of all staff enable pupils to feel safe and secure. Inclusion is strong so that pupils feel valued and happy. Arrangements for pupils' safety, including safeguarding, are good as is the attention given to child protection and health and safety. Vulnerable pupils receive good pastoral support from the learning mentor and trained teaching assistants. The recently developed Sunflower room provides a quiet haven for those requiring time out. The school makes good use of outside agencies to provide additional support and expertise. There are currently inconsistencies in the targets and academic guidance given to pupils, which make this aspect satisfactory rather than good.

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Grade: 3

The new headteacher has quickly gained everyone's confidence. Her consultative style of leadership is enabling staff and governors to be fully involved in the decision- making process, securing a shared understanding of the school's priorities for improvement. However, the school's perception of its overall effectiveness is slightly too generous at the moment. Development planning and priorities for improvement are not sufficiently sharply focused on raising standards. The new system of setting targets and monitoring pupils' progress is effective but at an early stage of development. It is not yet used consistently to improve teaching to meet the needs of all pupils and to increase their rate of progress. The school currently has a satisfactory capacity to improve standards, but things are improving. For example, governors are becoming more proactive. Using the school's information to evaluate provision, they have

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Grade: 3

a secure understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. They are beginning to provide the support and challenge needed to secure improvement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Summerfield Primary School, 29 °30 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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Summerfield Primary School, 29 °30 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 3 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?

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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Summerfield Primary School, 29 °30 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 3 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Summerfield Primary School, 29 °30 April 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Summerfield Primary School, Leeds, LS13 1DQ Many thanks for helping us when we came to visit you. We enjoyed inspecting your school and thought the school council was great. Your school does some things well and could do better in others. Overall, it is giving you a satisfactory education, although the Foundation Stage unit is good. These are things that are best about your school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave well and work hard. Keep this up!

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You say that yours is a non-bullying school and that you feel happy and safe.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy the friendliness of other children, your teachers and helpers.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You know about being healthy and particularly enjoy your daily 'Wake, and Shake'.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I have asked your teachers to improve some things to make your school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your school needs to raise standards in English, mathematics and science. I would like you to help your teachers by working hard at solving problems and planning lots of science investigations. ■ I have asked your teachers to plan work that is more closely matched to your differing abilities.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ I have asked the senior leaders to make sure that their plans for developing your school have improving standards in English, mathematics and science as their most important priority. Thank you for helping with the inspection and good luck in the future. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Summerfield Primary School, 29 °30 April 2008

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