Killamarsh Infant School

Killamarsh Infant and Nursery School Inspection report

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112579 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LA Local Authority 310931 Inspection number 26 °27 November 2007 Inspection dates Sue Hall 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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Infant Type of school Community School category 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 213 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Chris Morrison Chair Ms Julia Daine Headteacher 26 January 2004 Date of previous school inspection 43 Sheffield Road School address Killamarsh Sheffield S21 2DX 0114 2485852 Telephone number 0114 2486832 Fax number

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3-7 Age group 26 °27 November 2007 Inspection dates 310931 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

Killamarsh Infant School serves an urban area on the northern edge of Derbyshire close to Sheffield. The number of children eligible for free school meals is below average. Almost all children are of White British heritage and only a very small number is at the early stages of learning English. The proportion with learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average as is the number with a statement for their needs. The school holds an initial Anti-Bullying Commitment award and a bronze Eco award.

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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: Killamarsh Infant and Nursery School, 26 °27 November 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. Parents are generally pleased with the quality of education and care provided and as one notes 'The atmosphere at school is always good and this helps make school an easy place to settle into and feel secure'. Children make satisfactory progress in the Foundation Stage and when they enter Year 1 standards are in line with national expectations. The school recognised that standards at the end of Year 2 had not been as high as they should have been. In the last three years there have been many changes resulting in gradual improvements. Assessments at the end of Year 2 show standards in 2007 were above those in the previous five years, and children did well in reading, writing and mathematics. While varying from year to year, standards are generally average when children leave the school. Boys, girls, and those of all abilities and from different backgrounds make satisfactory progress. However, progress is not always as good as it might

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Grade: 3

be and children could achieve more, particularly the higher attainers. Children's personal development is satisfactory and with some good elements. Most children behave well. They understand how to stay safe and that their behaviour affects the safety of others in the busy schoolyard. Children know how to adopt a healthy lifestyle by making sensible food choices and they enjoy physical activity. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of children is satisfactory as is their enjoyment of school, although lessons can be noisy and several indicate 'work is a bit easy'. Attendance is satisfactory, but affected by holidays in term time. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. There has been a lot of recent work on improving planning to ensure activities are better matched to the range of abilities in the class. However, at times planning is still not effective. The aims of lessons are not always clear and staff do not

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Grade: 3

expect enough of children, particularly the more able. The curriculum is satisfactory. This is broad and balanced and meets requirements in all subjects. The resources for information and communication technology have recently been improved. However, children or staff do not always make full use of this. The care, guidance and support of children are satisfactory overall. There are good elements in pastoral care, staff know and care for the children and liaise with their families well but the tracking of progress and use of assessment information to inform planning are inconsistent. Systems to manage the data available are time consuming and do not make it easy to identify areas for further development or use the information to improve planning. Leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher has a good grasp of her role. While there have been many changes in the last three years the pace of improvement

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Grade: 3

in planning, teaching and learning has not been sufficiently rapid. Staff have not always developed their roles well enough in leading and supporting initiatives and the monitoring of the work of the school is not as rigorous as it needs to be. Governance is satisfactory. With many building blocks for improvement now in place, the school is in a stronger position to make further progress and has satisfactory capacity to continue to improve.

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Grade: 3

Children enter the Nursery at the age of three with skills, knowledge and understanding that while mixed, are largely in line with expectations for their age. Most settle well to school and 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Killamarsh Infant and Nursery School, 26 °27 November 2007 start to grow in confidence so that they make satisfactory progress. Several children exceed the goals for this age. Children benefit from spacious accommodation and a well-resourced outdoor learning area, all of which are attractive and stimulating. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. There is a reasonable balance of adult led and child chosen activities with a focus on the development of basic skills in both the Nursery and Foundation Stage classes. While there has been some monitoring of teaching and learning, this has not been extensive and therefore not always identified areas that could be improved further. For instance, while staff

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Grade: 3

check the children's skills on admission and the progress made at regular intervals the systems for recording and using such information are not fully effective.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise the quality of teaching by providing the highest appropriate level of challenge to those of all abilities and especially for the more able children. ■ Improve the systems to track and assess the progress children make and use the information available to develop the quality of planning. ■ Extend the role of senior staff in leading initiatives and in systematically monitoring and rigorously evaluating the work of the school in order to identify further areas for improvement. A small proportion of 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

In Years 1 and 2 pupils make satisfactory overall progress and attain the nationally expected levels. The school recognised that standards in recent years had dipped and fewer children attained above average standards than initial assessments indicated. Many changes were made and in the end of key stage assessments for 2007, standards rose. Tracking indicates that standards in Years 1 and 2 may now be maintained and are average. However, as yet children do not all always achieve what they are capable of because not enough is expected of higher attainers. While children of all abilities and from different backgrounds make satisfactory overall progress some could do even better.

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Grade: 3

Children's personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is satisfactory. Children are happy in school and want to do well, although they sometimes take a while to settle to work. They behave well, know how to stay safe and show respect for each other and for adults. Children enjoy lessons when work is practical and interesting. Attendance is satisfactory. However, too many families take holidays during term time and this affects children's learning. Children understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle, make sensible eating choices and take opportunities for exercise. They accept responsibility willingly and contribute to the running of the school, although they wish the school council had more influence. Children take their responsibilities to the wider community seriously, for example, when fundraising for both local and international charities. Children's economic awareness is

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Grade: 3

satisfactory although group and team working skills are only beginning to develop. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Killamarsh Infant and Nursery School, 26 °27 November 2007

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Grade: 3

Parents speak well of the effective way staff liaise with them to keep them well informed of progress. Teachers have good relationships with the children and provide a learning environment which celebrates effort and progress. Most teachers manage their classes effectively. However, at times lessons can be noisy and children do not always settle and listen well which impacts on learning. There has been some improvement in planning, but staff do not always clearly identify the aims of the activity and children do not know what they are expected to learn. A satisfactory start has been made on using targets and children assessing their own work but as yet this does not ensure a sharp focus to activities and the marking of children's work does not identify what they need to do to improve well enough.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. Recent changes are helping children to see the links between subjects and this is beginning to have an impact on their achievement and enjoyment in learning. Planning for literacy and numeracy is satisfactory overall, though it lacks the precision needed to meet the range of needs including the higher attaining children and those who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Provision for personal, social and health education and citizenship is good. Children in Year 2 also learn some French within their topic work on France. There are regular activities which enrich children's enjoyment in their learning and some extra-curricular activities provided by outside agencies. However, more opportunities are needed for children to use information and communication technology in their learning.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory overall; care and pastoral support for children are good. The health and safety of all children is a priority and all necessary child protection and safeguarding requirements are met. However, some of the classrooms and other parts of the school are very cluttered and do not always provide the best working environment. The support for children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good because they are identified early and supported well in their learning. While there is no specific support for the very small number of children at the early stages of English, the school has begun the process to enable this to happen. The school is trying hard to raise the levels of attendance, although with only modest success. The school supports children well when they move between phases of their education, although links for transition to junior school are a recognised area for development.

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Grade: 3

Reports for parents are clear and informative about children's progress, and include targets for improvement. Processes for tracking progress are not yet rigorous enough and do not enable teachers to plan work which offers sufficient challenge. Children do not know what level they are working at although they have group targets, which are beginning to help them to improve their work. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Killamarsh Infant and Nursery School, 26 °27 November 2007

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has developed a good understanding of what works well in the school and what still requires improvement. She has worked quietly but purposefully to bring about changes in many areas and to ensure long established staff feel valued for their pastoral strengths. Governors have a realistic understanding of provision and are supportive of school improvement. However, the overall pace of improvement has not always been as rapid as it might have been. Senior staff, including the assessment co-ordinator and subject leaders, have not yet developed their roles in the systematic evaluation of the work of the school. This is partly because school self-evaluation is somewhat generous. The programme to monitor the effectiveness of planning, teaching and learning is satisfactory but not as extensive or rigorous as often seen. This has allowed some areas of under-achievement to occur, which the school is now addressing in a

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Grade: 3

satisfactory manner. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Killamarsh Infant and Nursery School, 26 °27 November 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: Killamarsh Infant and Nursery School, 26 °27 November 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? 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? 3 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?

3 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 3 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: Killamarsh Infant and Nursery School, 26 °27 November 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 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: Killamarsh Infant and Nursery School, 26 °27 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

28 November 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Killamarsh Infant School, Killamarsh, Sheffield, S21 2DK Thank you very much for looking after us when we visited your school recently. We really enjoyed meeting you in lessons, at lunchtime and when we spoke to a group of you. We think your school provides a satisfactory quality of education. These are some of the best things about your school:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Most of you behave well, enjoy coming to school and like making friends.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The staff and your parents work well together to make sure you are happy in school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You know how to lead a healthy lifestyle and enjoy playing together.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Staff care for you well so you feel safe and secure.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Mrs Daine knows what is working well and what needs to be improved.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

This is what that we think could be improved:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The work you do could be a bit harder, especially for those of you who find learning easy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Staff could use the information they have from the tests you do to improve the planning of lessons. ■ The staff could check what happens in the school more to see what else could be done to help improve things. To help your school, try to be a bit quieter in lessons and the playground so that you are always ready to learn. We would like to wish you every success in the future. Yours sincerely Sue Hall Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Killamarsh Infant and Nursery School, 26 °27 November 2007

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