Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School

Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School Inspection report

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130375 Unique Reference Number Wakefield Local Authority 315624 Inspection number 3 °4 March 2008 Inspection dates Derek Pattinson 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 191 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Bill Brown Chair Mr David Wright Headteacher 30 June 2003 Date of previous school inspection Shay Lane School address Crofton Wakefield West Yorkshire WF4 1NN 01924 303910 Telephone number 01924 303911 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 3 °4 March 2008 Inspection dates 315624 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

This is a smaller than average sized school serving an area of broadly average social and economic circumstances. Most pupils live in the local area and are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and the number for whom English is an additional language are much lower than found nationally. The school has achieved Healthy Schools status this year and also holds the Artsmark Silver and Activemark.

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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: Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School, 3 °4 March 2008

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. It provides a good curriculum, high quality pastoral support and high levels of care for its pupils. Because of this, pupils' personal development is good. The curriculum is enriched by a wide range of visits, visitors, and after-school clubs and events. Pupils enjoy school, which helps explain their above average attendance. They have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles, are happy to shoulder responsibility and support good causes, and are soundly equipped for the next stage of their education. However, there are weaknesses in teaching and learning and in the way the school monitors pupils' performance, which slows their progress. The school works effectively with parents, carers and external agencies. Almost all parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire expressed positive views about the school, one commenting, 'All at the school are welcoming and positive,

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Grade: 3

which rubs off on the children'. Pupils make satisfactory progress across the school. Teaching is satisfactory. Secure relationships, teachers' effective management of pupils and the good use of encouragement and praise are positive features of almost all lessons. However, pupils are sometimes given too little time to consolidate new learning. The pace of some lessons is not brisk enough. Work is not always matched well to pupils' abilities. As a result of these inconsistencies, progress slows, especially for the more able pupils. By the end of Year 6, standards are below average in English, mathematics and science. In the 2007 national tests, results in English were weakest, with the performance of the more able pupils being considerably weaker than that of pupils nationally. The need to raise standards in English throughout the school is recognised by all staff and governors as an important priority.

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Grade: 3

Challenging targets have been put into place to help raise standards in English and mathematics, and these standards are now rising. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The experienced headteacher and deputy have successfully established a caring and supportive ethos, in which all are valued. As a result, relationships at all levels are good. Staff are united in wanting a good quality education for their pupils. Subject leaders in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science increasingly know what works well and what needs doing to make improvements. However, the school does not monitor and evaluate its effectiveness with sufficient rigour, for example in the important area of teaching and learning. Nor does it make best use of self-evaluation to set and achieve clear improvement goals. The supportive governing body is becoming involved in setting a clear direction for the school. The school has taken the necessary actions to make improvements

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Grade: 3

since the last inspection. Given the progress pupils make, it provides satisfactory value for money and has satisfactory capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 3

Most children enter the Foundation Stage with levels of knowledge, skills and understanding that are below those typical for their age. While they make satisfactory progress, standards are still below average by the time they enter Year 1. However, progress in personal and social development is good. Substantial improvements recently to teaching, planning and assessment for the Foundation Stage are beginning to impact positively on children's learning. However, procedures to enable staff to check regularly how pupils are doing are not yet fully effective. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School, 3 °4 March 2008 Staff work hard to ensure that assessments of children's learning are clear and accurate to enable them to support further improvements in developing their language and mathematical skills. Good links have been established with parents, who feel welcome and say their children

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Grade: 3

are 'more than happy' to come to school. Good induction procedures ensure that children settle quickly. They enjoy the wide range of experiences provided in a very safe and secure environment. The Foundation Stage teacher works very well with her team to provide consistent routines to support children as they steadily develop their independence. However, some opportunities to develop spoken language are missed and the outdoor area does not yet provide children with a wide enough range of opportunities to ensure that they develop their skills in all areas of learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in English for all pupils, but especially the more able.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the quality of teaching to ensure that all pupils are provided with the challenge and opportunities to achieve as well as they can. ■ Monitor the work of the school and track pupils' progress more systematically and rigorously in order to increase the impact of this on school improvement. 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

Pupils' achievement is satisfactory overall because, from below average starting points, they make sound progress as they move through the school. At the end of Year 2 in 2007, standards were approaching national levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards in reading were higher than in writing, reflecting the national picture, but were still below average. At the end of Year 6 in 2007, standards were below average in English, mathematics and science in the national tests. This was partly due to the well above average number of pupils with specific difficulties who sat the national tests in 2007. Staffing difficulties also contributed to the results. These have since been overcome. Pupils performed least well in English and a much smaller percentage than nationally reached the higher level. This was because pupils' progress in reading and writing was not carefully watched to help identify where exactly the pupils

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Grade: 3

needed extra help to overcome their problems. Current targets to help drive up standards are appropriately challenging. Improved arrangements for tracking pupils' progress show that those presently in Year 6 are on course to gain higher grades than the grades achieved last year, albeit from higher starting points. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported, enabling them to make similar progress to their classmates.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles through a range of sports activities both in and out of school. They thoroughly enjoy healthy physical activities, such as 'Wake Up, Shake Up' and they say, 'It gets your brain going and it's fun!' The school council talk proudly about getting friendship benches and playing together with the new equipment they requested. Pupils behave well, have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy school. Strategies to improve attendance have been successful and help to explain why it is now above average. Pupils have 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School, 3 °4 March 2008 a good understanding of how to keep safe and talk enthusiastically about raising money for a number of charities. The provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils learn, for example, about different cultures through visits to places of interest.

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Grade: 2

Assemblies offer time for reflection and pupils clearly understand the difference between right and wrong. Pupils develop satisfactory basic skills which support their future education and later lives.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Secure relationships, effective management of pupils and high levels of care are positive features of the teaching. It is most successful when time is used to good effect, teachers use praise and encouragement widely, resources are used well to extend learning and demanding tasks bring learning to life. In these instances, pupils find their lessons interesting and challenging and make good progress. Teachers' assistants are used well to help pupils learn. However in some lessons the pace is not brisk enough. Pupils sometimes have too little opportunity to practise new learning. Work is not always matched well to pupils' abilities and the more able pupils are not always given work that challenges them. In these instances, progress slows. Procedures have recently been established to assess and monitor pupils' progress, although it is too early to evaluate their impact.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a rich and varied curriculum. It promotes healthy and safe lifestyles well through its strong partnerships with external groups and its good emphasis on developing pupils' personal and social skills. Pupils' learning is enhanced through a wide range of enrichment activities. The many educational visits, such as one to a coal mine; visitors, such as artists and musicians; and additional experiences help bring learning alive and enable pupils to 'learn lots of new things', as one commented. Art and music enhance many pupils' experiences, as reflected in the high quality art work seen and the music heard. Information and communication technology is used well to extend learning. A developing focus on improving basic skills in literacy and numeracy across all subjects is supporting children's learning. The school provides a good range of clubs and activities, which are popular with pupils of all ages, and help broaden

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Grade: 2

The good quality of the school's care, guidance and support is firmly reflected in its positive, caring ethos and the good attitudes and behaviour seen during the inspection. Adults know the pupils very well and are dedicated to supporting and caring for their individual needs. Child protection procedures are in place and health and safety requirements are fully met. Good links with outside agencies provide effective support for the school to help vulnerable pupils. As a result of these measures, pupils say they feel safe and happy. They trust the adults who work with them and know where to turn for help. Parents feel welcome in school, believe rightly that their children are well cared for and appreciate the 'understanding and helpful' staff. Systems for monitoring pupils' progress and tracking their academic achievement are developing. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School, 3 °4 March 2008

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Grade: 2

However, assessment and individual target systems are not yet used consistently well across the school.

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Grade: 3

The experienced headteacher and deputy headteacher strongly promote a shared vision and a caring and supportive ethos in which all are valued. Staff are united in their determination to provide a good quality of education for all pupils. Improvement planning focuses largely on the right priorities to help drive up standards. However, some priorities lack rigour and focus, and the monitoring of some aspects of the school's work, such as teaching and learning, lacks consistency and impact. Self-evaluation does not focus sharply enough on the outcomes of learning and pupils' achievement. This makes it difficult for the leadership to accurately evaluate the school's effectiveness. However, the school has recognised this and is beginning to take the steps needed to improve it. The introduction of more detailed tracking systems is enabling the leadership team to check how well pupils are doing. Subject leaders of core subjects are

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Grade: 3

playing a developing role in monitoring the school's work and performance. However, leadership of other subjects remains at an early stage of development. The governing body is supportive of the school. It is starting to hold the school to account for what it achieves and is becoming clearer about what needs to be done to drive up quality and standards. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School, 3 °4 March 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: Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School, 3 °4 March 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? 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?

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 2 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School, 3 °4 March 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 2 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: Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School, 3 °4 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so friendly and talking to Mrs Hicks and I when we visited your school recently to find out how well you are learning. We very much enjoyed being with you, visiting lessons and listening to what you had to say. Your school is giving you a satisfactory education. It was really good to see that you are friendly, kind and polite towards each other and the teachers and other adults who work with you. We like the caring atmosphere and the way that all adults who work in school take good care of you. We know that they give you lots of encouragement so that you feel safe, happy and try hard with your work. You come to school regularly and arrive on time, which helps you build on what you learn. You know how important it is to have a healthy lifestyle and take regular exercise. It was good to hear that you enjoy your 'Wake Up, Shake Up' sessions. You appreciate the work of the school council, who have improved play areas for you, and work hard to get

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

things done. We know that you really like your lessons and appreciate the many visits, visitors and clubs that help to make your school life even more enjoyable. We have asked your teachers to make sure that they give you lots of opportunities to help you improve your reading and writing, to help you make quicker progress. We have asked them also to make sure that they always give you work that challenges you (especially the quick learners) and that they give you lots of time to practise new skills. Don't forget to work hard to achieve your targets and to tell your teachers if you think the work they give you is too easy or hard for you. This will help you to make even better progress than you do now! We have asked Mr Wright and the governors to check often on how well the school is doing towards meeting its targets so that it can become better and better. Thank you again for your help when we inspected your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

11 of 11 Inspection Report: Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School, 3 °4 March 2008

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