Ossett South Parade Primary

Osset South Parade Primary School Inspection report

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134376 Unique Reference Number Wakefield Local Authority 328901 Inspection number 18 September 2008 Inspection date Clive Moss HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 332 School (total) 79 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Bev Riley Chair Mr Nigel Blakeley Headteacher 2 November 2005 Date of previous school inspection 1 November 2005 Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Fairfield Road School address South Parade Ossett Wakefield West Yorkshire

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3–11 Age group 18 September 2008 Inspection date 328901 Inspection number WF5 0DZ 01924 302880 Telephone number 01924 302880 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 18 September 2008 Inspection date 328901 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. 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 18 September 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: the leadership and management of the school, the achievement and standards reached by the pupils and the monitoring and consistency of teaching and learning. This was done by gathering evidence from observing lessons, scrutinising school documentation and questionnaires completed by parents/carers, and by talking with pupils, teachers, school managers, governors and the headteacher. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified.

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Description of the school

Ossett South Parade Primary School is much larger than average. It was created from the amalgamation of two primary schools and is housed in a brand new building. Pupils are drawn from an area with generally average levels of affluence. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is lower than the national average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average, but the proportion with a statement of special educational need is above average. The overwhelming majority of pupils are of White British heritage, with few pupils from other ethnic groups.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 18 September 2008

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Grade: 2

Ossett South Parade is a good school. It has some outstanding features. Pupils achieve well and reach standards that are above average by the end of Key Stage 2, particularly at the higher levels. Pupils enter the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) with skills below those that are expected for their age. They make good progress to reach levels that are just below those expected. This means there has been a noticeable narrowing of the gap between where they are in relation to children of a similar age elsewhere when they start the EYFS and when they finish. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1 and reach average standards of attainment. They make very good progress at Key Stage 2 to reach standards that are above average. The most recent contextual value added score for the school, which is a measure of how much progress pupils make, places it in the top third of schools nationally. There are no

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Grade: 2

significant differences between the progress of boys and girls or of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Pupils' personal development is outstanding. Their behaviour is excellent. They are exceptionally polite and helpful. The school's 'social and emotional aspects of learning programme' (SEAL) has had a significant positive impact on pupils' attitudes and relationships. Pupils say that there is no bullying at the school, but would know what to do if it happened and are confident it would be dealt with effectively. They say also that racism is not tolerated. There has been only one reported incident in the last two years and none in the last year. Whilst the numbers reported previously were low, this nevertheless represents a significant improvement. The number of exclusions has been reduced to zero. Pupils are keen to take on the many responsibilities that the school offers. They respond enthusiastically to a wide variety of jobs

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Grade: 2

and roles available, for example, when older pupils in Key Stage 2 work with the younger ones in Key Stage 1. Pupils demonstrate good awareness of healthy living. The great majority take part regularly in a wide range of physical, sporting and other activities, including some outside school. The pupils demonstrate a very high level of enjoyment and liking for their school. The school council has been closely involved in many improvements and pupils' views have led directly to developments such as 'friendly Friday', which encourages pupils from different age groups to mix. The school successfully encourages pupils to be active and responsible learners and to make a positive contribution to the life of the school through a broad range of strategies. Attendance is good. Weekly assemblies involving representatives from different local faith groups are just one of numerous ways in which the school provides very effectively for pupils' social, moral, spiritual

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Grade: 2

and cultural development. Pupils grow into very considerate and thoughtful young people with great respect for each other. Their positive attitudes, along with the above average standards they reach, mean that they are well placed to make the most of the next phase of their education and ultimately achieve economic well-being. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Pupils respond well in lessons. Most think learning is interesting and fun. They apply themselves well to the tasks they are set and their levels of concentration increase as they progress through the school. Activities are varied and designed to capture interest. Relationships between pupils and teachers are very good. Much of the school's development activity is focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning. This results in well-planned lessons with a variety of tasks appropriate to the pupils' 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 18 September 2008

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Grade: 2

abilities. The quality of lesson plans has been improved since the last inspection and is now consistent across the school. There have also been notable improvements in the consistency and quality of assessment since the last inspection. Teachers use assessment effectively to identify pupils who are falling behind and what is needed for them to improve. There is a well planned range of effective programmes provided for these pupils. Assessment in the foundation subjects, however, is less rigorous than for literacy and numeracy. Work is generally marked well and offers pupils both encouragement and guidance on how to improve. In addition, work to involve pupils in planning and assessing their own work, developed since the last inspection, is helping them to understand how well they are doing and how to improve. There is good support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. There is a strong focus on the

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Grade: 2

needs of vulnerable pupils that begins in the EYFS. This, along with the range of interventions ensures that these pupils make just as much progress as their peers. A comment from one parent illustrates this: 'My child struggled with reading and writing. A lot of effort was put in to help him and he has now improved and is doing well.' The curriculum is broad and balanced, and enhanced significantly by a wide range of additional and extra-curricular activities. Pupils talk enthusiastically, for example, about raising money for charity through plant sales from the school garden and other activities. There are good examples of how the school has successfully encouraged boys and girls to take part in non-stereotypical activities. The school is making increasingly effective use of the outdoor environment to enhance pupils' learning. Very good links with local employers provide many opportunities for pupils to learn about and engage with the wider community. It is clear from

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Grade: 2

talking to the children how much these opportunities add to their understanding and enjoyment of their education. These experiences support the development of pupils' positive attitudes. The care, guidance and support of the pupils are outstanding. Pupils feel safe and well cared for. Parents echoed the views of many, writing (it is) 'A happy and caring school with approachable staff and happy confident children'. Health and safety checks and risk assessments are carried out frequently. Child protection procedures are thorough. The school has a good knowledge of the progress of individual pupils, identifying any who are underperforming and providing effective support to get them back on track. This contributes significantly to the good progress they make, resulting in almost no pupils underperforming significantly in 2007. There is considerable care and attention to detail, particularly in meeting the needs of more

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Grade: 2

vulnerable children, such as those in public care. The staff ensure a calm and orderly environment that supports pupils' learning well. They have been helped to achieve this through the successful use of the SEAL programme. The school places considerable emphasis on celebrating the achievements of all pupils. This results in many of them becoming increasingly confident learners. The headteacher and senior managers are focused clearly on securing continuous improvements. They have been successful in completing the amalgamation of two very different schools and rapidly created a cohesive unit. Simultaneously, through a complete rebuilding of the school, they have maintained good achievement and above average standards. As a result, the school has demonstrated good capacity to improve. Self-evaluation is thorough. The school makes good use of performance data, about the school as a whole and about individual pupils. The

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Grade: 2

judgements the school reaches about itself are carefully considered, accurate and well-grounded in an extensive range of evidence. Precise areas for development are identified and appropriately challenging targets set. The school has made very effective use of external benchmarks and award schemes to evaluate the quality of its work. As a result, it has been successful in achieving a number of awards 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 18 September 2008 including Healthy School status, the Activemark and most recently Investor in People. Senior leaders are supported well by a highly motivated staff. Subject and key stage coordinators are conscientious in putting the areas for development into action. The school has extensive partnerships with other schools, outside agencies and community groups, with whom it works closely. The school has all the relevant policies and action plans in place to promote gender,

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Grade: 2

disability and race equality, but there is not yet an equalities action plan in place. The school has very good knowledge of the views of parents/carers and the pupils, and is very responsive to both. Their views are used well to evaluate the impact of the school's provision, for example, its efforts to promote health and well-being. The overwhelming majority of parents are understandably very positive about the school and are highly complimentary about the education provided for their children. Activities such as themed curriculum enrichment weeks increase parents' involvement in the work of the school. Governors are engaged well with the work of the school and provide an important element of both challenge and support. They understand what the school needs to do to improve and ensure that the physical environment is of very good quality, contributing to the pupils' learning. They manage the finances of the school

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Grade: 2

carefully and, as a result, the school provides very good value for money.

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Grade: 2

Attainment on entry to the EYFS is below the levels of personal skills, attributes and abilities expected of children of this age. Their needs are clearly identified by the school and carefully planned responses such as bringing younger children into the Upper Foundation Stage earlier mean that, by the time they start Key Stage 1, most have almost reached the levels expected for their age. The quality of teaching and learning is good. There is a very strong focus on the personal development and well-being of pupils, which provides a secure foundation for other aspects of the pupils' learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure there are consistent approaches to assessing pupils' attainment in the foundation subjects. ■ Develop an equalities plan. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 18 September 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 18 September 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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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 capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

2 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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Osset South Parade Primary School, 18 September 2008

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Osset South Parade Primary School, 18 September 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Osset South Parade Primary School, Wakefield, WF5 0DZ Thank you for talking to me and making me welcome when I inspected your school recently. I spoke with you in lessons, around the school and in groups, looked at your work, read the results of questionnaires filled in by your parents/carers, and spoke with some of your teachers. Here is a summary of my main findings, which I hope will be of interest to you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Ossett South Parade is a good school. It is very popular with both you and your parents.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy being at school, feel safe and feel that the teachers care about you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make good progress. Your behaviour is excellent. You are very polite and considerate young people. This is the result of the work by you and your teachers on the SEAL programme and of the excellent care, guidance and support you are given. ■ The school is led and managed well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The headteacher, staff and the governors at the school show considerable care and attention to detail in meeting all your needs. I want them to do more to be sure about how well you are doing in your other subjects as they are about your progress in English, mathematics and science, in order to reach even higher levels. Many of you already make an excellent contribution to the school and I am sure you will want to do everything you can to support the staff in making Ossett South Parade even better. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Osset South Parade Primary School, 18 September 2008

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