Iveson Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Iveson Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 1 May 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in May 2015.

This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your arrival at the school in September 2015, you have driven the vision for the school and raised the expectations of staff and pupils.

You are ably supported by other members of the leadership team. Leadership in the school is collaborative ...and highly effective. You encourage staff to take initiative by trusting their judgement and providing the opportunity for them to research and develop ideas for improving the school.

The school is improving. The vast majority of parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, are very positive about the education provided at the school. All would recommend the school to others.

Curriculum planning is thoughtfully based on the needs of pupils. Leaders have reviewed the current position in many subject areas and identified their intent for the curriculum area. Subject leaders develop whole-school progression maps to ensure coverage of the national curriculum.

Implementation in subjects such as art and music is beginning to impact positively on pupils' skills and knowledge of subjects outside English and mathematics. Although there is some variability, pupils' curriculum books show that teachers have the same high expectations for writing in history, for example, as they do for English. However, the science curriculum has not been reviewed.

Pupils' books in science do not show the same depth of learning as in English and mathematics. Teachers and pupils do not share the high expectations for explaining, recording and presenting work in science as they do in other subjects. The extra-curricular activities which support the curriculum through the 'Iveson Primary School Passport' provide pupils with multiple opportunities to experience the wider world.

Activities are planned for each year group, which pupils might otherwise not experience. For example, they make visits to the seaside, theatre and museums and religious buildings. They walk in the woods, learn a musical instrument, grow and cook food and even make mud pies.

The passport supports strong social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. After-school educational experiences, such as science club, are enjoyed by many pupils. Year 6 pupils value the booster lessons they can attend before school and in the holidays.

They recognise the positive impact this has on their progress. At the last inspection, the school was asked to ensure that pupils make the best use of their time for learning. Leaders have raised the aspirations of pupils.

Pupils across the school are engaged in their learning and keen to do well. Little learning time is lost. Year 6 pupils are absolutely committed to achieving their best in the upcoming national curriculum tests.

A Year 6 mathematics lesson, observed during the inspection, exemplified this determination and enthusiasm for success. All pupils were absorbed in their learning and enjoying their mathematics. Improving self-reliance of pupils in their work, particularly for the most able, was an area for improvement at the previous inspection.

Observations in all classrooms showed pupils who were self-reliant and getting on with their work. Pupils work in pairs to support each other's learning particularly well. Work seen in the lessons and in pupils' books show that the most able pupils often do more challenging work, which deepens their understanding.

You recognise that in mathematics pupils could move to more challenging work earlier and take responsibility for correcting mistakes in their work. The school was asked at the last inspection to ensure that activities in the early years promote children's literacy and numeracy skills. The indoor and outdoor areas provide opportunities for promotion of these skills.

Children's work shows that both skills develop well over time. Reception children were seen practising their writing about the story they were reading. The vast majority of children were writing enthusiastically, using interesting adjectives to describe a troll.

Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team and governors have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Appropriate checks are made on adults working in the school.

Pupils in this school are very well cared for. Case studies reviewed show the lengths the school adopts to provide support for pupils and their families, through referral to other agencies or the use of imaginative therapies. Pupils' learning, behaviour, attendance and social and emotional well-being have improved as a result of this support.

Several parents, responding to Parent View, wrote warmly of the support their children had received since moving to Iveson Primary School from another school or another country. Their children feel happy and are making progress as a result. A strong ethos of safeguarding permeates the school.

Records of concerns about pupils are documented carefully, and responded to quickly. Referrals to other agencies are made in a timely way, which ensures pupils' safety. Inspection findings ? Following a dip in outcomes at key stage 2 in 2017, attainment and progress improved in 2018.

However, attainment in reading remained below the national average. Progress in reading lagged behind that in writing and mathematics. You have taken appropriate actions to drive improvements in reading.

The lead for literacy provides training in staff meetings and coaches staff to improve their subject knowledge and planning. Staff seen teaching reading were doing so with confidence and enjoyment. Reading test results and the school's progress information suggest the pupils are making better progress in reading this year.

• You have bought new books and used the new building to provide libraries at the centre of each wing of the school. Pupils enjoy reading and rereading stories, both on their own and with teachers. Pupils of all ages were able to explain what they were reading in detail.

The majority of pupils read at home, but where this does not happen, staff listen to pupils read in school more often. Vocabulary is taught and rehearsed so that pupils can use more complex words in their writing. Strong progress in writing was seen in pupils' books.

• Since 2016, the Year 1 phonics screening check results have risen year on year. Progress information suggests that this trend is set to continue this year. Pupils are taught and regularly revise letter sounds.

They are able to identify sounds in spoken words and blend sounds to help them read. This regular rereading helps to develop pupils' fluency. ? Teachers have high expectations and, for the most part, pupils respond well to these.

Work in pupils' English and mathematics books is well presented and shows good progress. These high expectations are underpinned by excellent relationships between staff and pupils. Attitudes to learning are positive and the learning environment in the classroom is, almost invariably calm and, in Year 6, studious.

• You have developed a sophisticated method for assessing, monitoring and evaluating pupils' attainment and progress. Teachers have a better understanding of pupils' prior attainment and any barriers to learning. You hold teachers to account for the progress of pupils.

Teachers produce detailed plans to show how they will fill the gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills. It is too soon to see the impact of this work. However, information provided by the school, and work in books, suggests that pupils are making good progress in English and mathematics across the school, including disadvantaged pupils.

In some classes disadvantaged pupils are making better progress than their peers. ? Pupils behave well. They are polite and friendly.

In 2016/17, the proportion of pupils receiving fixed-term exclusions was above the national average. You recognise that this was associated with the high expectations you had set for behaviour. You reduced fixed-term exclusions as the vision and expectations you have set for a school, 'where aspirations soar', became embedded across the school.

Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? they build on the work to improve attainment and progress in reading, particularly at key stage 2 ? the science curriculum is developed so the quality of teaching and learning and expectations of pupils' work are consistently high and reflect those seen in English and mathematics. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Leeds. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely Helen Lane Her Majesty's Inspector Information about the inspection During the inspection, I met with you, other leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. Together with senior leaders, I made visits to all classes in the school. During these visits, I listened to a small number of children read and scrutinised pupils' workbooks.

I spoke formally to a group of Year 6 pupils, and informally to pupils in lessons. I reviewed a range of documents provided by the school, including the self-evaluation document, the improvement plan and documents related to safeguarding. I considered 21 responses to the staff survey and 39 responses to the online survey, Parent View.