Sandringham Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Sandringham Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 24 May 2018, 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 under your predecessor in May 2014. This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

Since taking up your post in 2015, you have inspired the trust and confidence of staff and governors. You are held in high regard by your school community. Parents and carers told me that Sandringham Primary School is a ...very caring school.

This was evident to me throughout the inspection, for example when we observed the pastoral team settling pupils who were upset at the start of the day. Pupils throughout the school are well behaved, courteous and engaged in their learning. Leadership is a strength of the school.

You recognise the potential in staff and give them the opportunity to develop their skills. The strong teamwork, trust and respect between senior leaders shone through when they talked to me about their work. Your evaluation of the school's effectiveness is accurate.

Similarly, governors know the school's strengths and the areas where further improvement is needed. School development plans contain ambitious targets by which their success can be measured. Wisely, governors have undertaken a skills audit and updated their training.

They have checked the use of the additional funding the school receives for disadvantaged pupils. Governors know that disadvantaged pupils need to make more rapid progress to catch up with their peers in school. Leaders and governors know which strategies are improving standards.

Teachers are encouraged to use research evidence to help them find new ways to make their teaching more effective. You have strengthened the team and the systems that help keep children safe in school. One parent said, 'This school has gone above and beyond for my children.'

The school has a broad and effective curriculum, including a number of clubs that enrich pupils' learning. The pupils, quite rightly, are proud of the awards they have gained for their commitment to developing sustainable transport, such as the regional school of the year award for having so many children walking or cycling to school. Pupils describe their learning about other faiths confidently.

Many knew it was Ramadan at the time of the inspection. They articulated their understanding of the importance of showing tolerance and respect for different cultures and faith traditions clearly. Leaders are delighted that their efforts to ensure pupils' personal development, behaviour and welfare have been successful.

At the time of the previous inspection, the school was asked to improve the quality of teaching and the rate of pupils' progress in writing. Leaders were also asked to make sure the work set to improve writing was challenging enough for the most able pupils. Progress has been made in both of these areas.

Standards in writing have improved as a result. We visited all year groups and found your pupils to be working diligently and with enjoyment. For example, in Year 2, pupils were enjoying writing about the royal wedding and produced writing of a high standard independently.

The children in the Reception Class also enjoy writing, using chalk and sticks in the outdoor classroom. In addition, the Year 6 pupils produce high-quality writing in their English books and in topic work. The quality of display around the school is high; this encourages the pupils to take even more pride in their work.

Teachers value pupils' written work. However, the quality of pupils' writing is not of a consistently high standard across the school. You know that addressing this by further strengthening the quality of teaching of writing is an important next step.

Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Staff are well trained.

When I interviewed staff at all levels, they were confident in answering my questions about safeguarding procedures. The procedures for making the necessary checks on staff upon appointment are robust. Several members of the leadership team are trained to recruit new staff safely.

The governor with responsibility for safeguarding and health and safety checks the work of the safeguarding team regularly. She ensures that pupils know how to keep themselves safe from harm. The school's safeguarding records are thorough.

Leaders work well with other professionals to keep pupils safe. The school has robust procedures for following up unexplained absences, although pupils' attendance rates overall are good. Staff act in accordance with the school's intimate care policy and medical care plans.

They told me that the school's safeguarding procedures have tightened up under your leadership. Early help is effective; the safeguarding team resolves concerns in a timely manner. Weekly team meetings ensure that senior leaders are informed of all safeguarding concerns.

Pupils know who to speak to if they have worries. They feel confident that adults will help them. Pupils know how to stay safe online.

Inspection findings ? Overall, the proportion of children who achieve a good level of development at the end of the early years has improved since the last inspection, and in 2017 was close to average. However, a much lower than average proportion of disadvantaged children reached this level. Leaders have now ensured that extra time is given to disadvantaged children during staff planning and review sessions in the Reception class.

You are pleased that the outcomes for disadvantaged children are now improving. However, you recognise that there is still some way to go before disadvantaged children catch up with their peers. Creative use is made of the outdoor classroom.

Teaching assistants use language and questioning precisely when working with children while they are playing. This helps extend children's vocabulary, thinking and learning. Leaders have involved parents more in their children's learning.

• Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stages 1 and 2 has improved since the last inspection. In Year 6 in 2017, for example, overall, an above-average proportion of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. However, these levels of attainment did not represent good progress from disadvantaged pupils' previous starting points.

Too few disadvantaged pupils reached the higher standard. In Year 2 in 2017, the overall proportion of pupils reaching the expected standards and greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics was similar to average. However, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils lagged some way behind that of others in the school and nationally.

The school's assessment information and inspection evidence show that, while many pupils are currently achieving well in key stages 1 and 2, a gap remains between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others. You, along with governors, know that more work is needed to ensure that, across the school, disadvantaged pupils catch up with other pupils in the school and nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. ? There is a clear strategy for improving the teaching of writing that includes extensive training for teachers.

Leaders continue to refine teachers' training in writing. A new curriculum plan is being embedded successfully. Leaders check the quality of teaching closely.

When we looked at pupils' work together, there were many examples of high-quality writing, and some evidence that the most able pupils were being challenged effectively. The school's assessment information shows that pupils' written work is rapidly improving in Years 5 and 6. However, some teaching is less effective and pupils, especially the most able, are given writing tasks that are too easy for them.

Some teachers limit pupils' opportunities to practise and extend their skills by giving them too many prescriptive instructions. You recognise that the quality of teaching of writing is not yet consistently high across the school. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? the teaching of writing is further strengthened so pupils, especially the most able, are effectively challenged and pupils' written work is of a consistently high standard ? the progress of disadvantaged pupils across all key stages is accelerated so that the gap between their attainment compared to that of other pupils in the school and nationally closes quickly.

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Doncaster. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Tracey Ralph Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection I visited classes in all year groups, accompanied by you, to observe teaching, learning and assessment.

I listened to nine pupils read from Years 1, 2 and 4, and met separately with a group of pupils to discuss their views of the school. I also considered the views of staff, pupils and parents in their responses to the Ofsted's online surveys. I talked with parents on the playground before school and read the 23 parental responses to the online survey.

I met with four governors, including the chair, and vice-chair, of the governing body, and met separately with two representatives from the local authority. I examined a sample of pupils' books, both in classrooms and then alongside four senior leaders. I also reviewed senior leaders' monitoring records and saw examples of their planning, training records and assessments of pupils' progress.

I visited the school's 'Thrive' pastoral space and met with pastoral staff. I checked the school's safeguarding records closely, along with the school's records of behaviour and attendance. I met with you and reviewed the school's documentation, including the self-evaluation, development plans, minutes of governors' meetings and governors' pupil premium strategy.