Battyeford CofE (VC) Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the quality of teaching so that pupils reach higher standards by:
  • having high expectations of what the most able pupils can achieve
  • using assessment to plan work which is pitched at the right level and challenges all abilities
  • helping pupils to acquire a wider vocabulary so that they understand words they are reading
  • monitoring what pupils are reading and checking that they are taught the reading skills they need to learn.
• Strengthen leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that subject leaders monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching with a sharp focus on pupils’ outcomes
  • evaluating which initiatives are improving outcomes for pupils
  • planning the curriculum so that pupils are developing skills and acquiring knowledge across the full range of subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has effectively managed and led the school through a turbulent time and budget constraints. Despite this, the headteacher, his dedicated team of staff and a strong governing body have retained an unrelenting focus on high-quality teaching and learning while maintaining good staff morale.
• Since the previous inspection, leaders have successfully addressed the areas that required improvement. The headteacher has an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the high quality of school’s leadership. They say, ‘The school has gone from strength to strength… with lots of positive changes.’
• The school works effectively with parents. Their views are sought through surveys and the school runs workshops to keep parents updated and informed.
• The headteacher has successfully created a learning culture where all staff are willing to challenge themselves. Subject leaders have clear roles of accountability, but are still developing their skills. They are not able to explain with any clarity the quality of teaching in lessons and the impact on different groups of pupils, particularly the most able.
• Professional development and training with regular monitoring and evaluation of the quality of teaching have ensured that all staff develop their teaching skills and manage their workload.
• The school has a robust approach to performance management. Performance management targets are clearly linked to pupils’ progress and attainment. Support has been given where teaching is weaker and this has had an impact on improving the quality of teaching.
• The good teaching throughout the school ensures that pupils make good progress and achieve well in mathematics and writing by the time they leave primary school.
• The school’s focus on reading has made a difference in nurturing pupils’ love of reading both in school and at home. The school’s library has been renovated to provide a stimulating and pleasant environment for the pupils to enjoy choosing and reading books.
• While leaders relentlessly monitor the quality of teaching, there is not a sharp enough focus on how the most able pupils are doing. As a result, these pupils do not always do as well as they should, particularly in reading.
• Leaders use the pupil premium funding effectively. It provides extra teaching and welfare support for disadvantaged pupils. The use of more-focused support has accelerated their progress, improved their attendance and is helping them to achieve well.
• The funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used effectively to ensure that they receive good support for their welfare needs and academic learning. Leaders with responsibility for managing their provision track the progress these pupils make. Individual support plans ensure that these pupils make good progress and their needs are well met.
• The curriculum is taught through topic work. Pupils cover a broad range of subjects, and these are enhanced by visits, for example to the Manchester Museum, the Royal Armouries and the Blue Planet Aquarium. The lack of oversight by subject leaders has meant that not all subjects in each year group are taught effectively to deepen pupils’ understanding and develop their skills in some subjects.
• The curriculum successfully develops the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Pupils’ spirituality is promoted through participation in regular prayers as well as writing their own in lessons. The school’s assemblies and visits promote effective reflection on faith, culture and personal choices. Pupils show respect for people from all backgrounds and faiths and have a good understanding of British values.
• The primary physical education and sports funding has been used effectively and monitored to ensure that teachers are well trained to deliver good-quality physical education lessons. There is a large uptake of a wide range of extra-curricular activities; as a result, pupils of all ages participate in more sports and represent the school in competitions.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective.
• Governors are very well informed. Each governor is clear about their role and they bring a range of skills and expertise to the school. They have been pivotal in driving through improvement since the last inspection.
• Governors make frequent monitoring visits, focusing on areas identified in the school development plan. Evidence from their visits is recorded in detailed reports and is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s initiatives to improve pupil outcomes.
• They have a good understanding about the quality of teaching across the school and the strengths and weaknesses. The governing body holds the senior leaders effectively to account and challenges the headteacher over the school’s performance.
• Governors scrutinise the use of pupil premium effectively to ensure that disadvantaged pupils achieve well. They have been less robust about ensuring that the most able pupils achieve as well as they should.
• Governors understand that pupils’ achievement should be the focus when awarding pay increases for teachers and the headteacher. They have put in support where teaching has been weaker to ensure that the quality of teaching for all pupils is consistently good across the school.
• Governors are fully conversant with their statutory duties for safeguarding and ensuring that staff are recruited with careful consideration.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school has created a safe culture to take care of its pupils and is vigilant in checking up that procedures are implemented to protect pupils. All staff understand their obligations for safeguarding, and this is emphasised throughout the school’s work as well as in lessons.
• Pupils say that they feel safe and talk about what the school has in place to look after them. Nearly all parents who responded to Parent View agree that their child feels safe in school. The school conducts a range of risk assessments to keep both pupils and staff safe.
• Leaders and staff follow correct procedures to ensure that pupils are safe. They take appropriate action when necessary. They refer to and communicate with outside agencies and charities following up concerns and support families in need.
• Teachers are aware of the school’s procedures for safeguarding. All members of staff are checked for their suitability to work with children. Accurate and up-to-date records of these checks are maintained.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Since the previous inspection, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved and is now good. As a result, pupils achieve well and standards have risen to be above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct are consistently high. Teachers establish a productive working atmosphere and there are good relationships between pupils and staff and with each other. This means that time in lessons is keenly focused on learning and this is reflected in pupils’ good attitudes to learning.
• Teachers use questioning well to focus understanding and address misconceptions. Feedback to pupils in English and mathematics is swift and this helps to move pupils’ learning on as they quickly respond by making corrections or improvements to their work.
• Teachers do not always expect enough of the most able pupils, and the work they set sometimes does not challenge pupils’ thinking. Teachers do not always monitor pupils closely enough when they choose their own work; as a result, time is sometimes wasted while pupils do work they can already do.
• The improvement in the teaching of writing has had an impact on pupils’ English work, where the standards of presentation, handwriting and spelling for each stage are good. Variation in teachers’ expectations when pupils do their topic work means that pupils do not always apply these skills in science and other subjects.
• The teaching of reading has been revised and pupils are now keener to read. The teaching of phonics is effective and young pupils quickly learn to decode words and develop the early skills of reading.
• Assessment, particularly of the most able pupils, is not used well enough to plan suitable reading work, record their achievements or monitor the suitability of texts these pupils choose to read. Teachers do not focus enough on developing pupils’ vocabulary so that they have a full understanding of what they are reading.
• The quality of the teaching of mathematics has ensured that pupils are proficient in using and applying the basic mathematical skills. Some of the most able pupils are not always challenged to apply a high level of mathematical thinking to solve problems and show their mastery of the subject.
• Teachers’ subject knowledge in English and mathematics is good. However, insufficient leadership and expertise in some of the foundation subjects means that teachers are not always well equipped to teach pupils the skills they need to understand a subject in depth. Consequently, pupils’ achievement in subjects such as geography and design and technology is inconsistent across the school.
• The teaching of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is strong. Additional support is targeted effectively and meets the needs of these pupils. As a result, they make good progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school puts great store on equipping pupils with effective life skills. They learn to be effective learners, not afraid to make mistakes, and they develop resilience to succeed.
• The needs of pupils and families are identified early and support provided where necessary. The breakfast club is well organised and the recently opened after-school provision gives working families the support they need and a safe place for pupils to be after school has finished.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. Pupils understand how to manage risk and what to do if they see a stranger on the school site. They understand the risks of using the internet and social media.
• Pupils have a good understanding of bullying, including bullying related to race and gender. Playground mediators have responsibility for resolving any friendship issues before they are referred to members of staff. Pupils respect the school rules and know that there are consequences to bad behaviour.
• The school’s ethos promotes effective reflection on faith, culture and personal choices. A theme, for example ‘friendship’, is promoted in lessons and assemblies. Time for reflection and prayer is highly effective in making pupils consider what qualities they need to be a true friend and how they could be a ‘good friend’ in the playground.
• The school’s culture, giving pupils responsibility, showing tolerance and understanding of differences, means that pupils have a good understanding of British values, which prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Nearly all parents and pupils who responded to the inspection survey agree that pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are keen to do well. The school’s provision in supporting pupils to manage their own behaviour is effective.
• Pupils are proud of their school. They are courteous, well mannered and confident to engage in conversation. They listen well to adults and their peers, and show respect for the views of others. They play cooperatively in the playground and move around the school in an orderly way.
• The school’s drive to improve attendance has been effective. The school has been successful in conveying the importance of attendance and punctuality to pupils. Attendance has improved and is now equivalent to the national average. The small proportion of pupils who have been persistently absent are well supported so that they now come to school regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Throughout the school, rates of pupils’ progress across reading, writing and mathematics are rapidly improving and are now good. Attainment at the end of key stage 1 has been consistently good for the last three years. Attainment at the end of key stage 2 has steadily increased and is now above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• While standards are at or above the national average, the achievement of the most able pupils is more variable. Expectations of these pupils are still too low for them to make consistently good progress, especially in reading.
• The teaching of phonics in the early years and Year 1 is good. Most pupils reach the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check, a proportion higher than the national average. Pupils quickly develop secure early reading skills so that they can decode unfamiliar words.
• Pupils clearly enjoy reading. The youngest pupils read confidently, tackling words using their phonics and sharing their opinion about what they have read. The achievement of older pupils in reading is less consistent; they appreciate the range of books available and are keen to tackle challenging texts. The fluency of the most able readers is sometimes hampered by their inability to understand unfamiliar words, which they skip over rather than showing an interest in what a word means.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress overall. Like their peers, the most able disadvantaged pupils do less well in reading. Leaders regularly assess how well these pupils are doing and respond swiftly to address any gaps in learning with additional teaching time and extra group sessions.
• The achievement of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. The school’s culture ensures that everyone shares responsibility for the achievement of this group of pupils. As a result, they make good progress because they receive high-quality teaching and additional support from skilled teaching assistants.
• Pupils’ achievement across the full range of subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics is variable. Many of the subjects are linked together so that they are more relevant to the experiences of the primary-aged pupil, and pupils enjoy the subjects they learn. However, they do not always develop the skills they need to study, for example, geography in any real depth.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter the early years with skills and knowledge which are broadly typical for their age. By the time they leave the Reception class, a large majority reach a good level of development, above the national average, and are well equipped for key stage 1.
• The enthusiasm of the staff and their passion for learning is soon conveyed to the youngest children. Children starting in the school’s Nursery get off to a good start, quickly adapting to the routines and expectations of the early years. They show a keen enjoyment in singing counting songs as the teacher uses a hand puppet to engage their interest.
• This good provision continues in both Reception classes. Children show secure early reading, writing and mathematical skills. They are eager and confident, writing their names using the correct letter formation or matching patterns and numbers in a mathematics task.
• The labelling of activities, display of books and resources both in the classrooms and outside are not always clear or attractive to provide children with good examples of the written word.
• Children have good relationships with adults as well as with each other. They are keen and ready to learn. They show a high degree of independence and confidence for so early in the school year. Children sustain interest and focus. They work happily, chatting to each other and adults about what they are doing.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. Children quickly learn the basic skills of reading and apply the sounds they have learned to their spelling. The teaching of writing is well structured and children already understand the concept of using finger spaces to separate words.
• Outside, children are provided with a range of activities. They ride on the bikes and trikes and do so with enthusiasm. They show good spatial awareness and control, avoiding each other as they ride around.
• Adults use every opportunity to assess children’s achievements and to plan next steps in learning. Staff share what the children have been doing through photographs. Parents value this communication. There is a close partnership between school and home. ‘I cannot compliment the school highly enough,’ commented one parent whose child has just started in the Reception class.
• Children’s behaviour is good, in both the classroom and the outside area, where activities are well managed. Children take responsibility for their learning environment. They are quick to tidy up and put things back in the right place.
• Leaders ensure that the welfare and safety of children are given a high priority and that staff are well skilled and responsive to children’s individual needs. They ensure that good links are fostered with external agencies and specialists, to support children who have specific needs so that they are motivated learners, able to participate fully in school life.
• All health and safety requirements are met. The unit is a safe place for children. Transition arrangements are good. Staff make home visits prior to children starting, have a weekend open morning and hold a teddy bears’ picnic to help children and parents settle in.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 107728 Kirklees 10036549 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary controlled 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 478 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mark Pollard Simon Sloan 01924 495518 www.battyefordprimary.com simon.sloan@battyefordprimary.com Date of previous inspection 26 January 2016

Information about this school

• This is a larger than average-sized primary school. Children attend the Nursery part time and the reception class full time.
• Most pupils are White British and speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited lessons in all classrooms, some together with the headteacher. In addition, inspectors observed small groups of pupils being taught.
• Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and spoke with pupils about their enjoyment of school and their opinions of behaviour and safety.
• Inspectors held discussions with staff and governors.
• Inspectors considered a wide range of school documents. These included the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan, behaviour and attendance records, governing body documents and documents relating to the monitoring of teachers’ performance.
• Fifty parents submitted responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors considered the comments of parents who responded during the inspection, as well as those they spoke with informally. Inspectors also took into account responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

Inspection team

Karen Heath, lead inspector Don Parker Chris Cook

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector