Kirkheaton Primary School Ofsted Report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by:
  • ensuring that staff challenge middle prior-attaining pupils appropriately and so speed up their progress
  • eradicating the very small amount of weaker teaching, so that all pupils are challenged effectively and make the progress of which they are capable
  • ensuring that pupils’ presentation and handwriting are of a consistently high standard across the school.
• Further improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that school leaders can evaluate accurately the progress that pupils make in subjects other than mathematics and English
  • giving pupils a deeper understanding of different religions, cultures and the different life choices that people make in modern Britain.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since the previous inspection, the headteacher and her newly appointed team of assistant headteachers have successfully addressed the areas that required improvement. As a result, a greater proportion of pupils are making better progress to reach the higher standards in English and mathematics.
• Leaders know their school well. They have accurately identified the areas for improvement and can demonstrate that their actions are having a positive impact on the progress and attainment of the pupils. They recognise those areas of their work which still need to improve further and are taking effective steps to address these.
• The leadership of SEN and/or disabilities is a real strength of the school. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo), supported effectively by the governor responsible for this area of the school’s work, has devised comprehensive and meticulous plans. They ensure that all pupils receive the best support possible. As a result, these pupils make good progress and take a full part in the life of the school. The SENCo works closely with all teachers across the school to ensure that they are supported well in their day-to-day teaching of these pupils. The funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is spent wisely because the needs of the pupils and their families are paramount. Parents who spoke with inspectors or responded through Ofsted’s online questionnaire, ‘Parent View’, were full of praise for the high quality of support their children were receiving.
• School leaders treat all staff and pupils with a high level of respect and are strong role models. Consequently, this rubs off on all adults and children within the school so that high levels of respect and tolerance are evident in all aspects of the school’s life.
• The very large majority of parents are happy with the school and many told inspectors about the vast improvement in the school, especially since the last inspection. One observed that, ‘The school has made masses of improvement – the teaching has improved significantly and it is a much more cohesive unit.’ Another noted that the school had ‘improved in leaps and bounds’. Parents are pleased with the positive attitudes their children have towards learning and the progress that they make. One parent commented, ‘Her progress astounds me!’ Many parents commented positively on the increased level of challenge in their children’s work. Inspectors could find no grounds to substantiate the concerns raised by a very small number of parents.
• Leaders and governors check that the funding for disadvantaged pupils is used well. A carefully planned and evaluated programme of additional work, together with specific support in the classroom where necessary, has ensured that the gap in the progress between disadvantaged and other pupils is now diminishing.
• School leaders are developing their skills in tracking and evaluating the impact of the primary school physical education (PE) and sport funding. Discussions with pupils have supported staff in ensuring that the provision now meets the specific needs of the pupils more effectively. This has included the formation of a girls’ football team and an increase in the range of sports on offer to the pupils.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development still needs further development. While some aspects of this work are stronger, pupils’ knowledge of British values is too vague and they have a limited understanding of different religions, cultures and the different life choices that people make in modern Britain.
• The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils have good opportunities to use and apply their knowledge and skills in English and mathematics across a range of other subjects. For example, pupils in Year 5 had completed some complex mathematical calculations in their science work, to establish how far away from the sun the various planets were. Teachers have the same high expectations of the quality of pupils’ writing in other subjects as they do in English. However, leaders do not check and evaluate pupils’ progress across the year in subjects other than mathematics and English. As a result, they are not able to identify or help any pupils who are falling behind in these subjects.
• Pupils have opportunities to go on visits which effectively extend their learning. During the inspection, Year 5 pupils enjoyed a visit to the Manchester Science Museum and Year 4 pupils spent the day at Chester Zoo.
• School leaders have been very active in securing support from external professionals and have received effective support and funding from the local authority to do this. The local authority has worked closely with the school, providing additional support to secure the necessary improvements and has recently brokered a new partnership with a local outstanding school.

Governance of the school

• Since the previous inspection, governors have conducted rigorous self-evaluation to improve the way they work. All governors are carefully matched to roles which make best use of their specific skills. As a result, governance is now strong and governors know the school well. New governors undergo a thorough induction process to ensure that they can quickly understand their role and become effective in it. Other governors also undertake relevant training over time to increase their skills and knowledge.
• Governors are rigorous in holding senior leaders to account and challenging the headteacher. They visit the school regularly to check on the school’s work. They look at pupils’ work and visit classrooms. One governor is responsible for reviewing and analysing a wide range of performance information, which he then presents to the rest of the governing board. The headteacher and senior leaders provide detailed and useful information to governors, on a regular basis, which enables them to ask challenging questions. This means that governors have an accurate picture of teaching and learning across the school.
• Governors have a strong understanding of how leaders spend the pupil premium funding and ensure that this is used effectively to improve the outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. The designated governor works closely with school staff and makes good use of the school’s performance information to check that this is happening. Governors also have an accurate understanding of how the SEN and PE and sport funding is used, and the impact of this on the pupils.
• Governors now manage and check the performance of the headteacher more rigorously. They work closely with an external partner to set challenging targets for her, which are directly linked to the school development plan.
• Since the last inspection, governors have successfully eliminated a deficit budget through a carefully considered staffing restructure.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders, staff and governors undertake regular training to support them in understanding the various aspects of safeguarding, for example to prevent radicalisation and extremism. They understand and can explain their duties and responsibilities for keeping pupils safe.
• Governors discharge their statutory duties for safeguarding effectively. They check the school’s single central register on a regular basis and ensure that they recruit staff with careful consideration.
• Safeguarding records are of a high quality and clearly demonstrate the commitment of leaders and staff to keeping pupils safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders have rigorously tackled weaker teaching. Several new teachers have joined the school. Teachers have had more opportunities to observe and work with colleagues from other schools. As a result, teaching is now good in almost every area of the school and is starting to have a positive impact on raising standards and increasing progress in English and mathematics.
• Pupils are developing their mathematical skills well. Teachers have planned carefully to ensure that there is a clear sequence to the learning. Teachers are vigilant in checking that pupils have understood their learning. Inspectors noted this in a Year 2 lesson, where the teacher worked closely with the teaching assistant to ensure that the pupils were making proper use of their practical mathematical apparatus before recording their working in books. Teachers give clear and precise direction and information to ensure that pupils learn well in lessons.
• Leaders identified some weaknesses in the teaching of writing and have worked closely with teachers to address these. There has been a greater focus on improving the pupils’ grammar, punctuation and spelling. This has resulted in improved progress and attainment in writing for almost all pupils across the school. Leaders have identified that fewer boys reach the higher standard and are working with teachers to improve this.
• Following a dip in reading outcomes in 2017, teachers have reviewed and improved their approach to guided reading across the school. Inspectors noted the high level of challenge in the texts that pupils were studying in these lessons. In one Year 2 class, pupils were studying a non-fiction book about the life of Roald Dahl. The teacher’s skilful questioning ensured that pupils really had to probe the text thoroughly to find the answers. In a Year 4 ‘Big Read’ session, where all pupils were reading the same, very challenging text, low-prior-attaining pupils were supported well by the teacher to take part in the lesson. Inspectors also observed, when listening to pupils read, that they persisted in their efforts to read unfamiliar words and did not give up easily.
• Leaders track progress and use assessment information very thoroughly in mathematics and English. They carefully analyse the information they gain and use it effectively to identify and tackle any underperformance. However, this rigour is not evident in other subjects.
• Pupils engage well in collaborative learning, working effectively in pairs to support and coach each other in their learning. Relationships in lessons are warm and supportive. This means that pupils are not afraid to give answers that may be wrong. Most teachers establish a productive working atmosphere which means that time in lessons is keenly focused on learning. Pupils say that they find most lessons interesting.
• Where teaching is less strong, pupils are not challenged enough and so they do not make enough progress. Leaders are very aware of this and are providing effective support and additional resources to ensure that all teaching is equally strong.
• The handwriting and presentation of a small number of pupils across the school are not consistently neat. Consequently, this slows their progress. For example, in mathematics, where pupils do not set figures out neatly in columns on their squared paper, their subsequent calculations are incorrect.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils were confident to speak with the inspectors and engaged with them enthusiastically. Pupils said that they enjoy lessons that are challenging. They are not afraid to make mistakes because they learn from these.
• Pupils are interested in each other’s ideas and show a high level of respect for each other. They support each other well, especially in paired work in lessons, and encourage those who are less sure of themselves. Pupils demonstrate a strong understanding and acceptance of peers who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• During the inspection, the school community observed the national one-minute silence for the victims of the Manchester Arena disaster. Pupils observed this respectfully and showed a clear understanding of its purpose. This was evident in one lesson seen by inspectors, where the silence was followed by a brief but informative discussion about terrorism and how society needs to stand against it.
• Pupils know the boundaries and school rules and are keen to keep within them and apply them. They can explain these rules to others. They talk confidently about keeping themselves safe in a variety of situations, including when working online. They understand what constitutes bullying and are confident that, when this does happen and is reported to an adult, swift action will be taken to resolve the situation. The very large majority of parents who responded to ‘Parent View’, or spoke with inspectors, agreed that they had no concerns about bullying and that their children felt safe in school.
• Pupils are encouraged to lead a healthy lifestyle through a variety of methods. These include growing their own vegetables, participating in the Movement Group and through an improving PE curriculum. However, pupils’ understanding of British values is limited and they do not have enough opportunities to learn about other cultures and religions in Britain.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are focused and attentive in lessons and make the most of their learning time. When asked what they enjoyed about school, one pupil expressed an enjoyment of mathematics, ‘because you learn in maths
  • they (teachers) keep on until you’ve learned it’. Inspectors observed no low-level disruption in lessons. Relationships between adults and pupils are warm and caring.
• Pupils take a pride in their school and in their appearance. There is no litter in or around the buildings and pupils adhere to the school’s uniform code.
• Pupils are polite and considerate and conduct themselves well around the school. The school is a very orderly environment. This was especially evident when there was an unexpected power cut during the inspection. Pupils remained calm and behaved sensibly throughout.
• Pupils play well together in the playground. The atmosphere and behaviour in the lunch hall was orderly, calm, pleasant and sociable. Pupils demonstrated good table manners.
• School leaders set high standards for attendance and punctuality and pupils enjoy coming to school. Attendance is consistently above the national average and repeated absence is rare.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The proportion of Year 1 pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check has been consistently above the national average for the last three years. A similar proportion of pupils are confidently on track to meet the expected standard in 2018. By the end of Year 2, almost all pupils have met the expected standard.
• At the end of key stage 1, in 2016, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, in writing and in mathematics was comfortably above the national average. However, this fell in 2017 to be broadly in line with the national average in each subject. School leaders understand the reasons for this and have put in place systems to address them. A similar proportion of pupils are on track to meet the expected standard in reading this year. However, a larger proportion of pupils are currently already meeting the expected standard in writing and mathematics.
• Since the previous inspection, the proportion of pupils reaching at least the expected standard in writing at the end of key stage 2 has been above the national average. However, the proportion of pupils reaching at least the expected standard in reading and mathematics has been more variable.
• At the end of key stage 2 in 2017, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard almost doubled in each subject, compared with 2016. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard was above the national average in mathematics and moved closer to the national figure in reading and writing.
• In 2017, the proportion of middle prior-attaining pupils in key stage 1 reaching the expected standard in reading, writing or mathematics was lower than the same group of pupils nationally. While the progress of middle prior-attaining pupils at the end of key stage 2 remains broadly average in each subject, it has declined over the last three years, especially in reading.
• As a result of meticulous assessment of their starting points, together with a good understanding of what they can achieve overall, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress, which has improved since the previous year. Most of these pupils are also disadvantaged. There are too few disadvantaged pupils in the school to make a reliable comparison of their outcomes with the national benchmark for this group.
• Pupils in all year groups are developing their knowledge across a range of subjects other than English and mathematics, However, as leaders do not measure the progress of pupils in these subjects during the year, they are not aware when teaching needs adapting to give pupils the opportunity to deepen their knowledge.

Early years provision Good

• The early years leader is enthusiastic and capable. She has an accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision and has made many improvements since the pervious inspection. She leads and plans well. Her aspirations for the children, and for the provision as a whole, are high.
• Staff work closely as a team and support each other very well. The leader carefully assesses their training needs and ensures that staff develop the skills they need to be effective. One member of staff has had speech and language training and her skills are now being used well to improve the quality of children’s language and communication.
• Most children enter the school with skills that are broadly typical for their age. As a result of good teaching, they make steady progress throughout the year and the proportion achieving a good level of development is in line with the national average. The school’s assessment information shows that a higher proportion of children are confidently on track to achieve a good level of development this year. The proportion of children who make better than typical progress is increasing. Consequently, they are well prepared for the transition into Year 1.
• Adults working across the early years classes teach phonics effectively. Children quickly learn the basic letter sounds and apply these well to their reading and writing. Most Reception children can use their knowledge to write simple words correctly and many make intelligent guesses at more complex words. Most able children are already learning the basics of punctuation. In a phonics lesson, one Reception child wrote, ‘I like the spiecy pienapull the best.’
• Safeguarding in the early years is effective and staff ensure that the statutory welfare requirements are met. They carry out rigorous risk assessments to ensure that the children are safe as they work and play.
• Children are happy and feel safe. They play harmoniously together and interact confidently with each other and with adults. Children engage in a wide range of high-quality experiences which extend their learning well. For example, they enjoy building marble runs, engaging in role play and using practical apparatus to develop their mathematical skills. Most areas of learning are covered well but children still need more opportunities to develop their imaginative skills further.
• The children’s transition into the early years is smooth. Staff work closely with parents and other early years providers to ensure that information is shared effectively. As a result, children settle in very quickly and their progress is not interrupted. The transition from nursery to Reception is also managed effectively because the staff work closely together.
• Staff work closely with parents and involve them in their children’s learning and assessment. Parents were enthusiastic about the recent introduction of a system which allows them to view and contribute to their child’s achievements online. Parents agree that their children are happy and safe in school and say that they receive good information about the progress that their children are making.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 107683 Kirklees 10047831 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 Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 391 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Michael Benn Samantha Gallant 01484 548049

www.kirkheatonprimary.com head.kirkheatonps@kirkleeseducation.uk

Date of previous inspection 4–5 May 2016

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• Nursery children attend the school in the mornings only.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils in school is average.
• Most of the pupils in school are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have support for SEN and/or disabilities is well below average. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The senior leadership team has been restructured since the last inspection. It is now made up of the headteacher and three assistant headteachers.
• The number of pupils attending the school from outside of its catchment area is steadily increasing.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all classes. Some observations were carried out with the headteacher. Inspectors also observed a lesson provided by a visiting specialist, and scrutinised a range of pupils’ work.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read and talked with pupils about the work in their books. Inspectors also spoke with a group of pupils about their enjoyment of school and their opinions on behaviour and safety.
• The inspection team considered a wide range of school documents. These included: the school’s review of its own performance, the school development plan, governing board documents, behaviour and attendance records, information about the progress of the pupils, action plans for various subjects and documents relating to safeguarding.
• Inspectors held discussions with staff and governors. The lead inspector met with a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors considered 135 responses to ‘Parent View’, 86 free-text responses and three other communications. They also considered 27 responses to the pupil survey and six responses to the staff survey. Inspectors met with a group of teachers to hear their views and spoke with parents in the playground.

Inspection team

Heather Mensah, lead inspector Elizabeth Lawley James Kilner

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector