Staincliffe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Increase the effectiveness of the leadership’s monitoring of pupils’ outcomes by incorporating into the school development plan more easily measurable targets, against which leaders can regularly compare the attainment and progress of all groups of pupils in all year groups.
• Improve teaching and learning by:
  • ensuring that all pupils are fully occupied and challenged in class, especially the most able
  • giving pupils more opportunity to research and write at length in geography and history
  • providing pupils with sufficient opportunity to plan, conduct and write up experiments in science.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The effective leadership of the headteacher, together with that provided by senior and middle leaders, has ensured that the school has improved over the last two years. Achievement in reading has improved, while good progress in writing and mathematics has been maintained.
• Leaders have an accurate grasp of how the school is doing compared with others nationally and set appropriate agendas through the school development plan to address any weaknesses. For example, reading has been the major target over the last year and so leaders can point to much higher levels of attainment in reading than those previously achieved.
• The development plan has a high profile in the operation of the school. It makes very clear how improvements are to be made and who is responsible for monitoring and evaluating them. However, it does not contain easily measurable targets relating to pupils’ attainment and progress.
• Strong leadership of teaching ensures that classroom practice continues to improve, especially in reading. Classroom observations carried out by senior and middle leaders identify effective features of lessons and aspects which could be better. The school’s more junior members of staff say that they benefit greatly from the advice of their senior colleagues and learn quickly when they have the opportunity to scrutinise pupils’ work with them.
• The school has valued visits from the local authority. Classroom observations and advice have helped to improve provision and to verify that the quality of teaching has continued to be good.
• Good morale among members of staff means that there is a shared aim to ensure that the school provides the best possible quality of education. All members of staff say that they are proud to be connected with the school.
• Good welfare arrangements mean that equal opportunities are strongly encouraged. In treating all pupils as individuals and tracking their progress carefully, leaders ensure that extra help is available whenever required. In this respect, the substantially improved programme for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities triggers effective interventions when they do not make the progress they should.
• In terms of the curriculum, leaders have made the decision to provide pupils with a very strong emphasis on the development of reading, writing and mathematics because many join the school well behind expectations for their age. The school covers the national curriculum in other subjects too, such as science, geography and history, but there is plenty of scope to develop provision in these subjects further.
• Leaders use the school’s allocation of the pupil premium funding well and can demonstrate that it is reducing the difference in performance between disadvantaged pupils and others nationally. Good use of the school’s primary physical education and sport funding provides many extra activities for pupils and enables teachers to work alongside professional coaches on a regular basis.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is firmly rooted in all aspects of the school’s work and helps to underpin their academic and personal progress. The school ensures that pupils have a good understanding of life in modern Britain and the values associated with it, such as tolerance and respect for others from different faiths and cultures.

Governance of the school

• Governors are very knowledgeable about the school and hold leaders to account for pupils’ attainment and progress because they compare national test results with the national picture. They know what the school does well and where improvements are still necessary.
• Governors were disappointed by the Year 6 national test results in reading in 2017 and constantly seek reassurance that improvements are in hand.
• The governing body ensures that best use is made of all financial resources and that performance management arrangements are carried out according to school policy so that all salary increases are fully merited.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective because there are clear systems in place which members of staff follow consistently. Leaders work closely with parents on safety and regularly seek their views.
• The school site is extremely secure through its full perimeter fencing and the electric gates operated by reception staff. Pupils who spoke with inspectors said that they are perfectly safe in school and know that there is always an adult on hand to help them in times of need.
• Very effective checking of the identities of all adults who have access to children is firmly embedded into the daily life of the school. Records relating to the full checking of everyone working in the school are characterised by precision and care.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Good and improving teaching in all year groups is enabling pupils of all abilities to progress well in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teachers and their assistants fully understand how quickly pupils need to progress if they are to reach expected levels of attainment or to be able to work at greater depth, and plan accordingly.
• Typically, teachers and their assistants manage their classes well and have the full respect of their pupils. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour in class so lessons are generally very productive and pupils have the opportunity to think and respond to questioning without distraction. There are a few occasions in some lessons, however, when some pupils begin to fidget, lose focus and waste time when teachers allow them too much time to complete their work.
• Questioning of pupils to check on their understanding is a good feature of most lessons. Teachers usually check on the quality of pupils’ work well and soon pick up on errors and misconceptions. Classroom assistants play a vital role in the checking of pupils’ understanding too. They frequently work with the least able pupils and assist them to achieve similar tasks to other pupils who are able to work on their own.
• The teaching of the most able pupils is improving. Teachers very frequently provide them with more challenging learning to enable them to work at greater depth than their less able peers in reading, writing and mathematics. There are some occasions, however, where teachers just expect this group of pupils to do the same work as the rest of the class.
• Teachers very successfully challenge pupils of all abilities to present their work well. Consequently, writing, diagrams and mathematical calculations are all set out well in a logical manner.
• Planning for subjects other than English and mathematics ensures that pupils begin to develop a broad knowledge base and understanding of a wide range of topics, from electrical circuits to Ancient Egypt. However, the approaches used between Years 3 and 6 are very similar and do not always fully develop pupils’ writing and research skills. In the case of science, the development of skills related to planning and carrying out experiments, fair testing and writing reports is somewhat limited.
• Very good planning for the least able pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities in reading, writing and mathematics means that they are taught at the right level to enable them to progress well. Work is carefully matched to their needs and they frequently benefit from studying with classroom assistants in very small groups.
• Teachers mark pupils’ work according to the school policy. They know exactly how much progress pupils are making and provide support for those who find work difficult. They frequently assess pupils’ work as they are producing it in class and point towards features which can be improved. Leaders constantly compile accurate records of pupils’ progress so they know when to intervene if ever progress begins to stall.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils benefit from a wide-ranging educational programme that strongly supports their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It provides them with a strong moral code which enables them to differentiate clearly between right and wrong.
• Leaders ensure that the school provides a harmonious environment for pupils where the teachings of Christianity, Islam and other faiths are fully explored and respected. Pupils benefit from assemblies taken jointly by a local vicar and a local imam. Work on democracy, the rule of law and Parliament strongly develops pupils’ knowledge and understanding of life in modern Britain.
• Pupils say that they enjoy the extra-curricular activities that the school provides, especially drama, music and sport, and for example cricket, basketball, girls’ and boys’ football and jujitsu. However, some pupils do not take advantage of the activities that the school offers outside lessons.
• The school strongly encourages pupils to take on responsibilities as prefects, librarians and school council leaders. Pupils join in with the local infant school to assist with sports and reading. They enjoy the challenge of assisting others who are less fortunate than themselves through raising large sums of money for charities.
• Pupils and their parents appreciate the amount of help and guidance that the school provides. Pupils know that there is always help on hand in times of need. Effective and improving levels of support for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities mean that they are making up for any previously lost ground. Frequently, they benefit from bespoke programmes which are strongly focused towards their specific and varying needs.
• Very good levels of supervision in lessons and at playtimes mean that pupils feel very secure in school because they know that there is always an adult on hand whom they trust. Pupils say that bullying of any description is exceptionally rare and that if it does occur, they are confident that teachers would deal with it effectively.
• Pupils confirm that the school prepares them well in terms of any potential threats to their welfare. For example, they receive clear messages about how to keep themselves safe when using the internet and why they should not talk to strangers.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are polite, friendly and helpful. They welcome visitors to their school and are keen to discuss their work with them.
• Behaviour is good in class, at playtime and when pupils are moving around the school or having lunch. Occasionally, some pupils begin to lose focus in class and begin to fidget, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
• There have been no exclusions for unacceptable conduct in the last three years.
• Pupils are happy and eager to learn. They fully respect their teachers and classroom assistants. They like school and do their best to please the adults who work with them.
• The good presentation of pupils’ work shows that they take a pride in it. They also take a pride in their appearance and their school. They are perfectly happy about all aspects of school life because they know that members of staff are approachable and really make every effort to ensure that they succeed.
• Pupils are passionate about their motto, ‘One Team Together’ and play their part fully in ensuring that cultural differences are celebrated and respected.
• Pupils’ attendance is broadly average and improving. Persistent absence is falling in response to the considerable efforts that members of staff make to follow up pupils who are not in school. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities has improved considerably. Pupils are punctual in arriving at school and also punctual for lessons because leaders have high expectations of them. The school does all it can to ensure that pupils do not become disadvantaged by missing their education through taking extended holidays in term time.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Rates of progress are accelerating for all groups of pupils as their levels of attainment rise. Differences in progress and attainment between the school’s disadvantaged pupils and those of others nationally are diminishing. This is because the school has developed an effective programme of support through the use of its pupil premium funding allocation.
• Progress in reading, writing and mathematics is improving as leaders set ever more challenging targets for pupils in all year groups. Accurate data shows that in all year groups, a greater proportion of current pupils are meeting age-related expectations than a year ago. For example, the current Year 6 pupils are around two terms ahead of the previous cohort at the same time of the year, and more pupils are working at greater depth than previously.
• Year 6 national test results in 2017 showed that pupils’ progress compared favourably with the national picture in writing and mathematics but not in reading, where outcomes were significantly lower. This meant that attainment was below the national average overall. A smaller proportion of pupils were working at greater depth than others nationally.
• The school has made reading a very strong focus over the last year and a half. A much improved programme, which includes pupils reading at home on a very regular basis, is having the effect that leaders have been seeking. The increased emphasis on pupils’ reading is lifting rates of progress in all year groups without allowing achievement in writing and mathematics to slip.
• Current Year 6 pupils read fluently with expression and write well. They write at length to a good standard for a variety of audiences. In mathematics, their knowledge of multiplication tables is good and their basic number work is strong. They are currently working with confidence on equivalence to order series of fractions in terms of size from largest to smallest.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are also progressing more quickly than previously. This is because leaders have precisely identified their needs and have provided extra help to enable them to overcome barriers to learning. Leaders very accurately monitor their ability to read and write and ensure that they progress well, frequently drawing on the expertise of outside professionals to produce individual programmes of assistance.
• Pupils generally progress well, producing writing and mathematical work that is presented to a good standard. A greater proportion of higher ability pupils currently work at greater depth than in the year before, not just in reading but in writing and mathematics too. However, their progress in some other subjects is more limited because the work they are set lacks challenge.
• Pupils start in Year 3 with attainment in English and mathematics that is below the national average. All year groups are currently on track to reach at least national average levels by the time they come to the end of Year 6.
• By the time pupils leave Year 6, they are ready to transfer to secondary school. Their attainment in writing and mathematics is sufficient to enable them to cope with the demands of the Year 7 curriculum in these areas. Reading has previously been a weakness, but as a result of recent improvements, current Year 6 pupils have the necessary skills in this area too.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 107710 Kirklees 10037742 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary controlled 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 339 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Moin Patel Elaine Hobson 01924 326756 www.staincliffejuniorschool.co.uk office.staincliffe@kirkleeseducation.uk Date of previous inspection 27–28 November 2012

Information about this school

• Staincliffe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are of Asian heritage, mainly from Indian and Pakistani backgrounds, and speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above average.
• The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium funding is above average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ 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 observed 18 lessons, three jointly with senior leaders. They observed pupils in all classes and year groups being taught at least once and looked at a wide range of written work in English, mathematics and other subjects.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, middle leaders, governors, groups of pupils and a representative from Kirklees local authority.
• Inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation, including the school’s review of its performance, development planning, records of pupils’ progress, attendance records, incident logs and safeguarding procedures.
• The lead inspector listened to several pupils from Year 6 reading aloud individually.
• Inspectors took account of 14 responses to the staff questionnaire, over 100 responses to the school’s surveys of parents’ and pupils’ views, and six free-text messages from parents. The school did not carry out the online pupil questionnaire and there were insufficient responses on Parent View to perform an analysis.

Inspection team

John Paddick, lead inspector Linda Clay Zoe Carr

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector