Salterhebble Junior and Infant School

Salterhebble Junior and Infant School Inspection report

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Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 11–12 January 2012 Inspection number 377581 Unique Reference Number 107490 Local authority Calderdale Inspection number 377581 Inspection dates 11–12 January 2012 Lead inspector Brian Holmes

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 183 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kevin Stewart Headteacher Belinda Kerfoot-Roberts Date of previous school inspection 12 July 2007 School address Stafford Square Halifax HX3 0AU Telephone number 01422 252004 Fax number 01422 254150 Email address admin@salterhebble.calderdale.sch.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Introduction

Brian Holmes Mark Colley Additional inspector Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. Inspectors visited 14 lessons or parts of lessons taught by seven different teachers and looked at pupils’ work. They listened to pupils read and talked to them about how much reading they did. Discussions took place with groups of pupils, members of the governing body and staff. Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at its assessment data, evidence of activities and events, information about the curriculum, safeguarding arrangements and monitoring and evaluation documents. Inspectors analysed questionnaires from pupils and staff as well as 73 questionnaires completed by parents and carers.

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Information about the school

This is smaller than the average sized primary school, which is increasing in size and is becoming more socially, culturally and ethnically diverse. At the time of the inspection the school was also undergoing significant building work to increase its roll to a full one-form entry primary school from September 2012. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average but is increasing. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and at an early stage of learning to speak English is broadly average. The proportion of pupils who are identified as being disabled or having special educational needs is broadly average. The school has achieved Healthy School status, the Active Mark, the ICT Mark, Investors in People and the Basic Skills Quality Mark. The school exceeds the current floor standard, whereby the government sets the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 This is a good school. The previous inspection in 2007 also judged the school as good.  When children enter the school in Reception their skills and abilities are in line with what is found in most schools nationally, although the current Reception group have lower than average skills. By the time pupils leave school their overall attainment is above the national average and well above average in reading. Achievement in reading is a strength.  All pupils make good progress across the school from their different starting points.  Achievement in writing and mathematics, whilst good, is not as strong as in reading. Pupils have challenging writing targets but do not always refer to them in other subjects to ensure as much progress as possible. Pupils do not always apply their mathematical skills to solve problems. The school has instigated changes but as yet the effect on outcomes is not embedded.  The quality of teaching is consistently good, some with outstanding elements,

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Key Findings

and this was evident in lessons and when inspectors looked at pupils’ work.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Their good behaviour makes a positive contribution to their learning.  A few parents identified a concern that behaviour is not good and that instances of bullying are not taken seriously. Inspectors found that the school does all it can to ensure pupils are aware of different threats to their safety and deals rigorously with any instances of bullying on the rare occasions that they occur.  Leadership at all levels in the school is good, fostering a cohesive and harmonious atmosphere where pupils from increasingly diverse social and cultural backgrounds are happy and get on well with each other.  The school has the capacity to improve its performance further. Its self- evaluation is accurate and concerted planning has seen rapid improvement in the performance of pupils who are in potentially vulnerable circumstances. The

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Key Findings

school has rigorously followed up the areas for improvement identified in its last inspection report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

  Improve achievement in mathematics, to match that in English, by: - providing pupils with more opportunities to practise and develop their mental approaches and to solve mathematical problems.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement in writing through other subjects by: - providing pupils with regular opportunities to use and apply their writing targets in all their subjects.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils make good progress from their starting points across all Key Stages and attain standards that are above average in writing and mathematics and well above average in reading compared to all schools nationally. In lessons pupils typically experience a good quality of learning. They are actively and enthusiastically engaged and have good opportunities to work with partners and in teams, as seen when pupils in Year 4/ 5 worked in pairs to use practical equipment to increase their understanding of equivalent fractions. Standards of work in pupils’ books are good, with pupils taking care and pride in the presentation of their work. Different groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, the increasing number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those from different ethnic backgrounds and pupils at an early stage of learning to speak English, all make good progress from their different starting points. Support staff

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Achievement of pupils

make effective contributions to the learning of these pupils in lessons and in small groups. Pupils who are more able make good progress to achieve the high standards of which they are capable.

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Achievement of pupils

Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are keen and enthusiastic learners and make good progress in all areas of learning to reach standards at least in line with those expected by the time they enter Year 1. Pupils’ reading in both Year 2 and Year 6 is well above average, which reflects the high priority that the school places on developing good literacy skills. Pupils have extremely good comprehension skills and strategies for decoding unfamiliar words. Overall, achievement in reading is higher than in writing and mathematics. In mathematics, achievement is improving to close the gap with English but initiatives to improve pupils’ mental strategies and problem-solving skills have been recently reviewed and changes are not fully embedded. In writing, pupils have opportunities to write in other subjects but opportunities are missed to apply writing targets to longer pieces of work. The overwhelming number of parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire felt

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Achievement of pupils

that the school meets their children’s needs, that they make good progress and that the school helps them to support their child’s learning. Inspection findings agree with these views.

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Quality of teaching

The quality of teaching is good across the school and teachers deliver a rich curriculum. As a result, all pupils make good progress. Adults foster good relationships with pupils which results in a good climate for learning in all classes. Teachers have good knowledge of pupils’ background and prior learning, and this information is used well to ensure that all pupils’ needs are met and learning is challenging. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ learning, as seen in the Reception class when more-able children were extremely well challenged to think of additional rhyming words in an extension activity. Teachers use a wide range of approaches to engage pupils in their learning, as seen in a Year 2 numeracy lesson when pupils engaged in a rapid, quick fire activity to check their understanding of tens and units. Other adults are used effectively in the classroom to support pupils’ learning, particularly pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and

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Quality of teaching

those who are at an early stage of English acquisition.

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Quality of teaching

Assessment is used effectively to plan pupils’ learning and good use is made of questioning in lessons to check pupils’ understanding. Pupils have a good understanding of how to improve their work, with outstanding practice seen in Year 5/6 when pupils wrote comments on another pupil’s piece of work and suggested ways for their partner to improve. However, pupils do not apply this rigorous use of their targets in other learning, so opportunities are missed to improve achievement in writing in other subjects. Marking in pupils’ books is thorough and frequent and gives pupils a clear idea of the next steps that are needed to improve their work. Occasionally, teachers spend too much time explaining activities and ideas and, when this occurs, pupils have fewer opportunities to practise and develop their skills.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. Pupils were encouraged to think of others and understand their views in an act of collective worship on Hinduism. In a Year 4/ 5 geography lesson pupils considered the ethical and moral issues of importing food over thousands of miles. Almost all parents and carers feel that their children are well taught and so prepared well for the future. Inspection evidence supports parents’ and carers’ views in the vast number of instances.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The vast majority of pupils are well behaved and have positive attitudes to their learning. They are polite and courteous and show consideration to one another in and around school. Whole-school and classroom approaches are effective and keep disruption to a minimum even when, as during the inspection, there are severe restrictions on space because of the extensive building work being undertaken. School records indicate that behaviour is good over time. The few incidences of poor behaviour that do occur in class are thoroughly addressed with both the pupils concerned and with their parents and/or carers. School records also show that instances of bullying are rare and that there have been very few exclusions. Pupils’ attendance has improved and is above average. The vast majority of pupils are punctual to school. Pupils are clear that they feel safe in school and know that their teachers and other adults in school will help them should any problems arise. Pupils are clear that any

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

instances of poor behaviour are quickly dealt with and that bullying is extremely rare. They demonstrate a good understanding of different forms of bullying, including how to stay safe on a computer, and consider that there is no bullying of any kind in the school. Through the questionnaire responses the large majority of both pupils and parents and carers are clear that behaviour is good at the school and that bullying is dealt with effectively. Inspectors could find little evidence to support the views of the very small number of parents who feel that behaviour is not good and that the school does not take instances of bullying seriously.

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Leadership and management

Senior leaders are passionate about the school and are committed to ensuring that all pupils fulfil their potential. There is a rigorous approach to checking pupils’ performance and the quality of teaching. Effective professional development has successfully improved the quality of teaching. For example, the wide range of strategies used to meet the different needs of pupils and to support their learning seen during the inspection is evidence of this. Improved monitoring of special educational needs and/or disabilities provision has resulted in a marked improvement in the progress of targeted pupils. The school has a good capacity to improve its performance further because self-evaluation is accurate and school improvement planning is thorough. This has ensured that above average standards have been maintained during a period of change. Attendance is better and is now above average. The progress of different groups of pupils has improved compared to similar

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Leadership and management

pupils nationally. The school promotes equality of opportunity well. There is no tolerance of discrimination in any form. The identification of pupils’ needs has improved and the gaps between the performance of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are eligible for free school meals compared to other pupils are narrowing rapidly.

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Leadership and management

The governing body is highly committed and knowledgeable about the strengths of the school. Governors are fully involved in holding senior leaders to account for the school’s performance. They rigorously ensure that pupils and staff are safe through safeguarding arrangements which fully meet requirements. The school works well with parents and carers, who express very positive views about how the school responds to their concerns and keeps them informed. The curriculum is good, particularly in literacy and numeracy. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum meets the needs of pupils, reflecting the local context and pupils’ interests. A more skills-based approach to the curriculum has been introduced which is starting to provide pupils with an increased number of opportunities to apply their basic skills in all their learning. The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, particularly pupils’ cultural awareness. The school celebrates

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Leadership and management

the increasing cultural diversity of its pupils and ensures that pupils who are potentially vulnerable due to their circumstances have equal access to the opportunities provided for all pupils. For example, they take part in musical productions and represent the school at sports.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its childrens' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its children well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its children. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its children. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes ( see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academ y converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the childs' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school's efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well children acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which children are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the children' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, Halifax HX3 0AU

Thank you for being so polite, welcoming and friendly when the inspectors visited your school recently. We enjoyed our time at Salterhebble, particularly the time spent talking to you about your learning and the activities you like to do. We know that you are proud of your school and that you like your teachers a lot.

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Inspection of Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, Halifax HX3 0AU

Salterhebble is a good school with many strengths. We were impressed by your good behaviour and attitudes to your learning which help to make the school a happy place to be and to learn. You told us that bullying is rare, that you feel safe and that pupils from different backgrounds get on well with each other. Teaching is good and you told us that your teachers make your learning fun by providing you with a lot of practical activities in the classroom and additional activities through clubs and visits. You make good progress in your learning to reach standards that are above average at the end of Year 6, and well above average in reading. The school is well led by the headteacher and the governing body and all staff do a good job in looking after you and ensuring that all pupils do as well as they can.

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Inspection of Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, Halifax HX3 0AU

We are asking the school to improve your achievement in mathematics to be as good as is it in English by giving you more opportunities to practise and develop your mental mathematical skills and to solve mathematical problems. We are also asking the school to improve your achievement in writing in all your subjects by making sure that activities enable you to use your writing targets in all your lessons to improve your work.

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Inspection of Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, Halifax HX3 0AU

All of you can help by continuing to work hard, behaving well and doing your best to help the school improve further.

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Inspection of Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, Halifax HX3 0AU

Brian Holmes Lead Inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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