Holmfirth Junior Infant and Nursery School

Holmfirth Junior Infant and Nursery School Cartworth Road, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD9 2RG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 Leaders and managers, at all levels, have effectively led a period of change and consequently teaching and pupils’ progress have improved especially in reading and writing.  Teaching and learning are good and at times outstanding. There are good opportunities for pupils to share ideas and work in teams.  In the best lessons activities are planned well and interest and enthuse pupils and help them to do well.  Progress throughout the school is good and pupils achieve well so that their attainment is above average by the time they leave. Pupils do particularly well in reading and benefit from the excellent programme for teaching them the sounds in words (phonics).  Effective procedures for checking teachers’ performance (performance management), together with effective monitoring, result in good teaching.  The school has a variety of well-established ways that it uses to check how well it is doing. This ensures the school has an accurate

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This is a good school

understanding of its strengths and areas for development and is improving.  The school is a happy and harmonious community. Pupils’ behaviour is excellent and they say they feel very safe. They form strong relationships and work exceptionally well with each other developing skills of cooperation and resilience.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are inconsistencies in how well teachers adapt their teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils.  Achievement in mathematics is not as rapid as in literacy as teachers do not always use assessment information to check how well pupils are doing, plan for next steps in learning and give pupils enough opportunities to take on board comments made in marking.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons or parts of lessons, of which four were joint observations with the senior leaders. Class teachers and teaching assistants were seen working with pupils.  In addition, other direct observations of pupils’ learning were undertaken. These included hearing pupils read.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, from Key Stage 1 and 2, and many other opportunities were taken to talk with pupils.  Meetings were also held with the headteacher, members of the governing body, members of staff and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took into account the 44 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), which had been completed during the two days of the inspection, telephone responses from parents and school survey results.  Inspectors looked at a range of school documents including development plans, policies, self- evaluation, data relating to pupils’ current progress, safeguarding and curriculum information,

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Information about this inspection

behaviour and attendance documentation.  Inspectors conducted observations of the premises and took account of the school risk assessments.

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Inspection team

Sarah Quinn, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sheila Loughlin Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is an average-sized primary school.  The percentage of pupils supported through school action is below national average. The number of pupils who are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below national average.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium has increased since the last inspection although is still below average.  The school holds Healthy School status and the Activemark.  A new headteacher started in September 2011.  There is a before- and after-school club called ‘Tiger Club’ that is not managed by the school’s governing body.  The school exceeds the government’s current floor standards (minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress).

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen teaching further to ensure it is consistently good and outstanding by making sure that all teachers adapt their methods and the levels of work set to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement in mathematics by:  embedding teachers’ understanding of how to check on pupils’ progress in mathematics and using this information to identify where pupils are in their learning and plan what they need to learn next  ensuring teachers use marking consistently to indicate to pupils what they need to do next and giving them time to address teacher’s comments. 

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter Nursery with levels broadly in line with those expected for their age. Good provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage ensures that by the time children enter Year 1 they are well prepared for learning especially in literacy and numeracy skills.  Pupils continue to do well in Year 1 and Year 2 because of the good teaching they receive and the way their learning needs are identified and supported. Pupils achieve well and make good progress in these year groups, and consequently attainment is above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Attainment in English is high as pupils leave because of the significant number of pupils who reach above the level expected for their age. This is less evident in mathematics, where attainment is above average.  Achievement in mathematics is not as strong as in literacy as, occasionally, teachers do not check on pupils’ progress effectively enough to identify what pupils need to learn next and

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The achievement of pupils is good

marking does not always indicate to pupils what they need to do to improve.  Pupils do very well in reading and enjoy books throughout the school. They use their skills very well to support other activities like during history or science lessons.  Those pupils who find learning difficult, the disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well supported. Special group work and support from both teachers and teaching assistants is enabling them to make the same good progress as other pupils in the school and many are reaching the same levels of work.  Those pupils who are eligible for free school meals and supported by the pupil-premium funding are also achieving well. Last year, the vast majority of pupils reached Level 4 in English and mathematics, which is the standard expected for their age.  Pupils spend time reflecting, working together, considering what makes a good friend and how

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The achievement of pupils is good

they should behave around each other. They learn about spirituality and about cultures around the world. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strong focus of their learning.  The vast majority of parents who responded to Parent View agree that their children make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching observed by inspectors was good and sometimes outstanding. In the best lessons teachers’ questioning provided high levels of challenge and pupils were excited and engaged and made particularly fast progress.  Occasionally, activities do not match pupils’ differing abilities precisely enough for them to do even better, but usually the match of activities to pupils’ learning needs is good. In outstanding lessons, this match is particularly strong, the pace of the lesson is brisk and pupils are thoroughly engaged and involved, so their progress moves forward quickly.  Sometimes pupils’ progress in mathematics slows as teachers do not always check on pupils’ progress and identify what pupils need to learn next. Occasionally, teachers’ use of marking does not clearly indicate to pupils what they need to do next and teachers do not always give pupils time to address their comments.  Other consistent strengths in all classes include:

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The quality of teaching is good

 teachers are clear about what pupils are expected to learn at the beginning of lessons followed by sharp questioning to build on their ideas  relationships between pupils and adults and pupils are strong and productive, and all responses are valued so that pupils develop positive attitudes to learning  mostly effective use of teaching assistants, especially to support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs  systematic development of the pupils’ self-evaluation skills so they know their targets, how to improve and help each other learn.  Teaching assistants also play an important part in pupils’ learning. The positive impact of this work can be clearly seen in pupils’ improved understanding and rising achievement.  Teachers make strong links between subjects and adapt their teaching to make lessons meaningful to pupils. In one lesson, for example, the teacher made excellent connections

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The quality of teaching is good

between the ‘beat box’ skills learned in music and syllables in literacy.  In all classes teachers promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. Planning shows teachers build into their lessons time for reflection and working in various groupings. They plan assemblies to support spiritual development well and take account of cultures and celebrations from around the world.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils behave extremely well in their classes, at break times and around the school. They enjoy their activities and want to do well. Pupils show extremely good levels of concentration and attention in lessons and respect for each other’s work and effort.  Pupils cooperate, work very well together and enjoy working in teams. They are resilient and adept at supporting each other. Inspectors observed many instances of pupils reminding each other how to work together and how to behave. They show high levels of self-control.  Pupils say behaviour is typically of a very high standard and bullying of any kind is extremely rare, especially any physical, emotional or cyber-bullying. Pupils say any problems are quickly and effectively sorted out by the staff. Parents share pupils’ high regard for the standard of behaviour and very few have any concerns.  A very small minority of parents raised concerns over the safety of pupils. Inspectors found

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is outstanding

pupils to have an excellent understanding of safety around the school. Pupils and staff say that this is always the case.  The minority of parents who responded to the online inspection survey generally gave positive responses to questions related to pupils’ behaviour whilst in school.  Pupils’ above-average attendance not only reflects their love and enjoyment of school, but also stems from the school’s supportive links with parents.

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The leadership and management is good

 The headteacher’s leadership and management are effective. Her relentless focus on improving teaching and thus on raising standards are at the heart of school improvement. She is ably supported by the long-serving assistant headteacher. Together they show a good capacity to drive improvement and raise attainment.  Monitoring of teaching is rigorous and ensures training is provided for any weaker aspects. Teaching has improved but there are some variations between classes and different subjects. Although the teaching of mathematics has aspects to address, improvements are emerging in response to training sessions and opportunities for working with other teachers.  Teaching is being effectively linked to the management of teachers’ performance. The school holds teachers to account for their performance and sets them robust targets linked to pupil progress. Targets are related to the progress pupils make and rewards are allocated accordingly.

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The leadership and management is good

The school ensures that pay rises are earned.  Pupils’ progress is tracked well and those pupils who may be falling behind are quickly identified and supported. Occasionally, tracking in mathematics is not fully successful and some teachers are not confident in their evaluation of what pupils know and need to learn next.  Pupils say they enjoy going on visits and extracurricular activities. The curriculum is organised well to ensure that pupils’ interest is stimulated. Themes such as ‘Sparta’ and ‘Diwali’ also promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well.  Staff work hard to ensure that discrimination of any kind is not tolerated and that pupils achieve their best in a school which supports the promotion of equal opportunities.  Currently, the local authority provides ‘light-touch’ support.  The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body provide a strong level of support and challenge to the school.

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The leadership and management is good

Governors are well informed about the quality of teaching and how well pupils are doing. They are committed to their role, and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the decisions that they take against pupils’ progress. They understand what is being done to tackle any underperformance and how the school is raising attainment in mathematics. The governing body plays a key role in setting ambitious targets for the school and fulfils its statutory duties well. They ensure safeguarding meets requirements. Governors manage the budget effectively and check that spending links to pupils’ outcomes. For example, in supporting the allocation of extra resources to support pupils under the pupil-premium initiative.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 107655 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 403042

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 238 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Julie Eustance Headteacher Gillian Dyson Date of previous school inspection 9 January 2008 Telephone number 01484 222480 Fax number Not applicable Email address office.holmfirthjin@edukirklees.net guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

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. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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