Clough Head Junior and Infant School

Clough Head Junior and Infant School Bolster Moor Road, Golcar, Huddersfield, HD7 4NW

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The achievement of all groups of pupils has improved since the previous inspection and is now good. Attainment by the end of Year 6 is above average overall and is sometimes well- above average in mathematics.  Teaching has also improved and is now good. Relationships in the classroom are strong and teachers and teaching assistants work well together to ensure that disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive the support they require.  Pupils have sufficient opportunities to practise and reinforce their literacy and numeracy skills in all the subjects they study. Pupils’ use of new technology is widespread across the school and they use computers with skill.  Pupils are proud of their school and behave well in lessons and around the school site. They have a high regard for the adults who work with them and feel safe because, in their view, bullying is rare. They take on many

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

responsibilities, such as school councillors and as members of the eco-team. They are keen to learn and their attendance is high.  The headteacher has a very clear view of how successful the school can be. This view is shared by all staff, who believe that senior leaders and members of the governing body have high ambitions for the school.  Close checking on school performance by leaders and managers has ensured that good improvements have been made to achievement and teaching in the last two years.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 On occasions, activities in the Reception and Year 1 class do not enable pupils to learn quickly and well enough  More-able pupils are not always set work which is hard enough to make sure they always achieve the highest standards.  Information about how well pupils have learned is not always used effectively enough to plan lessons which get the best out of all pupils.  Not all pupils know how well they are doing and how they can improve their standards.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in eight lessons or part-lessons, taught by two teachers and one higher level teaching assistant. They also visited lessons in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 to listen to pupils read.  They held meetings with a group of pupils, the Chair and vice chair of the Governing Body and representative of the local authority. They also had discussions with senior leaders, academic, pastoral and administrative staff. They also met informally with parents at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors took account of the 11 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and also of the 9 questionnaires returned by school staff.  Inspectors observed the school at work and looked at a variety of documentation, including pupil progress and attainment data, pupils’ work, school improvement planning and the school’s procedures for gaining an accurate view of its performance. They also scrutinised minutes of

p.2

Information about this inspection

governing body meetings and documentation in relation to behaviour, attendance, child protection and safeguarding.

p.2

Inspection team

James Kidd, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sheila O’Keeffe Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This is a much smaller-than-average primary school, which comprises of three mixed-age classes. Pupil numbers have grown since the previous inspection. The school is federated with Wellhouse Primary School, which is situated about a mile away. Both schools share the same headteacher and governing body. Wellhouse Primary received a separate inspection and the report is available on the Ofsted website.  The school meets the current government floor targets, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is low.  The percentage of pupils supported at school action is low. There are currently no pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  Most pupils are White British and there are no pupils with English as an additional language.

p.3

Information about this school

 Clough Head is a nationally-accredited Healthy School, holds the Food for Life (Bronze) and the Eco School (Silver) awards.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching and thus accelerate pupils’ progress further by:  ensuring that the work set in Reception and Year 1 helps pupils of all abilities to learn well and more quickly  extending the level of challenge for more-able pupils, to enable them to reach the standards of which they are capable  embedding teachers’ use of assessment, to ensure that activities in lessons get the best out of all pupils  building upon the good practice in marking to ensure that pupils always know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve their work.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good across the school but attainment can vary from year to year because of the size of year groups. Nonetheless, children generally start school with skills which are typical for their age. They make good progress across the school and, by the end of Year 6, reach standards which are above average overall.  Pupils in the current Year 6 group are showing the potential to reach well-above average standards in mathematics. Over the past two years, the percentage of pupils attaining National Curriculum Level 5 in both English and mathematics has been above average but a smaller proportion has reached Level 5 in both subjects, showing that more-able pupils do not always reach the standards they could.  Pupils enjoy their studies and are delighted to show visitors their work. As early as Year 2, they explain the different ways in which they can join sentences together and by Year 4, they use

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

‘despite’, ‘in addition to’ and ‘contrary to’ quite naturally in their writing. In Years 5 and 6, they begin to debate with their classmates and make accurate comments about the important characteristics of a business executive, using, for example, ‘flexibility’ and ‘determination’ confidently in their speech.  Pupils read widely and particularly value the weekly ‘Reading Friends’ initiative, when volunteers come to school to read with them.  Their skills in mathematics are also developing well and pupils make good progress in Years 2, 3 and 4 in identifying the qualities of different geometric shapes and in Years 5 and 6 they divide and multiply fractions with accuracy.  In Reception and Year 1, pupils are gaining confidence in reading, writing and mathematics but the pace of learning here is not always as rapid as it could be. This is because the activities provided in lessons do not always enable them to make the progress they should.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

 The small number of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals make the same good progress as their classmates, as a result of effective use of the pupil premium funding, for example, increasing the support time of the higher level teaching assistant, who works closely with individuals. Gaps between how well these pupils are doing and similar pupils in the school are narrowing. There is also good quality support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and as a result these pupils also make good progress. This support is often on an individual basis and provides work which is pitched at exactly the right level for these pupils.  The majority of parents who completed the on-line questionnaire rightly believe their children are making good progress in the school.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 The school has placed great emphasis since the previous inspection on improving teachers’ performance in the classroom. As a result, teaching is now good overall. Good relationships between pupils, and between pupils and the adults who work with them, are the hallmarks of lessons.  In the best lessons, for example a mathematics session in class 2, teachers prepare the activities in detail and the work is exactly what pupils need to make progress; it is often modified to make sure that pupils of all abilities can take full advantage of what the topic has to offer. In lessons such as these, pupils are encouraged to work in groups and they enjoy finding things out for themselves and also receiving support from their classmates. They enjoy answering searching questions from teachers and teaching assistants and are often quite surprised at what they achieve.  Pupils are often confident in their ability to present arguments to their classmates and this was

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

noted particularly in a Class 3 ‘topic’ session on enterprise, when pupils expressed their views with skill and supported their opinions with convincing evidence.  On occasions, in Reception and Year 1, the work set is sometimes not hard enough and does not always lead to pupils learning well and quickly enough to ensure they make the progress they could. Across the school, teachers’ understanding of how data can be used to accelerate pupil achievement has improved over the last two years. However, assessment is sometimes not used effectively enough to make sure that lesson activities are not too hard for some and too easy for other pupils.  Work is always marked and pupils explain to visitors the meaning of the ‘amber and green’ system which praises them for their efforts and which sets them targets for improvement after the completion of a piece of work. This works well in some classes but, because the marking

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

policy is relatively new, some pupils are still not sure of how well they are doing and of how they can do better.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show pride in their school and also value the joint activities, sport for example, within the federation. They get on well with each other and with the adults who work with them. They feel safe because, in their words, ‘Bullying isn’t a problem in our school and the grown-ups stop it if it does happen.’ Indeed, they have a good understanding of the nature of bullying in all its forms and talk confidently about the dangers of cyber-bullying; they also produce work on the computer about how to use the internet safely.  Pupils behave well and treat children and adults with respect. They are delighted when their classmates succeed in lessons and do much to promote the self-esteem of others. They talk avidly about how the wide range of extra-curricular activities makes them more confident about what they can achieve. As one pupil said about one of his friends in class, ‘You really conquered your fears when we went on the residential.’

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Outstanding attitudes are sometimes displayed in the classroom. Pupils get on well with their studies and are eager to learn. They say that teachers and teaching assistants are always there for them if they find the work difficult. Attendance rates are high and parents are satisfied that their children are well looked after.  Pupils willingly take on a variety of responsibilities. School councillors, for example, meet every two weeks and have taken the lead in developing the school pond and plant-growing area. Members of the Eco team persuade staff and pupils to save electricity and are responsible for switching off computers at the end of the day.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils have a good understanding of right and wrong and are polite and well mannered, showing courtesy towards visitors. They benefit from the thought-provoking assemblies, on ‘a problem shared is a

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

problem halved’, for example. They support a wide range of charities and received a presentation from a national charity in recognition of their fund-raising activities.

p.5

The leadership and management are good

 The talented and committed headteacher is supported by a well-informed senior team who lead by example. Staff share the headteacher’s very clear view of how the school can continue to move forward. Federation arrangements have a positive impact on the rate of school improvement, through shared governance and shared subject leadership. The school knows itself well and checks its performance more effectively than at the time of the previous inspection. Performance management arrangements are secure and progress towards individual staff targets is checked regularly.  Staff also speak highly of the partnership with the link school and say there are increasing opportunities to share good practice across the federation and to learn from each other. They have a high regard for the senior leadership which, they say, ‘Listens to us and values the talents of us all.’ Staff morale is high and teamwork amongst caretaking, administrative,

p.5

The leadership and management are good

teaching and support staff is a major strength of the school.  The curriculum is under continuous review and the topic system enables pupils to see the links between subjects and to practise their literacy and numeracy skills in a wide range of subjects. Pupils now have many opportunities to use new technology to aid their learning.  Without doubt, Clough Head is a school in which the personal and academic welfare of its pupils comes first. Child protection and safeguarding procedures are secure and fully meet current guidelines. In addition, discrimination in all its forms is not tolerated and equality of opportunity is promoted well, making sure that all pupils can take full advantage of what the school can offer them.  The local authority supports the school well, particularly in relation to the development of middle and senior leadership and to improving teaching, learning and assessment.  The governance of the school:

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 Governance has improved since the previous inspection. Members of the governing body now have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development and hold the leadership to account with rigour. They oversee the spending of the pupil funding and check on its impact on pupils’ achievement. They are actively involved in improving the quality of teaching and the literacy governor, for example, jointly observes English lessons with the literacy coordinator. The governing body ensures that performance management arrangements are closely linked to teachers’ salary progression.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 107643 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 405117

p.8

School details

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

p.8

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 70 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Davies Headteacher Claire Kenworthy Date of previous school inspection 14 September 2010 Telephone number 01484 222217 Fax number 01484 222217 Email address head.cloughhead@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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

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

p.9