Wooldale Junior SchoolOfsted inspection, 27 Feb 2013

Royds Avenue, New Mill, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire,HD9 1LJ

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The majority of pupils make good progress in English because their standards of reading and writing are well above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils’ attainment in mathematics is above that found nationally.  There is consistently good teaching across the school. Teachers inspire pupils and promote good attitudes to learning. Pupils enjoy being active in lessons and they make good progress when they are able to solve problems and find things out for themselves.  Pupils are very kind and respectful to one another. They behave well in lessons and around the school and this helps them to learn well. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school and that they feel safe and secure.  Pupils benefit well from the wide variety of opportunities to join clubs, enter competitions, take part in sport and visit interesting places.  The executive headteacher, deputy headteacher and governors ensure that pupils

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

benefit from the recent changes to the leadership of the school. They have an accurate understanding of how well the school is doing and what needs to be done next to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough pupils reach the higher levels, especially in mathematics, because teachers do not always use information about pupils’ progress to plan learning which enables them to reach the highest standards in lessons.  The newly-formed governing body does not yet monitor the impact of the pupil premium on the learning and progress of eligible pupils rigorously enough to hold leaders to account for spending this funding.  The majority of Year 3 pupils join the school with high standards in reading and writing. They do not always make progress quickly enough because staff have not had sufficient training in the teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) to enable pupils to rapidly improve their skills.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 17 lessons, three of which were joint observations with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made a number of other short visits to lessons and learning areas.  Separate meetings were conducted with governors, staff, senior leaders, a professional adviser from the local authority, the student council and two groups of pupils.  The inspectors talked to pupils during lessons, on the playground and at lunchtime. The inspectors also heard pupils read.  The inspectors took account of the 39 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the responses to parental questionnaires provided by the school.  The information from 16 staff questionnaires was taken into consideration.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books and at a number of documents, including the school’s own data and monitoring of how well pupils progress, planning documentation and records of

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Information about this inspection

behaviour, attendance, punctuality, as well as documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Cathy Morgan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Shutt Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than average in size for a school of this type. .  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below that seen nationally.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is higher than average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is below the national average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and those with a parent in the armed forces.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school was federated with a local infant school in January 2013. The two schools are led and managed by a new executive headteacher (previously headteacher of the infant school) and

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to outstanding and further raise pupils’ attainment, particularly in mathematics, by:  using the information about pupils’ progress to plan lessons which enable pupils to work on their own initiative, to find out things for themselves and to reach the highest standards  sharing more widely the most successful aspects of teaching and assessment from across the school to ensure consistency in the quality of teaching  improving the skills of staff in using and applying the teaching of phonics to enable more rapid progress in reading for pupils in Year 3.  Ensure that the governing body are more rigorous in monitoring the impact of the use of the pupil premium funding on the learning and progress of eligible pupils so they can hold leaders to account for this work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There was rapid improvement in pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 in 2012, particularly in reading and writing, which led to a high proportion of pupils making better progress than that expected of them in English. School information, supported securely by inspection findings, shows that the trend of improvement is set to continue.  This good achievement is not matched in mathematics where, although attainment and progress are above the national average, the most able pupils do not always reach the highest standards. The school is working effectively with the local authority and a nearby high school to provide more opportunities for these pupils to make faster progress, as demonstrated by their recent success in the regional round of a national mathematics competition.  Specialist teaching assistants provide highly effective support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs so that they make similar rates of progress to other pupils. In

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The achievement of pupils is good

individual cases, progress is outstanding. Special resources and physical training sessions for pupils with dyslexia or dyspraxia are particularly successful in enabling these pupils to improve their levels of concentration and coordination. This demonstrates the school’s strong and effective promotion of equality of opportunity and determination to tackle discrimination.  Extra funds (the pupil premium), are spent wisely to provide after-school clubs, extra small group and one-to-one tuition for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals. Consequently, their progress is usually similar to and occasionally better than that of their classmates. For example, in Year 6 these pupils are approximately 18 months ahead of their peers in reading. The school has recently identified that there are inconsistencies in the attainment of some of these pupils across year groups of which governors are not fully aware.

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The achievement of pupils is good

In Year 5, half of this group of pupils are disabled or have special educational needs, and are currently performing less well than their peers in reading, writing and mathematics. The school is currently planning appropriate support to boost their performance.  The school places great emphasis on fostering pupils’ enjoyment of reading and many attend the weekly book club. Pupils in Year 3 make slower progress in reading, however, because staff do not always have the appropriate skills to teach reading by linking letters to the sounds that they make (phonics). Progress accelerates for older pupils because of the inspiring teaching of texts, such as ‘Wind in the Willows’. Regular guided reading activities enable pupils to read confidently and fluently and with a good understanding of fiction and non-fiction texts.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good with aspects which are outstanding. Across the school, there are examples of pupils’ work which demonstrate their involvement in innovative and stimulating activities that enable them to achieve well, such as the excellent models of Egyptian scarabs and the beautiful Van Gogh collage.  Pupils are keen to learn, they are encouraged to work together to solve problems and share ideas, which contributes to their positive attitudes. Strategies for managing their behaviour are very effective, with the result that lessons are calm and purposeful.  Knowledgeable teaching assistants support pupils well and promote good achievement. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including those with behavioural and emotional difficulties, benefit from the variety of approaches used to help them.  Pupils’ tasks are clearly explained to them and teachers often inject high expectations for what

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils will achieve. Before pupils set off writing an introduction to persuade visitors to their fictional theme park, in one lesson observed, the teacher inspired them with exciting images and descriptions so they were stimulated and well equipped to begin using a rhetorical question in their writing.  Marking is regular and typically gives pupils clear guidance about how well they have done and how to improve their work. Outstanding assessment practice in one class includes the provision of high quality bookmarks, which provide clear targets to enable pupils to improve. This, and similar outstanding aspects of teaching are not shared regularly with all staff. Good use is made of resources, including information and communication technology (ICT), to motivate pupils and enhance their learning.  Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics is rigorously checked and tracked as they move through the school. Termly meetings about pupils’ progress are held to discuss the

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The quality of teaching is good

information gained. Occasionally, teachers do not make use of this extensive information to challenge pupils fully to reach their highest levels. For example, to ensure that pupils have sufficient opportunities to work on their own initiative and find out things for themselves.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is consistently good. Pupils say that there is very little disruption to lessons and school records confirm pupils’ views and show few incidents in recent years.  Pupils are respectful to adults and are kind to one another. They enjoy coming to school, as seen in their above average attendance. Pupils say how much they enjoy the range of clubs, competitions, tournaments and visits they take part in, as well opportunities to work outside in the ‘Wooldale Wildspace’ area and allotment. This contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which is also promoted well in lessons, assemblies and the work of the school council in raising funds for charities.  Pupils’ regular attendance and positive attitudes support their learning and progress well. However, when teaching occasionally fails to capture pupils’ interest fully, their interest wanes

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

and some inattention sets in.  Procedures and policies for safeguarding pupils are fully in place and as a result, pupils feel very safe and secure in school. They say that there is always someone to turn to if they have a problem. Pupils speak highly of the presentation they received from a local police officer who helped them to develop a good understanding of potentially unsafe situations. This included how to avoid or deal with them, as well as the dangers posed by using the internet inappropriately and ‘stranger danger’.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new executive headteacher and governing body have set a clear direction for the further improvement of the school as part of the newly formed federation with the local infant school. The headteacher and her deputy headteacher, the former acting headteacher, are already working together very effectively and have an accurate view of the priorities for improvement, which form the basis of the school improvement plan. It is a useful and comprehensive document with clear ways of measuring success, responsibilities, timeframes and opportunities for sharing good practice between the two schools.  It is commendable that despite significant changes to the leadership of the school, there has been continuous improvement in the quality of teaching, which is checked regularly and accurately by senior leaders. The information gathered is used astutely to set challenging targets for teachers and to hold them accountable for raising pupils’ achievement. The targets and

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The leadership and management are good

progress towards them are linked closely to teachers’ pay progression and good training opportunities are available for all staff.  There is strong teamwork in the pursuit of further improvement, morale is high and staff are encouraged to try out new ideas. Leaders and managers have tightened procedures for checking on pupils’ progress and any underachievement is now identified quickly and appropriate action is taken.  Staff ensure that pupils benefit from a good balance of interesting and exciting activities. The recent strong focus on supporting literacy and numeracy across all subjects, tying in with the imaginative links developed between different subjects, has had a positive effect on pupils’ progress, enthusiasm and ability to learn. This is further enhanced by specialist French, ICT and music lessons and links to the School Sports Partnership.  The local authority provides helpful, light-touch support for this good school, particularly in

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The leadership and management are good

mathematics and for pupils of higher ability.  The governance of the school:  The recently re-formed governing body makes sure that its members are trained fully and that they provide effective support to the school. Governors have a clear understanding about performance management and make checks on the performance of staff which influence their decisions about any increases in teachers’ salaries. Reports from the former, interim and executive headteachers keep the governing body up-to-date on how well the school is doing in comparison to other schools locally and nationally. Although the governing body has a firm grip on the school’s finances, they are unable to hold the school fully to account for how pupil premium funding is used because they are not sufficiently aware of the progress those pupils eligible for that funding are making relative to the progress of other pupils.

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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 107676 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 403043

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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 Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 204 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dawn Whiteley Headteacher Christine Wood Date of previous school inspection 11 June 2008 Telephone number 01484 222490 Fax number 01484 222490 Email address office.wooldalejs@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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