Shelf Junior and Infant School

Shelf Junior and Infant School Shelf Hall Lane, Shelf, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 7LT

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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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well. The majority leave school at the end of Year 6 with attainment which is above average.  Teaching overall is good. Teachers have a good understanding of how well pupils are doing, and use this information to plan lessons which meet the needs of all groups of pupils. Pupils understand their targets and are confident that they know what they need to do to meet them.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 is particularly strong. As a result, pupils make rapid progress in their first years at school.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They treat each other, and adults with respect, and understand how to keep themselves safe. They take pride in their school, enjoy learning, and attend regularly  Senior leaders undertake a range of thorough monitoring activities to check how well the school is doing. They have a very accurate view of its strengths and areas for

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

development. They use this information effectively to plan actions which are prioritised well and focused. This has brought about significant improvements since the last inspection.  The governors have a very thorough understanding of the work of the school, and very high expectations for what it should achieve. They are highly effectively in holding school leaders to account. They ensure that all statutory requirements are met.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not always as good at Key Stage 2 as it is lower down the school. Consequently, pupils’ progress is uneven across Years 3 to 6 and their progress in mathematics is not as strong as it is in English.  Teachers in Years 3 to 6 do not always have high enough expectations about the amount of work pupils should produce in lessons, or provide pupils with ways to learn on their own.  Pupils in Years 3 to 6 are not always provided with time to respond to teachers’ marking and guidance about what they need to do to improve.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed all teachers and parts of 18 lessons. One lesson was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, and took into account the quality of the work and marking in their books.  Opportunities were taken to talk to pupils in lessons, around school, and a formal discussion was held with members of the school council.  Inspectors listened to the views of parents as they were bringing their children into school, and took account of 47 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View).  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, governors and with a representative of the local authority; and inspectors also considered the responses to a staff questionnaire.  A range of documentation was examined. These included minutes of meetings, records of monitoring activities such as lesson observations, analysis of behaviour records, improvement plans and school data tracking pupils’ progress.

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Inspection team

Christine Birchall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jonathan Woodyatt Additional Inspector Carol Machell Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Shelf Junior and Infant school is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action, school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is below average.  The majority of pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium is below average. Pupil premium funding is provided by the government to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, pupils who are looked after by the local authority and the children of military personnel. In this school, the majority of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium are those known to be eligible for free school meals, but there is also a very small number of looked-after children.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 so that it is consistently good or better , so that in English and mathematics pupils always progress as well at Key Stage 2 as they do in the rest of the school, by:  ensuring that teachers provide more opportunities in mathematics for pupils to develop their mental calculation skills, and to apply their skills to solving problems  ensuring that teachers have high expectations of the amount of work that pupils should produce in English lessons, so that they develop stamina for extended writing  providing pupils with more opportunities to develop their skills of checking and redrafting their work  ensuring that teachers’ marking of pupils’ work at Key Stage 2 is always effective in giving them clear guidance about how to improve their work, especially in mathematics; and that pupils are given opportunities to respond to feedback  ensuring that all teaching allows pupils at Key Stage 2 to develop ways of being independent

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

in their learning  providing further opportunities for teachers to share good practice and to support each other in developing their skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good and has improved since the previous inspection. Children enter Reception with skills and knowledge which are broadly in line with those expected for their age. They make particularly rapid progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1. Although progress in Key Stage 2 is good overall, it is uneven. Pupils leave at the end of year 6 with attainment which is above average. Information about how well current pupils are doing, and work in their books, shows that achievement is continuing to improve, with more pupils reaching the highest levels.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, pupils are inquisitive, keen to talk about their learning, and enjoy opportunities to explore and find things out for themselves. They can use language to explain their ideas well. For example when one child was asked to decide whether crisps were soft or crunchy she was able to explain that they were both, because they

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The achievement of pupils is good

started off crunchy and then softened as she ate them.  At Key Stage 2, pupils respond well when they are challenged and can work well together in groups to solve problems and explain their answers to the rest of the class. However, sometimes the speed at which they work is too slow so they do not produce enough during the lessons, particularly in English.  Leaders and teachers have placed a strong emphasis on the development of reading, and as a result pupils enjoy reading and read regularly. The proportion of pupils in Year 1 who reached the required standard in phonics was much higher than average. Younger pupils can use their phonics skills (their knowledge of letters and the sounds that they make) to work out unknown words and they can talk with understanding about the text that they are reading. Older pupils read with confidence and enthusiasm.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, as well as those who are known

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The achievement of pupils is good

to be eligible for the pupil premium achieve well, and make the same amount of progress each term as the rest of their classmates do. The proportions of these pupils who reach the expected standards for their age at the end of Year 6 are higher than for similar groups of pupils nationally. A number of them reach the highest levels of attainment.  In English, pupils are able to write for a range of different purposes. However in Years 3 to 6, they sometimes lack confidence and are so anxious to produce writing which is correct and good quality that they do not produce enough. They do not always have the skills to check and redraft their writing independently, and are too heavily reliant on the support of the teacher. However, the quality of writing in other subjects is usually as good as it is in English.  In mathematics, pupils in Years 3 to 6 are not always fast enough at mental calculations and

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The achievement of pupils is good

recall, and this slows down the pace of their learning. They are not always provided with enough opportunity to use their skills to solve problems.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching overall is good, and there are examples of outstanding practice. However, teaching is not as consistently good in Years 3 to 6. The school records of lesson observation monitoring also confirm this.  When teaching is at its best, teachers use their detailed knowledge of how well pupils are learning to provide activities which meet their needs and are based on their interests. As a result pupils are excited and engaged. For example in one class pupils did a ‘hot-seating’ activity (taking it in turns to ask and be asked questions in the role of a different character) which enabled them to deepen their understanding of a text they had been reading. Younger children use the ‘but why? Bear’ to encourage them to explore and ask questions about different topics.  Teachers skilfully question pupils to check their understanding and to alter the direction of teaching as appropriate. They are very effective in moving round the classroom to work with

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The quality of teaching is good

groups and individuals to move learning forward. They assess work accurately and ensure that all pupils know their targets. At Key Stage 2, marking is positive and generally provides clear guidance for how pupils should improve their work, although this is more effective in English than in mathematics. Opportunities for pupils to respond to teachers’ marking are not always evident in books.  Teachers’ strategies for identifying pupils who need additional support are rigorous. Additional support provided in the form of small-group work is good because teachers give teaching assistants clear information about what pupils can do and still need to learn. Group activities meet pupils’ needs and increase their confidence, and so enable them to make good progress.  Teachers make effective links with other subjects. For example in one outstanding lesson, pupils were working in groups to use mathematical information to decide criteria for forming the best

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The quality of teaching is good

sports teams. They were able to present their work to the rest of the class using sophisticated language and sentence structure because of the way the teacher reminded them of the work they had been doing in English.  Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to reflect on their learning, and to explore a number of other cultures. This makes a strong contribution to their social, moral, cultural and spiritual development.  In a few lessons at Key Stage 2, teachers talk for too long and this limits the time pupils have to apply the skills they have learnt. In some classes, pupils are not sufficiently encouraged to develop more strategies for learning independently when they get stuck, for example by using dictionaries, rather than relying on the teacher all the time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy coming to school and say that they feel very safe because teachers look after them. Parents confirm that they are happy with the levels of care provided for their children. Pupils are aware of the different forms that bullying can take, but say that it rarely happens and that, if it does, teachers always sort it out. They know how to keep themselves safe.  Around school and at playtimes pupils are happy, confident and well-behaved. They have natural curiosity and are happy to approach visitors, ask questions and engage in conversation. They are extremely polite in corridors, for example holding doors open for each other. School ambassadors inform visitors confidently and clearly about what goes on in school.  Pupils enjoy contributing to the school community, for example as school ambassadors or members of the school council. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are encouraged to

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

take on responsibility as ‘special helpers’ for the day. All pupils feel that teachers listen to them and that they are able to influence what goes on in the school. They also contribute well to charity and enjoy taking part in the wide range of additional activities which the school provides for them.  Staff have a great awareness of the social and emotional needs of many of the pupils, and work successfully to remove any barriers which may prevent some pupils from learning. They treat pupils with respect, and are good role models. The behaviour policy is understood well by all pupils and consistently applied by all staff. Adults are careful to take all opportunities to promote pupils’ social, moral, cultural and spiritual development.  Occasionally, when teaching is less effective, pupils at Key Stage 2 become restless in lessons and do not take an active part in what is going on.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have a very clear view of the strengths and areas for development of the school because of the robust monitoring activities they undertake to check on its performance. They are very ambitious for the school and strive to bring about improvements. They have the full support and confidence of the staff. Since the previous inspection, the impact of leaders’ work can be seen in numbers of ways including improvements in pupils’ achievement, improvements in the teaching of reading, and improvements in the quality of provision in Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Leaders know that there is more work to be done in Key Stage 2 to make the school even more successful.  Middle leaders make a good contribution to the development of the school. They too have an accurate knowledge of their areas of responsibility because of the monitoring activities they undertake, and are clear about what needs to be done to secure further improvements. They are

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The leadership and management are good

involved in pupil progress meetings, in identifying pupils who may be in danger of falling behind in their learning, and in setting up additional support to boost pupils’ progress. They support senior leaders well in holding teachers to account for the progress of pupils in their classes.  The school provides a curriculum which meets the needs of pupils and is enriched by a number of exciting additional opportunities such as clubs or visits to places of educational interest. This is very effective in promoting, pupils’ social, moral, cultural and spiritual development.  Leaders work well with parents to help them to support their child’s learning, for example by providing workshops linked to the curriculum. The ‘big book’ in Early Years Foundation Stage is an effective tool for communication between school and parents about children’s progress.  Adults promote equal opportunities. They work well as appropriate with outside agencies to

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The leadership and management are good

support pupils, and work hard to remove barriers to learning, so that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, or are known to be eligible for pupil premium achieve well.  Leaders regularly check the work of teachers, for example through lesson observations, and ensure that they are set clear targets based on the progress made by pupils in their classes. Expectations of teachers are high. They are expected to perform at levels appropriate to their responsibilities and experience, and progression through the pay scales is linked to quality of teaching and the achievement of the pupils in their care. They are provided with suitable professional development opportunities to help them to improve their performance.  The local authority knows the school well, and has provided good support to the headteacher to help her to check that her judgements about the school’s performance are accurate.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are an asset to the school. They have high aspirations for what pupils can achieve and are rigorous in holding the staff to account for raising achievement. They have excellent first-hand knowledge of the school through regular visits, and use this to ask very challenging questions of the headteacher. They know the school’s strengths and areas for development and monitor the school improvement plan to check that actions are working. Governors know how pupil premium funding is spent, and expect to be provided with data about the progress of those pupils who are eligible for it on a regular basis. They have an accurate understanding of the quality of teaching, and check that targets are being used effectively to improve performance. They ensure that all safeguarding requirements are met.

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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 107513 Local authority Calderdale Inspection number 405106

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 291 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Jones Headteacher Sian Fenton Date of previous school inspection 30 March 2011 Telephone number 01274 676782 Fax number 01274 676782 Email address admin@shelf.calderdale.sch.uk 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

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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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