Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School

Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School Warren Street, Savile Town, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF12 9LY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ achievement is good given their low starting points to school. Pupils usually leave Year 2 with standards that are average or above in reading, writing and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. Those in receipt of funding for pupil premium reach standards that are higher than the national average.  Teaching is good with outstanding elements. It is particularly strong in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Teaching assistants are a crucial part of the teaching team. They give very effective support to all pupils, including those needing support with learning English.  Behaviour and safety are excellent. Pupils are polite and conscientious and feel very safe in school. They thrive on the many exciting experiences provided for them and love learning new skills and facts.  The school is well led. A very positive and caring culture permeates the school. Staff

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

strongly support the headteacher’s leadership and welcome her raised expectations for their professional development.  Parents are unanimous in recommending the school to others. They value the way the school works with them to support their values and beliefs.  Governors effectively discharge their responsibilities. They work with the school to keep a close eye on its performance. Together with the strong leadership and teaching, the school is well placed to continue to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Standards in writing are below those of reading and mathematics.  In Key Stage 1, expectations vary for the quality of handwriting, spelling and grammar. Pupils are not guided enough about how to write in different styles.  There are some inconsistencies in teaching so that not enough is outstanding. Pupils do not have enough time to reflect on their work and share with others to improve it.  Lessons are sometimes too slow to stretch the more-able pupils. Assessment is not always used efficiently in targeting individual needs. Inspection report: Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School, 10– 11 July 2013 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 13 lessons.  Meetings were conducted with governors, the staff team, a representative from the local authority and a group of pupils.  Information from the scrutiny of a range of school documentation added to inspection judgements. These included the details relating to safeguarding, the school improvement plan, the school’s procedures for gaining an accurate view of its performance and records of pupils’ standards and progress.  The views of parents were established by analysing the 16 responses posted on the online questionnaire (Parent View). In addition, an evaluation was made of parents’ responses to a questionnaire carried out by the school.  An analysis of 32 staff questionnaires, together with an ongoing dialogue with teachers and teaching assistants, gave the inspectors an insight into the views of the staff.

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Inspection team

David Byrne, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Christopher Young Additional Inspector Inspection report: Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School, 10– 11 July 2013 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized infant school.  Virtually all pupils are of Asian British backgrounds; the vast majority speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is just below the national average for primary schools. (The pupil premium is additional government funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after.)  Since the previous inspection, the former headteacher has taken retirement. The new headteacher took up post in September 2012 after two terms leading the school on a seconded basis.  The school has gained a number of awards in recognition of its success. These include gaining

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Information about this school

Eco-school status on three consecutive occasions, the Kirklees Healthy Schools Gold Award, the Food for Life Silver award, the Basic Skills Quality Mark, the Active Mark and the Primary Science Quality Mark.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve progress and raise attainment in writing in Key Stage 1 so that standards are closer to those gained in reading and mathematics by:  rigorously checking on the quality of teaching of writing so that inconsistencies are removed in the expectations for pupils’ handwriting, spelling and use of grammar  providing clearer guidance for pupils about the features of writing for different genres and audiences.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by ensuring that:  more time is planned for pupils to evaluate how well they are achieving and for sharing their work with classmates to develop ways of improving their work  ensuring that all lessons have sufficient pace to keep all pupils fully occupied so that all pupils, particularly the more able, are challenged to accelerate their progress  developing further the skills of all staff in using the data from assessment more efficiently to meet all the pupils’ needs. Inspection report: Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School, 10– 11 July 2013 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children begin the Early Years Foundation Stage with abilities that are much lower than expected for their age. They make good and, at times, outstanding progress and are well prepared for the next stage of their learning when they enter Year 1.  Attainment at Year 2 is typically average or above, depending on the nature of the group. In 2012, results dipped. The school has taken effective action to improve progress and restore good achievement.  Robust data for 2013, validated by the local authority and inspection evidence, show that, at Year 2, standards are currently above those expected for pupils of this age in reading and mathematics. Standards in writing are improving; they are currently in line with the expectations for their age. While all groups make good progress, the attainment of some groups differs.  A focus for the school is to improve writing. Older pupils have underdeveloped handwriting and

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The achievement of pupils is good

are still developing their use of vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.  School leaders are committed to equal opportunities and the removal of any discrimination. If a pupil falls behind in their learning, effective, targeted programmes of support enable them to catch up. In 2013, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs made good progress and their standards rose to match the national expectations for their age.  The school targets pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium. The standards these pupils attain exceed the average for similar pupils nationally in both English and mathematics; they also do slightly better than other pupils in the school in English and mathematics.  The development of pupils’ grasp of the sounds that letters make (phonics) is improving. Those pupils who are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language do well to overcome what, for some, are considerable barriers to learning because of their limited

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The achievement of pupils is good

understanding of English. By Year 1, pupils develop effective skills for figuring out how to say new words. In 2013, the result of the national phonics screening check is much higher than the low results of 2012. By Year 2, most pupils are fluent readers and standards are above average for their age.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All parents who responded to the inspection questionnaire either strongly agree or agree that their child is taught well. Inspection evidence confirms this.  The quality of teaching is good, with reading and mathematics being taught particularly well. Excellent teamwork between teachers and the talented group of teaching assistants promotes good learning for all. The bilingual skills of support staff complement the work of teachers very well. They make vital contributions in developing pupils’ confidence to use English by making judicious use of their mother tongue during lessons.  Training and support have increased the proportion of good teaching. The forging of closer links with other schools has widened the experience of some staff and enabled the embedding of effective systems to confirm the accuracy of the teachers’ assessments, in particular in writing.  Teachers work hard to extend pupils’ understanding of the wider world. Imaginative approaches

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The quality of teaching is good

are employed to link subjects together; this helps pupils to do well in science, aspects of music and history. Imaginative planning resulted in Year 2 pupils becoming fully engaged in activities based on the theme of ‘Pirates’. They were inspired to search the school grounds for the missing ‘treasure chest’. Many lived the experience and were motivated to set about writing about a ‘Treasure Island’.  Teachers also often plan interesting activities that enable pupils to use the excellent outdoor facilities. One pupil commented that one section of the grounds was the ‘sheep field’ because a 10–11 July 2013 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching is good

lamb had been brought in by member of staff and kept there.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is particularly strong, with some outstanding elements, and sets children off very well in their education.  In Key Stage 1, good teaching is the norm but there are some inconsistencies. Opportunities to develop learners’ independence are sometimes missed. Teachers do not always set the same, high expectations for writing. There are missed opportunities to provide pupils with guidance about how, for example, to write in different ways and for different audiences. In some lessons, the pace of learning slows because teachers do not adjust tasks precisely enough to challenge the more-able pupils.  Most teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, providing comments to reward good work. There is limited evidence that pupils have enough time to act on such comments and share their work with each other in order to see ways to improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour is exemplary in lessons and around the school. Pupils display very positive attitudes to each other and to adults and are polite and very well mannered.  Pupils are incredibly eager to learn and soak up new facts and ideas. They know they are secure in school and understand how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations including using the computer. They play safely and very sensibly outside.  The vast majority of parents who responded to the online parent questionnaire say that the school makes sure pupils are well behaved and that it deals effectively with bullying. There have been no exclusions over the past years.  Incidents of inappropriate behaviour are very rare. Good and consistently applied strategies stave off any incidents of bullying. Pupils receive rewards for desirable behaviour with stickers and a chance to win a raffle. There are no recorded incidents of bullying over time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school. Strong action by the school to encourage families to value regular attendance has led to a marked reduction in absence and attendance is rising rapidly.  Pupils thrive on helping others. They are proud of their efforts to save the environment, which have led to the school gaining the Eco Green Flag award. Pupils are very keen to wear the red cap during playtimes; this signifies that they are responsible for helping others if there is a need.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher leads the school with a clear purpose, promoting strong teamwork. Since her appointment, expectations for the performance of pupils have increased and a number of successful initiatives have been implemented to raise achievement.  Systems for managing the performance of staff are established and in the process of being reviewed. Senior leaders check aspects of teachers’ work and establish the quality of teaching. Not enough is done, however, to use this system to remove inconsistencies, for example, in the expectations for writing at Key Stage 1.  Assessment data is gathered and staff are developing their skills in using it to plan for the differing learning needs of all groups of pupils. There is more to do to enable all staff to use the data effectively to improve their teaching.  Pupils benefit from a very interesting and well-balanced curriculum, with a wide range of visits

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The leadership and management are good

and visitors. There is a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ English language skills and also of deepening their understanding of the wider world. Across the curriculum, opportunities for role- play activities build pupils’ confidence and promote their use of English. A recent visit to Filey inspired pupils’ learning and contributed to pupils’ advanced levels of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. 10–11 July 2013 6 of 9

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The leadership and management are good

 A wide range of additional activities enhances the standard curriculum. Pupils love the opportunities for growing food and then cooking and eating it. Many enjoy tending to the vegetable plots and exploring the wildlife areas.  Parents value all that the school does, including the way it works hard to support their cultures and faiths. The school is encouraging more parents to become involved in their children’s learning at home. The local authority provides a light touch support for the school. It offers limited opportunities for staff training and is available to work with governors.  The governance of the school:  The governing body understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have a good understanding of the data linked to pupils’ achievement and reacted quickly and effectively to the dip in results in 2012. This successful response demonstrated their skill at interrogating the information and their ability to raise questions relating to the progress of

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The leadership and management are good

groups of pupils. Governors make regular visits to the school to check on the progress of aspects of the school’s development plan. This strengthens their ability to challenge and support the school. Governors have a good understanding of the way pupil premium funding is improving the attainment and achievement of the pupils known to be eligible for this funding. The governing body ensures systems to check on the performance of staff, including the headteacher, are in place and effective. Governors ensure that all safeguarding systems meet requirements. Inspection report: Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School, 10– 11 July 2013 7 of 9

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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. Inspection report: Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School, 10– 11 July 2013 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 107702 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 412547

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 181 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michael Booth Headteacher Debbie Douglas Date of previous school inspection 20 June 2007 Telephone number 01924 325313 Fax number 01924 325370 Email address head.saviletown@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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