Slaithwaite Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School

Slaithwaite Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School Holme Lane, Slaithwaite, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD7 5UG

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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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety are outstanding. They are exceptionally enthusiastic about their learning and very well behaved.  Achievement is good in Key Stages 1 and 2 and outstanding in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  From their different starting points, pupils make consistently good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The standard of teaching in classrooms and small group activities is good. As a result, different groups of pupils, including the most- able and those with special educational needs, do well.  Leaders and governors are having an influential and effective impact on teaching and pupils’ achievement. Senior and middle leaders know the school well and put in place appropriate actions that are raising standards further. As a result, this is an improving school.  The governing body is clear about how well the school is doing because it carefully considers

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the evidence of performance and spends time checking in classrooms.  Parents praise the school because of the caring and nurturing support it provides their children. This leads to high levels of attendance.  The social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of pupils is strongly promoted by the rich curriculum.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 On occasions, pupils do not have enough opportunities to use the skills they have learned in order to make the best progress.  At times, the activities provided for pupils to do in lessons do not enable them to progress fast enough because they are either too easy or too hard.  Occasionally, teachers and teaching assistants do not let pupils get on with their work as quickly as they could when they have understood what to do. December 2013 2 of 10 December 2013 3 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons including parts of lessons. All teachers were observed at least once. One lesson was observed jointly with the headteacher and one with the deputy headteacher.  The inspector met with staff, pupils and parents. He held a meeting with the Chair of the Governing Body and five other governors. He spoke on the telephone to the School’s Improvement Partner and to a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took into account 20 staff questionnaires. He looked at information from previous surveys carried out by the school to gather views of parents and pupils. Twenty-nine responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were also considered.  The inspector talked to pupils in the playground and classrooms and held discussion with pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2. He listened to pupils read and observed them moving around inside and outside the school at different times of the day.

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Information about this inspection

 He observed the school’s work and considered a number of documents, including the school’s safeguarding and recruitment arrangements, evaluation of its performance, its improvement plan and minutes from governors’ meetings.

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Inspection team

Jonathan Woodyatt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector December 2013 4 of 10

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is lower than in other primary schools. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is higher.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding is similar to those in other schools. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after by the local authority.)  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching in order to further accelerate pupils’ progress, by ensuring that:  there are more opportunities for pupils to work on new ideas and apply the skills that they have learnt  all work carefully matches the different needs of pupils  teachers and teaching assistants let pupils move onto the next tasks as soon as they are ready. December 2013 5 of 10

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is outstanding in the Early Years Foundation Stage. From typically average starting points children develop their skills very well, especially in number, reading and technology. This is a result of resources provided by the teachers giving them a rich and stimulating environment. For example, one child was observed conducting the make-believe orchestra while another played the xylophone. Nearby children excitedly joined in when the teaching assistant encouraged them to sing a song.  Children start in Year 1 having been well prepared for the next steps in their learning. Standards continually rise through Key Stage 1 and 2, and pupils make consistently good progress in each year group in reading, writing and mathematics because of good teaching.  Compared to similar schools, a larger proportion of pupils in Year 6, including the most-able, exceeded the higher levels in mathematics and English in 2012. However, in 2013 the

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The achievement of pupils is good

proportions of pupils reaching the higher levels were closer to those expected nationally for writing and mathematics, but below those for reading as there were twice as many pupils who had starting points below those normally expected in the school.  The progress of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium in each year group is broadly similar to that of other pupils in the school. In 2013, Year 6 pupils made better progress than others in the school as a result of highly effective strategies being put into place to aid their learning, for example in the small groups or one-to-one with teaching assistants. However, there are too few pupils to make a reliable comparison with those in other schools.  Pupils who have special educational needs make good progress from their different starting points and their achievement at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2013 is broadly similar to others nationally due to their needs being identified accurately and support by staff and teaching

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The achievement of pupils is good

assistants. This demonstrates the school’s commitment to providing an equal opportunity for every pupil and tackling discrimination.  Pupils make good progress in reading as the school ensures that all pupils read widely and often. In 2013, a national reading check of pupils’ phonic skills (the knowledge of letters and sounds to help read unfamiliar words) carried out in Year 1 shows that an above average proportion of pupils exceeded the levels expected for their age. This is a further improvement on the above average proportion that reached the expected level in 2012 because leaders have successfully developed the skills of staff to ensure this.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in mathematics, reading and writing is consistently good and some is outstanding. The school has increased opportunities to practise literacy, numeracy and communication skills across subjects by offering an exciting curriculum that captures pupils’ imaginations. For example, pupils in a geography lesson challenged each other to find features on maps by using six figure grid references.  Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations for pupils and this ensures that pupils’ standards and skills are continually improving over time. They also encourage the best behaviour from pupils through the generous and appropriate use of praise and rewards.  Marking is regularly carried out so that pupils and teachers have an accurate understanding of what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. Evidence in workbooks shows that teachers correct spelling mistakes and pupils practise these in their books. Pupils are also

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The quality of teaching is good

given clear written guidance on how they can improve their work which is also reflected in the targets that they have.  Teaching assistants frequently lead small group activities and provide one-to-one support for pupils with different needs, such as those with special educational needs, both in and out of the December 2013 6 of 10

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The quality of teaching is good

classroom. Observations by the inspector and checks carried out by the school confirmed that they undertake this additional support for pupils to great effect.  Lessons are well planned in all subjects and teachers use stimulating activities to engage pupils. For example, in a science lesson they worked with wires, bulbs and batteries in order to test different conductors. However, sometimes pupils do not take this learning even further because they do not have the opportunity to explore new ideas.  Teachers provide a range of resources to support the learning activities. Sometimes, these resources are not varied enough to fully challenge pupils’ different abilities so for some pupils they are too hard and they struggle to finish while for others they are too easy and they quickly complete them.  All teachers and teaching assistants regularly check on the progress pupils are making in lessons through questioning and observing the work that they are doing. This ensures that they have a

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The quality of teaching is good

clear view of how well pupils are learning. However, they do not always move pupils on more quickly to tasks that will challenge them and enable them to make the most rapid progress in their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils behave extremely well at all times. The inspector did not see any misbehaviour during lessons, while moving between lessons, at lunchtime or outside the school. Pupils are polite and welcoming and very willing to talk about what they thought the school was like – which was always very positive.  In every lesson pupils had opportunities to talk or work together. As well as clearly developing their excellent social skills, pupils also practise cooperating and collaborating on different tasks. During a gymnastics lesson pupils successfully learned how to take up positions in pairs where they had to completely trust each other to stop them from falling.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. In conversations with the inspector, pupils know about the different types of bullying and said that it rarely happens in the school. They were very sure that teachers would deal with it quickly and this helps them to feel

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

very safe.  The school’s logs of different types of behaviour show that there are very few incidents each year. Records show that on the rare occasions when incidents happen, the school deals very effectively to provide support for the pupils so that they make the necessary improvements in their behaviour.  Pupils’ levels of attendance are above those in similar schools and have been so for a number of years because pupils enjoy coming to the school. They listed many things that they liked about the school, especially the care that staff show them. Parents also commented about how well their children were learning and the support provided by the teachers.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and governors regularly and rigorously monitor learning. They observe what is happening for themselves as well as talking to pupils and looking at their work. They set high expectations for the standards that the teachers need to reach and provide them with the appropriate skills through one-to-one support or by learning from other teachers.  The headteacher, deputy headteacher and middle leaders are constantly making improvements in the school because they rigorously scrutinise the vast range of information that they gather on the progress that pupils make and take appropriate action when required. For example, pupils who fall behind are quickly provided with support by adults to help them catch up.  Teachers’ targets are closely linked to the school’s planning documents and both are focused on improving pupils’ progress. Teachers say that these are helping the school to make further December 2013

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The leadership and management are good

improvements and evidence from the school’s own records confirms this.  The curriculum is carefully planned to appeal to pupils’ interests. It is enhanced by a range of after-school activities and trips, for example swimming in Year 5. The outdoor classroom, built recently next to the garden area, and the woodland area are regularly used by pupils and help bring learning to life.  Pupils gain a rich insight into the lives of children in other countries through their links and partnerships which enhances their social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding. The inspector heard a parent describing to all the pupils in an assembly how the money that they had raised this time had been used to buy seats for the partner school in Uganda.  The local authority recognises that this is a good school and that it only needs to provide ‘light- touch’ support which involves meeting the school leaders once each year.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body clearly invests a lot of time in working towards the highest standards for pupils in the school. They are very committed in ensuring that they know how the school is performing by scrutinising the information, asking questions at meetings and visiting the classrooms to see for themselves. They diligently seek advice so that they can understand what the information is telling them and hold the senior leaders to account. They are effective in linking pay to improvements for the headteacher and staff and can demonstrate that this is raising standards.  The governors have set an appropriate budget and use the money wisely to ensure that the staff have the necessary skills and experiences. They can account for the expenditure of the pupil premium and know its impact and they have put in place arrangements for using the additional sport funding, such as the gymnastics teacher. They fulfil their statutory duties by

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The leadership and management are good

meeting the required standards for safeguarding and recruitment. December 2013 8 of 10

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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. December 2013 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 107711 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 429495

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 148 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ros Batley Headteacher Elaine Bradley Date of previous school inspection 20 January 2009 Telephone number 01484 222586 Fax number 01484 222586 Email address office.slaithwiate@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

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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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