Scapegoat Hill Junior and Infant School

Scapegoat Hill Junior and Infant School School Road, Scapegoat Hill, Golcar, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD7 4NU

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Over time, pupils, in particular the most able, have not made the progress they should in reading and mathematics.  Teaching requires improvement throughout the school. As a result, pupils do not make good progress in all of their subjects.  Teachers do not plan their lessons to make sure that all pupils are given work that gets the best out of them. Their expectations of the most able pupils are not high enough.  Teachers do not manage their skilled teaching assistants well enough to make sure they are making a good contribution to learning throughout the whole of the lesson.  There are lessons where teachers do not manage pupils’ behaviour well enough. Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement as too often they lose concentration in lessons.  School improvement planning is too detailed and does not give all staff a clear understanding of what needs to be done to make learning and achievement better.  Over time, leaders, managers and governors

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

have not improved teaching so that it is consistently good.  Leaders and managers have not communicated well enough with parents. As a result, too few parents are positive about the school. The school has not improved its effectiveness since the last inspection.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils make good progress in writing and by the time they leave Year 6, standards are well above average.  Attendance is above average and all pupils attend regularly.  Pupils say they enjoy school and feel safe. In particular, they appreciate the extra clubs and activities that are organised for them.  Governors have developed a good understanding of how well the school is doing.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed seven lessons taught by four teachers. Two observations were undertaken jointly with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector visited a school assembly.  The inspector spoke to a group of pupils about their learning in lessons and their safety in school. He also listened to some pupils reading.  He met with three governors and held a separate meeting with the Chair and vice-chair of the Governing Body. The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and the assistant headteacher. The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector looked at the school’s review of its own performance, its development plan, school policies and the minutes of governing body meetings. The inspector considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  Pupils’ work in lessons was seen by the inspector and he also analysed a sample of their books.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector analysed 48 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 11 questionnaires completed by staff. He also analysed parents’ responses to a school questionnaire. The inspector also took into account one letter that was sent to him by a parent.  The inspector spoke with some parents at the start of the day.

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Inspection team

James McGrath, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than the average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well below average. 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 who are looked after by the local authority.  Most pupils are White British. Almost all pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is well below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational need is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school has three classes. Reception children and pupils in Year 1 are taught in one class, Years 2 and 3 in another class and those in Years 4, 5 and 6 are taught together.

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2011 and the assistant headteacher in September 2012.  There have been significant changes in teaching staff since the last inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In order to raise standards and accelerate pupils’ progress, particularly in reading and mathematics, improve the quality of teaching to good by making sure that all teachers:  plan to meet the needs of pupils in all lessons  are clear about what pupils are to learn so that they have a good understanding of what is required to make good or better progress  manage the work of teaching assistants more effectively so they contribute fully at all times during lessons  set work that is sufficiently challenging for the most able, particularly in mathematics  help the most able pupils to develop better reading skills so more of them reach the very highest standards in reading  give more opportunities for pupils to solve problems and puzzles in mathematics and apply their mathematics to practical, real-life problems  plan more opportunities for pupils to use mathematics in a range of subjects  when marking books, provide clear information about what pupils need to do to improve their

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

work  provide enough time for all pupils to respond to their written comments  manage the behaviour of pupils more effectively in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the impact of leadership, management and governance by:  improving the quality of teaching so that it is at least good throughout the school  ensuring that all staff are clear about what needs to be done to improve the school  improving the quality of communication with parents to develop a more positive view of the school  recording the behaviour of pupils more accurately to gain a more complete view of behaviour over time for all pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because variations in the quality of teaching mean that not enough pupils are making good progress from their starting points by the time they leave Year 6. As a result, most-able pupils do not achieve as well as they should.  Overall, children start school with skills that are above those typical for their age. In particular, their speaking and listening skills and their ability to make relationships are strong. These skills help them settle well and cooperate well together when sharing equipment and guiding one another. The classroom provides children with a well-resourced environment in which to learn. School information shows that over time children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.  Through Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 the most able pupils have not done as well as they should in reading and mathematics. The progress made by pupils in their writing has been good,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

however, during the past two years.  Overall, standards have improved over the past three years and are now above average. This is an improvement on 2013 standards at the end of Key Stage 2, which were broadly average in reading and English grammar, punctuation and spelling. They were above average in mathematics and well above average in writing. Writing has been improving over the past three years thanks to the school’s focus on the teaching of writing.  Learning seen in lessons and an analysis of pupils’ work indicate that inconsistent teaching across the school means that pupils are not making good progress and it requires improvement.  Across the school, there are very few pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and the pupil premium, and there are very few disabled pupils or those with special educational needs. These few pupils receive additional support which helps them to make similar progress to others

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

in the school. There are too few pupils to record their attainment in English and mathematics. This is a good example of the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity although there is still more to do to improve the progress of the most able pupils.  The most recent screening test at the end of Year 1 indicates that pupils’ reading skills are above average. Although reading is now above average for older pupils some do not read regularly and often enough. The most able pupils read fluently and with meaning. However, they have not been taught well enough to develop the highest skills in reading, such as commenting on the writers’ purposes and viewpoints in detail.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because too many pupils are not making good progress in lessons.  Teachers do not plan lessons and set work that is at the correct level for pupils’ ages and abilities. The work can be too hard for some and too easy for others. This leads to slow progress for pupils and leads to pupils becoming restless and disinterested in their work. Teachers do not manage this behaviour well enough to ensure all pupils settle swiftly and sustain a focus on their work.  Teachers’ expectations of the most able pupils are not always high enough. Sometimes, these pupils spend too much time on work they find too easy rather than tackling more challenging tasks swiftly. This slows their progress and leaves them too little time to complete the harder work that extends their learning.  It is not always made clear to pupils what they are to learn and how they are to be successful. They are not informed about the progress they are expected to make at the various stages in

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

the lesson. This slows the progress pupils make because they have to clarify what is to be done and wait for further explanations to be able to continue with their work.  Teachers do not manage teaching assistants well enough so they make a good contribution throughout lessons. Teaching assistants have good relationships with pupils and are well respected. Their good skills are not always deployed effectively throughout the lesson.  An analysis of pupils’ work showed that they were not given enough opportunities to use mathematics in other subjects and to fully develop problem solving and investigations. This limits the opportunities for the most able pupils to reach the highest levels in mathematics.  All teachers mark pupils’ work regularly but they do not always provide useful suggestions for pupils to improve it, particularly in mathematics. In addition, teachers do not provide time for pupils to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the lessons where learning is good, teachers ask interesting questions and pupils are keen to answer and this helps others understand more fully. Teaching assistants fully understand what they have to do and use their skills to help pupils learn well.  Teachers create some good opportunities for pupils to write at length about interesting work and to experience the different forms of writing. In the Reception and Year 1 class, pupils enjoyed writing a list of instructions to carry out a science experiment. In Years 4, 5 and 6 pupils enjoyed writing about their work on China and the features of the Willow Pattern design.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. This is because they do not always give their full attention to what teachers are saying. When they find their work repetitive and uninteresting they lose concentration. Pupils say that ‘some pupils don’t start work as quickly as they should’.  Pupils are well prepared for their learning and have access to the right equipment but they do not always take pride in the presentation of their work because their handwriting is sometimes variable in quality. Pupils do take a pride in their appearance and pupils wear their uniform well.  Around the school, pupils were well behaved and had good social skills. They were keen to share their thoughts about the school with the inspector and they were very polite.  Pupils were seen, by the inspector, to get on well together at lunchtimes and playtimes. The school has been aware of some misbehaviour because of disagreements during football games

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

and so staff arranged for pupils to have referee training. They also arranged a skipping workshop to involve more pupils in activities. Both boys and girls were seen to enjoy skipping in the playground.  Pupils enjoy the recently introduced ‘Good to be Green’ system which is used in class to discretely identify whether pupils are behaving well or not. They say that this works well and that they like the way it links in to ‘Golden Time’ on Fridays to reward those who have been well behaved.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe as the school educates them well about internet safety and ‘stranger danger. Pupils said they felt safe in school due to the new security systems that have been recently put in place.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure requires improvement. This is because there are weaknesses in how the school manages behaviour.  Pupils have an awareness of the different forms of bullying. They say misbehaviour that they

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

would class as bullying occurs from time to time, and that the school does not always act swiftly enough to stop it straight away. Parents expressed their concerns about this in the online questionnaire.  In addition, the school does not yet record what it considers to be minor behaviour incidents. As a consequence, the headteacher is not fully clear about the regularity of misbehaviour of some pupils when they are around the school and in class.  Attendance is above average and all pupils attend school regularly. The vast majority of pupils attended school during the days of the inspection and very few were late.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has not yet managed to communicate his ambition for the school well enough to staff. They do not have a clear understanding about what needs to be done to improve in school nor the plans for improvement.  Actions taken by leaders, managers and governors have not ensured that the quality of teaching is good. Staffing turbulence over time has resulted in pupils making inconsistent progress.  The headteacher has not communicated well enough with parents. Parents believe they are not always receiving timely information about the school’s activities and their child’s progress. A minority believe that the school does not respond well to their concerns.  Recently, a thorough system for checking pupils’ progress has been introduced. As yet, it is not used effectively by teachers to plan work at the correct level for all pupils in their classes. Too many parents believe they are not well informed about their children’s progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher and governors have an accurate understanding of the achievement of pupils and the quality of teaching. The quality of teaching is checked through lesson observations and examination of pupils’ workbooks, but this has not had sufficient impact to improve teaching.  Systems to check the performance of teachers are in place and there is an effective performance review system for other staff. This is a good example of the school’s promotion of equality of opportunity as it identifies the training needs of all staff. The training programme for staff is focused on improving teaching.  The curriculum offers a wide range of activities, including swimming and French. The increased number of after-school clubs is appreciated by both pupils and parents. There are good opportunities to enjoy music and dance, as well as links with the local Baptist Chapel. These contribute well to the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The additional primary school sport funding provided to improve the provision of sporting opportunities is being used well. Pupils speak positively about the range of sports available to them. Girls were very keen to explain their involvement in a new handball tournament. Sports coaches are used for dance, athletics and gymnastics. The sports funding is increasing pupils’ involvement in competitive sport and promoting their well-being.  The local authority is providing good support to develop the skills of the governing body. It has arranged support from a local school to support the development of leaders’ management skills and provided opportunities for teachers to observe good teaching practice. The local authority support for the governors is allowing them to challenge and support the school better. However, its support for teaching and leadership is not yet fully effective.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since July 2013, there have been many changes to membership of the governing body. Previously, governors had not challenged and supported the school’s leadership enough to ensure strong progress for all pupils. They now visit the school to see pupils and teachers at work. Governors are clear about the progress made by the pupils but compare their school to local achievement and not achievement nationally. They are challenging and supporting the headteacher to improve progress for pupils. Governors have organised training with the local authority to ensure that all of them have appropriate skills to contribute well to the school’s improvement. They use their skills to check the school’s budget and have approved the use of pupil premium funding and know its impact on eligible pupils’ achievement. Governors understand the arrangements linking teachers’ performance to pay. They have received safeguarding training and ensure that the school’s arrangements meet statutory requirements,

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The leadership and management requires improvement

although there are shortcomings in how the school manages behaviour.

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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 107645 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 440769

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 74 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Fiona Johnson Headteacher David Kaye Date of previous school inspection 16 November 2010 Telephone number 01484 222210 Fax number 01484 222210 Email address office.scapegoathill@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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