Hinchliffe Mill Junior and Infant School

Hinchliffe Mill Junior and Infant School Waterside Lane, Holmbridge, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD9 2PF

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher is an exceptional role model who inspires the whole school community.  Children get a good start to school life in Reception, where they make good progress.  Attainment in the end of Key Stage 1 is well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. This represents outstanding progress from the pupils’ starting points.  In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to make good progress. They attain above average standards in the national tests at the end of Year 6 and are well prepared for their next stage of education.  High expectations and excellent support lead to those pupils who have special educational needs making exceptional progress.  Teaching is good and teachers plan activities that the pupils enjoy. Relationships in the classroom are a real strength.  From Reception to Year 6, pupils show a love of books and achieve very high standards in their reading.  Teaching assistants are well trained and provide

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

outstanding support to help pupils with their learning.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well catered for.  The headteacher’s evaluation of the school is accurate. Development planning is accurately focused on those aspects of the school’s work which require improvement and the drive for further improvement is strong.  Governors actively monitor the work of the school and have a clear understanding of its strengths and areas for improvement.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The school is not always alert to the needs of the most-able pupils. This means that some of these pupils do not achieve the high standards in Key Stage 2 of which they are capable.  Opportunities for pupils to practise their skills in writing in other subjects are few and when undertaken, are not of the same high quality as in English.  Time for pupils to respond to teachers’ marking of their work is not always provided and so they do not learn as well as they could from the mistakes they have made.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 8 lessons, one of them jointly with the headteacher. He also gained other evidence on the quality of teaching by talking to pupils about their work and looking at the work in pupils’ books. He listened to small groups of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils read.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, deputy head teacher, a representative from the local authority and seven members of the governing body. The inspector also met with a small group of pupils.  The inspector looked at a wide range of school documents including development plans, policies, self- evaluation reports, information on pupils’ progress, monitoring files, safeguarding and governor reports.  The inspector considered the questionnaire returns from 14 members of staff.  The 28 responses made by parents to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered along with parental questionnaires carried out by the school.

p.2

Inspection team

Andrew Morley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are White British.  Pupils from the Reception Year to Year 6 are taught in four mixed-age classes.  Early years provision is full time.  Very few pupils are disadvantaged and so supported by the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The headteacher is providing support to a local primary school at the request of the local authority.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure the most-able pupils make consistent progress at Key Stage 2 so that they achieve the standards they are capable of by the time they leave school.  Further improve teaching and achievement, particularly in writing at Key Stage 2 by:  ensuring pupils respond to the good guidance given by their teachers and are given time to correct mistakes they make in their work  providing activities and opportunities in all subjects to allow pupils to develop their writing skills  pupils having consistently high expectations in their written work and taking pride in their presentation.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, supported by a capable deputy headteacher, provides strong leadership to a committed team of staff. Everyone shares her high expectations for all pupils and a desire to give them the widest possible range of opportunities at school and beyond.  Self-evaluation is accurate and honest. Development planning focuses on the current priorities for improvement which aim to raise pupils’ achievement to outstanding, and are shared with, and understood by, all staff and governors.  The school has a bespoke approach to the assessment of pupils’ progress. Leaders and teachers use a range of evidence such as test results, observations and scrutiny of pupils’ books to inform their judgements. This results in pupils, staff and parents knowing how well each pupil is doing and the best next steps. However, the systems to ensure early identification and targeting of the most-able pupils, especially in Key Stage 2, are not rigorous enough.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Leaders ensure marking is consistent, but have not checked that pupils are given the opportunity to respond to the useful information provided by teachers to improve their work.  Accurate information informs the system for managing teachers’ performance. This process holds teachers to account for their work and for the progress made by their pupils. Opportunities for training, including training of teaching assistants, are well matched to individual’s needs and rewards are appropriately linked to the progress made by pupils and the meeting of agreed targets.  Effective management and good leadership begin in the early years and are demonstrated by subject leaders throughout the school. For example, school leaders have successfully fostered and promoted the current strength and popularity of reading in the school.  The school’s curriculum is exciting and vibrant. Pupils spoke with great enthusiasm about their after-school

p.4

The leadership and management are good

clubs, such as football, dance and computer. They appreciated the many trips and visitors, including a residential experience for Years 5 and 6. However, leaders recognise the need to plan for more opportunities for pupils to write in other subjects.  The school’s programme to support the pupils’ understanding of values such as perseverance, tolerance, honesty and responsibility helps to create the calm atmosphere and positive ethos within the school. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  School leaders and governors, through careful and considered spending of the pupil premium funding, have boosted the performance of the small number of disadvantaged pupils in the school. Leaders have also had a significant positive impact on the exceptional achievement of pupils who have special educational needs. The school is committed to equality of opportunity for all pupils.  The school has many productive links with other schools locally, including a network of partnership

p.4

The leadership and management are good

schools. The local authority has a detailed understanding of the school’s strengths and those areas in need of further development. It is an indication of the local authority’s confidence in the headteacher that it requested her to help support another local primary school.  The sport funding has allowed the school to provide a wide range of sporting activities such as multiskills, dance and inter-school tournaments. The pupils say they enjoy these activities and the opportunity to take part in sporting competitions. The number of pupils participating in these activities is high and this provision enhances their health and well-being.  The school enjoys very good relationships with parents who are very supportive. Parents appreciate being involved in supporting their children’s learning in the early years. Parents who completed the online survey would recommend the school to others.  The school meets all safeguarding statutory requirements. Risk assessments are thorough, as are policies

p.4

The leadership and management are good

and these contribute to the effective arrangements for keeping children safe.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a good understanding of the school and engage productively with the local community and parents. Governors work in partnership with the headteacher on planning the school’s financial and educational strategy. Governors understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and provide the headteacher with a good level of both support and challenge. They have an awareness and commitment to further improve aspects of achievement and the quality of teaching across the school. Governors examine pupils’ progress and teachers’ performance, rewarding good teaching and tackling any signs of underperformance . They take their statutory duties with regard to the safeguarding of pupils very seriously and are committed to the promotion of tolerance and respect in the school community. They ensure that the additional funding, from the pupil premium and for sports and

p.4

The leadership and management are good

physical education, is well spent and its impact on pupils’ progress and well-being is accounted for and assessed.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils work well together in the classroom and show respect for one another. Pupils are enthusiastic to learn and told the inspector how much they enjoyed their lessons as teachers gave them interesting work, especially in developing reading skills. Very occasionally a few pupils go off task and talk when they should be working. At such times, disruption to learning is minimal, as pupils respond quickly to their teachers’ requests to focus on their work.  Pupils learn from an early age about British values, such as democracy and free speech. Each class develops their rules and the pupils are very clear about what is right and wrong. The older children are excellent role models for the younger children. Older children show great care and kindness in looking after the younger children, who are very appreciative and enjoy the company of their older friends.  Pupils are proud of their school and very appreciative of the new building that has added much needed

p.5

Behaviour

space for them to work and play. They take care of equipment and behave well in the playground, corridors and dining room. Lunchtimes are very pleasant experiences and the pupils enjoy chatting with their friends.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in high levels of attendance and consistent punctuality.  In the school’s own questionnaires, all staff and parents agree that pupils are well behaved as well as happy and safe at school. As one parent said, ‘Hinchliffe Mill is a very welcoming and friendly school; it is inclusive for all pupils. We are a happy family’.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils have good relationships with adults, they say they feel safe and are confident any poor behaviour is dealt with promptly and effectively. They are aware of the different forms of bullying, such as name-calling, homophobic bullying and cyber-bullying that can take place and know how to deal with them.  Parents share the view that pupils are safe in school. The school provides a range of activities that support pupils to keep themselves safe. Regular safety checks are carried out and staff receive appropriate training to ensure pupils are safe.  The school listens to its pupils and acts on their comments. For example, there is an annual questionnaire and pupils are regularly involved in ‘school forums’ where they get the opportunity to share their thinking and learn about safety. At a recent forum pupils were able to learn about how to keep themselves safe on

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Evidence in pupils’ books and assessment data indicate that teaching is typically good across the school.  Good knowledge of how to teach skills in reading, writing and mathematics and a clear understanding of pupils’ interests and enthusiasms explain the good quality teaching throughout the school. Generally high expectations together with pupils’ respect and fondness for their teachers and their good attitudes to learning lead to pupils making good progress.  In the early years and into Key Stage 1, teachers demonstrate a good knowledge of how to teach phonics (letters and the sounds they make), leading to pupils performing well in national checks. Teachers encourage a love of reading and pupils make good use of the school library which supports their high achievement in reading.  Teachers usually pitch work at the right level of difficulty and plan lessons pupils find interesting and challenging. However, in Key Stage 2 planning does not always take account of the level of understanding

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

of the most-able pupils and so work is sometimes too easy for them.  The provision for pupils who have special educational needs is a strength in teaching. Group and individual learning sessions are planned well by teachers and teaching assistants. Rigorous checks on how well pupils progress during these sessions contribute a great deal to the exceptional progress made by these pupils.  Pupils’ books are marked thoroughly and they are given clear guidance on how to improve their work, either verbally or in writing. Pupils say these comments help them to produce better work. However, not all teachers make sure pupils are given enough time to respond to teachers’ comments.  There is a consistent approach to the teaching of reading, handwriting and spelling across the school. Teachers take care to provide good examples of handwriting and consistently show pupils how to use their knowledge of phonics to read or spell new words. However, teachers are not always consistent in making

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

sure that pupils produce the same high standard of writing across all the other subjects they study.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 From their different starting points pupils leave school achieving standards at the end of Key Stage 2 that are above the national average in all subjects. Reading is a real strength and standards are particularly high.  Children enter the school with a range of skills and abilities, particularly in their social and language skills . Pupils make good progress in the early years and the proportion of children leaving Reception having reached a good level of development in the key areas has been above the national average for the last two years. The proportion going on to meet the expected standards in the Year 1 phonics check has also been above the national average. In 2014 100% achieved the expected level.  In Key Stage 1, standards in reading, writing and mathematics have been consistently high, being well above the national average. This is because the quality of teaching is good and often outstanding.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Published results show that by the end of Year 6 pupils reach above average standards. In 2014 attainment was above average in reading, writing, mathematics and spelling and grammar. Pupils currently in Years 5 and 6 are making good progress and are on track to attain above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  The most-able pupils, however, are not making enough progress across Key Stage 2 to ensure they achieve the standards they are capable of, particularly in writing.  Provision for the small number of pupils who have special educational needs is outstanding. These pupils make progress that is similar to that of their classmates and is above the average for other pupils nationally.  There are too few pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding to comment on their attainment in comparison to others. The school identifies their needs accurately and quickly and puts in place

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

effective support for their particular learning needs so they achieve as well as other pupils.  Although progress in all the other subjects of the curriculum is similarly good, standards of writing in history and science are not as high. The school has not ensured that pupils take equal pride in the quality of their writing and the way they present their topic work.

p.6

The early years provision is good

 Almost all children enter Reception having experienced previous child care settings. Generally, their language skills and their understanding of the world are similar to those of most children of their age. The majority of children make good progress and go on to achieve well.  Staff have created a bright and lively setting that promotes social development and communication skills well. Children are keen and attentive and willingly contribute to discussion. They benefit from having Year 1 children in the setting who show the younger children how to use well-developed language with a good range of vocabulary, and good behaviour.  Teaching is good and the teachers have high expectations of children. During one observation, children concentrated keenly through a reading of the story, ‘Where the wild things are’. They successfully sequenced events and predicted what might happen next. Teachers were very skilled in prompting the

p.6

The early years provision is good

children’s thinking and then praising their contributions.  Leaders and teachers deliver a rich curriculum and teach the children with sensitivity and the greatest care to secure progress for each child. They observe, monitor and record children’s development daily.  The learning environment is safe and children are taught how to be safe in a variety of situations. For example, during a lesson outside, they remembered that they had to be aware of potential dangers when they ran and sensibly took turns to look at the hens.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the leadership and management of the early years, particularly the high level of care and support. There are strong links between home and school.

p.6

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 failing

p.7

Grade Judgement Description

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 107658 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 453213

p.8

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.

p.8

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 119 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Charles Crossland Headteacher Liz Noble Date of previous school inspection 31 January 2007 Telephone number 01484 222476 Fax number 01484 222476 Email address office.hinchliffemill@kirkleeseducation.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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 and 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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9