Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery

Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery Francis Street, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 1HF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, provides good leadership. The school has improved significantly since its previous inspection because the headteacher has taken decisive action to improve the quality of teaching and raise pupils’ achievement.  From starting points that are typical for children on entry to the Nursery class, pupils make good progress and achieve well. Current pupils in Year 2 are working at above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children in the early years make good progress in all areas of their development because good teaching promotes their basic skills well.  Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs, those supported through the pupil premium funding and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress and achieve well.  Pupils across the school have good attitudes to learning. They behave well, enjoy school and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

develop as confident young learners.  The quality of teaching is good and improving strongly. Senior leaders model good practice and staff are very positive about the training and support they receive to improve their skills.  For their age, pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in school and outside. They understand their responsibilities as members of the school community and represent their classmates well as school councillors.  The school successfully promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils treat others with kindness and respect.  Governors support and challenge school leaders effectively and check that the actions taken to make improvements have a positive impact on raising the quality of teaching and learning.  The school provides a caring, supportive environment where pupils feel safe and valued.  Parents spoken with or who responded to the on-

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

line parent questionnaire were largely very positive about the school and the support it provides for children and their families.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, teachers’ expectations are not high enough and the work set for the most-able pupils does not challenge them sufficiently to achieve the best they can.  Teachers do not always give pupils time to respond to feedback in marking so that pupils’ subsequent work improves more rapidly.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching throughout the school, including numerous observations carried out jointly with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspectors scrutinised pupils’ workbooks and listened to them read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and four other governors, the headteacher, senior and middle leaders and subject leaders. The inspectors also had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, current data on pupils’ progress, and planning and monitoring documentation. Inspectors reviewed the spending of the pupil premium funding and the primary school sports funding. Records relating to behaviour and attendance, as well as documents relating to safeguarding, were also taken into consideration.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors reviewed 29 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The views of a number of parents the inspectors spoke with during the inspection were also considered.  The inspectors also took account of the 13 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaires and talked with staff during the inspection about their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Rajinder Harrison, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The school has a small number of pupils of minority ethnic origin. Occasionally, some of these pupils speak English as an additional language and a few are new to learning English.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those supported through the pupil premium, is well below average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or those children in the care of the local authority.  Children attend the Nursery part-time for either mornings or afternoons.  There have been a number of changes among staff and governors since the previous inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching in all subjects and so increase the proportion of pupils who make outstanding progress by ensuring that teachers: - have higher expectations of all pupils, but particularly the most able - extend challenge and move learning on more urgently when pupils are ready for harder work - check that pupils respond to the feedback they receive through marking to improve subsequent work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leaders check more rigorously that teachers follow the school’s policy on marking by giving pupils appropriate time to respond to the feedback they receive so that more pupils make even faster progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides a good steer to school improvement in all areas, especially the strong focus on improving teaching and learning. Self-assessment is accurate because senior leaders know the school well.  Leaders have created a culture in the school where there are high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and effort. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in supporting their children’s learning at home.  The monitoring of teaching and learning by the headteacher and the deputy headteacher accurately identifies where teaching is good and where improvements are required to strengthen practice to help all pupils achieve well. Performance management arrangements are rigorous. Staff have access to good training and support to help them achieve the challenging pupils’ progress targets set for each class.  Throughout the school, a passionate commitment to school improvement is having a marked impact on

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The leadership and management are good

raising pupils’ achievement. There is consistently good teaching in the early years where children make rapid gains in all the areas of learning. Teaching continues to be predominantly good in Key Stage 1. Where teaching is occasionally less effective, senior leaders take swift action to allocate additional resources to ensure that all pupils, including those new to learning English, achieve well. There is no outstanding teaching to enable more pupils to achieve the higher levels at the end of Year 2.  Senior leaders, including governors, regularly review the quality of work in pupils’ books and this gives them a secure understanding of pupils’ progress. They share assessment information with teachers and teaching assistants to ensure that activities meet the needs of all pupils appropriately. They recognise that occasionally the most able pupils are not being challenged enough and that not all teachers follow the

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The leadership and management are good

school’s policy on marking to ensure that pupils respond to the guidance they receive to improve their work.  Subject and phase leaders are becoming more involved in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility and have taken appropriate action to ensure that pupils develop their writing and problem-solving skills systematically. Hence, progress in these areas is now good.  Half-termly pupil progress meetings are used to make sure all pupils are on track to achieve well. Any pupils at risk of falling behind are identified early and additional support is provided promptly. This process is successful in helping teachers perform well. Teamwork among teachers and teaching assistants is good.  The school is implementing national changes to assessment and effective partnership work with other schools is strengthening the competence and confidence of staff. Teachers have received effective training

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The leadership and management are good

to ensure that assessments are accurate and reliable and they are becoming more confident in their practice.  The school has successfully developed a curriculum that is interesting and relevant. With a high proportion of boys in some year groups, topic such as dinosaurs, pirates and space are proving effective in engaging pupils’ interest. A high focus on the basic skills of literacy and numeracy has led to a rise in attainment.  Staff carefully consider the guidance on developing pupils’ understanding of British values and provide a good range of activities and experiences that match the age and stage of development of the pupils. For example, pupils vote for their class’s school councillors and select which charities to support and consider the implications of being part of the wider community. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Through assemblies,

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The leadership and management are good

topics about environmental issues, links with a partner school in India and celebration of the cultures and traditions of other faiths, pupils learn to value diversity and respect for the world in which they are growing up.  Leaders have worked hard to improve attendance. Most parents support their children’s good attendance and appropriate action is taken where pupils’ absences cause concern. Parents are very happy with the school and the success their children achieve.  Safeguarding systems meet current requirements. Policies are up to date and effective. Pupils are safe and well cared for; any concerns that arise are investigated promptly. Governors new to the governing body attend relevant safeguarding training to ensure that they undertake their responsibilities effectively.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide good academic and personal support for disadvantaged pupils so they achieve well. Leaders monitor the expenditure closely and know that the gap

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The leadership and management are good

in the achievement of these pupils compared with their classmates is closing rapidly.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well because the provision for them is led and managed well. Good links with other agencies ensure that pupils receive the help they need to make good gains in their learning and development.  The primary school physical education and sport funding is used effectively to support activities to increase staff expertise and increase opportunities for pupils to attend clubs run by staff and specialist coaches. Clubs such as rugby, gymnastics and karate are very popular with pupils. Staff encourage the most disadvantaged pupils to attend as often as they can to increase their confidence and personal skills.  The school is very committed to fostering good relations and ensuring equal opportunities for all its pupils. It focuses strongly on raising the achievement of all groups of pupils and tackling discrimination. This high

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The leadership and management are good

commitment is evident in the many ways leaders ensure that all pupils are included in and enjoy the whole range of events, clubs and visits on offer.  The local authority has provided effective support during the recent period of change and improvement. Monitoring and support for development planning has been effective in raising the quality of teaching since the previous inspection.  The governance of the school: - Governance is good. Governors have a good grasp of their roles and responsibilities and are well informed about the school’s performance. They have a good understanding of assessment data and the targets towards which the school is aiming. They question the impact of improvements on pupils’ progress and learning, and hold leaders to account for the standards pupils reach. Through a programme of focused visits, they gain first-hand information about the quality of all that is provided for

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The leadership and management are good

pupils, including the quality of teaching. - Governors use a range of information to support the school’s decisions regarding teachers’ pay awards. They ensure that there is a clear link between salary progression for teachers and pupils’ achievements. Governors check closely that any underperformance is tackled quickly and effectively. - Governors check the procedures to safeguard pupils meet statutory requirements and all pupils are safe in school at all times.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave consistently well in lessons and around the school. In the dining hall, where pupils are extremely sociable with others, behaviour is very good. Pupils cooperate well in the playground and play happily, safely and sensibly. Occasionally in lessons, a few lapses in pupils’ interest and concentration occur but these instances are managed well by staff.  All the parents who spoke with inspectors were extremely positive about the school and how happy their children are there. As a number stated: ‘It is a really friendly school. Staff are very approachable and they look after the children really well. My child would come in the holidays if it was open.’  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very good. Prior to joining the Nursery, the school encourages parents and their children to attend workshops and activities over a period of 10 weeks. This gives the new children

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Behaviour

and their parents a good flavour of what the school is like and the high expectations placed upon them to value learning. As a result, children from the early years onwards try hard with their work and want to do well.  Pupils enjoy school. Their attendance has improved and is now average.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils have a good knowledge of how to stay safe. For example, they know the dangers posed by internet sites and understand ‘stranger danger’.  Staff ensure that pupils feel safe and are kept safe. Daily checks on the environment and equipment, particularly for the early years, ensure that children play and learn safely. Procedures to meet and greet children when they arrive at school ensure that the handover from parents is efficient and parents take the opportunity to share relevant information with staff.  School records show that there are very few incidents that cause concern and that staff take prompt action to eliminate any unkind behaviour. There are no examples of homophobic name calling or bullying. Pupils know what to do if they are worried or upset and they are sure that staff will sort things out promptly.  Pupils understand the various types of bullying that might occur but say that there is no bullying because,

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Safety

‘we have to be kind to everybody because you wouldn’t like it if anyone bullied you’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is effective and this results in pupils making good progress in their reading, writing and mathematics. Staff make sure that pupils understand their work by asking probing questions and providing good support. They plan activities to hold pupils’ interest and enthusiasm. In the occasional lessons where this does not happen as effectively, a few pupils do not achieve as well as they should.  Most teachers use questioning well to encourage pupils to think about their learning and explore and extend their understanding. In a literacy lesson in Key Stage 1, pupils explained that ‘dinosaurs may have been dark, with muddy colours to camouflage them so other dinosaurs couldn’t find them and eat them’. They were also confident to say that ‘people had not been born then because the world was not very old’.  In most lessons, pupils engage well and settle quickly because they want to do well. Pupils are not worried

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The quality of teaching is good

about asking for help when they are unsure of what to do. Help is always readily to hand because teachers deploy support staff effectively.  Relationships throughout the school are good. Pupils cooperate well and lessons run efficiently and smoothly. Occasionally, a few pupils become chatty and restless because the work they have to do does not challenge them enough. For example, in a lesson in Key Stage 1 the most-able pupils who were more than capable of solving two-digit number problems and using inverse methods to check their answers, were given only smaller numbers to work with and so had time to move off task.  Reading is taught well. Phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is taught effectively. Children in the early years develop good knowledge and skills to help them build words and support their reading and spelling skills. This continues through Key Stage 1 and so pupils’ reading skills are strong.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school has worked hard to improve the teaching of writing. With greater opportunities to write at length, more pupils are now working at above average standards than their peers in 2014. Pupils write in literacy and other subjects regularly and are encouraged to extend their skills through interesting homework projects. Their high quality efforts are displayed around the school to motivate others.  Teaching assistants are skilful and contribute well to supporting small groups of pupils and individuals. Disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language benefit from this more personalised support to help them achieve well. This is particularly so in the regular reading sessions where pupils have opportunities to read aloud to improve their skills.  The teaching of problem-solving skills is currently a high priority. Pupils enjoy practical tasks and many

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The quality of teaching is good

apply their skills confidently in new situations. Occasionally, where one or two have not fully grasped concepts such as counting on using number lines, errors occur that pupils cannot rectify because they do not always understand where they have gone wrong.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly and staff provide encouraging praise and often helpful guidance as to how pupils can improve their work. However, teachers do not always give pupils the time to respond to this guidance in subsequent work. Weaknesses in presentation, spelling and handwriting sometimes go unchecked.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Attainment at the end of Year 2 is above average. Increasing proportions of pupils are working at the higher levels this year than in previous years.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well because their progress is checked closely. Teachers plan individual activities and ensure that support staff provide the specific help pupils need to make good progress from their starting points.  Pupils learning English as an additional language achieve well because they too receive good support.  The attainment of disadvantaged pupils in Year 2 compared with other pupils in the school and with pupils nationally was about three terms behind in writing and mathematics and two terms behind in reading in 2014. The school provides well for these pupils by identifying their needs quickly in the early years. The gap has closed considerably this year. The school’s assessments show that these pupils are now less than

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The achievement of pupils is good

two terms behind their classmates in writing and mathematics and in line in reading.  Pupils use a range of well-taught strategies, including their good command of phonics, to read accurately. In the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2014, the proportion of pupils who reached the average standard was above that found nationally and current reading assessments indicate an increased proportion of pupils are exceeding expectations.  Pupils’ progress in reading is good. They read regularly at school and at home. Reading at home is successfully encouraged through a reward scheme which pupils value. Books are carefully selected to capture the interest of boys. As a result of these strategies, pupils’ overall reading standards have risen steadily since the previous inspection.  Pupils make good progress in their writing because of the good focus on topics that captivate pupils’ interest and imagination. Pupils enjoy writing factual accounts of, for example, penguins and polar bears

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The achievement of pupils is good

in their topic about extreme weather and about space exploration and pre-historic life forms. More of the boys are now achieving well and hence standards in writing are rising rapidly.  Progress in mathematics is good because the school has rightly focused on the systematic development of pupils’ number skills and ability to apply these skills confidently in problem solving. Occasional gaps in knowledge that emerge are generally addressed quickly so that pupils of all abilities achieve well.

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The early years provision is good

 The knowledge and skills of children on entry to the Nursery class are typical for their age. Most attend the programme of activities that leaders organise to introduce children and their parents to school life in the term before they start formally. This helps children settle quickly and make a flying start to their learning.  Routines are clear and well established. Expectations are high for children to behave well, play safely and sensibly and to work hard. They make good progress and achieve well over time. Almost all children attain good levels of development and a significant number exceed these levels. They are prepared well for Year 1.  Children follow the good examples set by staff in helping each other and taking turns when sharing toys and books. They listen attentively, particularly eager to learn phonics so they can ‘read’ and act out stories. They attempt writing tasks with enthusiasm and many select literacy activities when given free

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The early years provision is good

choice. For example, during the inspection they took great pride in identifying and ticking off the mini- beasts they unearthed under rocks and logs; they tallied the numbers most competitively because they wanted to be the best ‘scientists’.  Children feel safe at school and are kept safe. They trust the staff who work with them and know they will take care of them when they need help. They know to cover up with sun cream when it is hot and to take care when climbing or running about ‘so that we don’t bump and hurt someone’.  Teaching is good. Staff plan interesting and varied activities and intervene appropriately to promote effective learning. They understand well how young children learn and steer them to try activities that they find more challenging. For example, out of choice many boys prefer playing outside with cars and other toys but willingly attempt literacy, numeracy and creative tasks when reminded to do so.

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The early years provision is good

 There is a high focus on the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. These are taught well; practising daily in small groups quickly identifies where children need additional support to help them achieve well. Where necessary, leaders seek external support so that specific individual needs are met effectively.  Staff take the time to observe and assess children in order to plan the right activities to support their academic and personal development. Assessments are now more accurate and reliable and so inform planning more effectively. Records of children’s progress are made available to parents via the school’s website so parents can support their children’s learning at home.  In the Reception classes, staff encourage parents to work with their children at the start of each morning by staying to help them with the morning challenges. Children are eager to complete these tasks and parents gain an excellent insight into what their children are learning and how well they are progressing.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management are good. The newly appointed leader of the early years sets high standards for teaching and learning and is inspiring staff to follow her good example in planning activities that engage children effectively. While the teaching is now consistently good, it is not outstanding and children are not always challenged enough to achieve more.  Staff work together effectively to ensure that children make good progress in all the areas of learning. Occasionally, learning slows when staff do not provide the right level of support particularly for the most- able children in order to extend their literacy and numeracy skills even more effectively.

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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 failing

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 108236 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 462194

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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 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 194 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Joyce Field Headteacher Tracey Lake Date of previous school inspection 11 June 2013 Telephone number 01977 723070 Fax number 01977 723070 Email address headteacher@wheldon.wakefield.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 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

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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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