Bradshaw Primary School

Bradshaw Primary School Ingham Lane, Bradshaw, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX2 9PF

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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

 Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and especially mathematics. By the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, the majority of pupils reach the levels expected of them and many do better than this. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  The headteacher works diligently with her deputy headteacher and governors to ensure that standards continue to rise and teaching improves further. They have high expectations for their pupils and want everyone to achieve well.  The governing body is now more focused on supporting and challenging the headteacher and her team. They fully understand the strengths and priorities in relation to achievement and the quality of teaching.  Teaching has improved and is now good, especially in mathematics. The school has put in place some effective strategies to improve the skills and expertise of teachers.  Relationships between staff and pupils are strong.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

They get on well together. Behaviour is good.  Teachers work more closely as a team and share the same goals and aspirations for the school. There is a more consistent approach to marking and better use is made of pupil information to plan teaching.  There is a strong focus on the development of reading, writing and mathematics but there are also good opportunities for pupils to enjoy other subjects such as science, music and sport.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is well developed. This helps pupils to be polite, courteous and friendly. They are taught British values of respect and tolerance. They have developed good attitudes to learning and work successfully alongside their classmates.  Provision in the early years has improved and is now good. Staff are conscientious and provide an interesting range of well-planned activities which help the children to thoroughly enjoy their learning.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 All pupils feel safe and secure and the vast majority of parents agree.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Relative to other subjects, pupils do not achieve as well in writing and do not always use grammar, punctuation and spelling accurately.  Teachers do not always allow enough time for pupils to respond to their feedback to help them to know how to improve their work.  New team and subject leaders are not yet able to fully support the headteacher to secure teaching which is more often outstanding.  Some parents do not have enough understanding of what the school does well and how their children are progressing.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed a range of lessons, two of which were observed jointly with the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, in the playground and during lunchtime. Inspectors reviewed the school’s promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in their books and in the learning journals of children in the early years.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, team leaders, including the coordinators for special educational needs and mathematics. An inspector met with four members of the governing body and the local authority officer. An inspector telephoned an external adviser to the school and the Chair of the Governing Body.  Two groups of pupils discussed their opinions about the school and their learning with inspectors. The inspectors listened to several pupils read.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors took account of responses to the inspection questionnaire from 38 staff and the results of the school’s own parent questionnaire conducted in the spring term 2015. The 89 responses to Ofsted’s online parent survey (Parent View) were also considered. Inspectors held discussions with parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including minutes from meetings of the governing body and external advisers, pupil achievement data, the school’s evaluation of its own performance and its development plan. They scrutinised behaviour and attendance records and information relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Pauline Pitman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  There is a part-time preschool where children attend for three hours during the morning or afternoon. There are two full-time Reception classes.  In Key Stage 1, there are two Year 1 and two Year 2 classes. In lower Key Stage 2, there is one Year 3 and one Year 4 class and a mixed class of Year 3 and Year 4 pupils. In upper Key Stage 2, there is a mixed class of pupils from Years 5 and 6 as well as one Year 5 and one Year 6 class. Additional teachers are used to split Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6 into separate groups for daily teaching of mathematics and literacy.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium is below the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding which supports pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or children who are looked after by the local authority.

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Information about this school

 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 English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club and a range of sporting and recreational clubs.  Since the last inspection, there has been a significant change in staffing, resulting in a number of new staff including three newly qualified teachers. There has also been a change in the middle leadership of the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching in order to raise pupils’ achievement further by:  offering even more opportunities for pupils to practise their writing for different purposes, using accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling  rigorously ensuring that all pupils, in all classes and subjects, respond to teachers’ feedback in their books so that they know exactly what they need to do to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  continuing to develop the roles of team and subject leaders so that they can better support the headteacher to secure more frequent outstanding teaching and continue to close gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers  communicating frequently with parents so that they have an even clearer picture of the good work of the school and its impact on their children’s progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher knows the school community well and has high expectations and a clear vision of what she wants for pupils. She works very closely with the deputy headteacher and governors to promote a positive learning environment where pupils are treated equally. Leaders and staff foster good relations.  Since the last inspection, there has been a substantial turnover in staffing. The school has worked hard to secure new staff, including newly qualified teachers, who are swiftly moving to become consistently good and outstanding teachers.  The leadership team has put in place a clear and effective plan of action to address any weaknesses in teaching and the impact on pupils’ achievement. There is a much stronger sense of teamwork and teachers are more aware of school priorities and on their role in achieving them. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved, particularly in mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders, with support from the governors, have used their resources wisely to prioritise areas for improvement. They have secured high quality external support and advice for school improvement. The local authority is now more involved in the school and is offering good support. The quality of leadership and provision in the early years has improved due to the effective use of funding. This has led to improvements in provision and outcomes for children.  The curriculum is well balanced with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy. There are also opportunities for pupils to enjoy music and sport and cross-curricular themes, such as a recent science week. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of the curriculum are also effectively taught. Pupils are encouraged to understand their place in modern Britain and the importance of tolerance and respect. They are expected not to accept any form of discrimination.

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The leadership and management are good

 Communication with parents has not always been robust. This has led to misconceptions about the quality of provision and a lack of clarity within the community about how pupils are progressing. The recent introduction of coffee mornings, celebration assemblies and increased opportunities for parents to come into school has made a difference. However, more can be done to support parents to understand fully the good work of the school and its impact on their child’s achievement.  The recent introduction of team leaders and subject leaders has the potential to enhance the capacity of the leadership team. These staff are committed professionals and have been offered a pertinent range of professional development to support them to become outstanding teachers and leaders. However, their roles are relatively new. Currently, they are not in a strong enough position to support fully the headteacher to secure more outstanding teaching and learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Systems to support the management of staff performance in school are robust and clearly link performance to pay. The review cycle is now in place and provides formal and informal opportunities to monitor, evaluate and support improvements in teaching.  Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively to improve attendance and to narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and others. Funding is used in a variety of ways, including the introduction of additional support for literacy and numeracy and to appoint an education welfare officer to help reduce absence.  The school manages very well the primary physical education and sport funding. It is used to enhance the skills and confidence of teachers to teach dance and gymnastics and to assess pupils’ physical skills more accurately. There are more opportunities for pupils to become involved in after-school sport, such as gymnastics and tennis, and the school participates in school competitions.

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The leadership and management are good

 School procedures for safeguarding meet statutory requirements and are effective in keeping pupils safe and secure.  The governance of the school:  Governance is effective. Governors understand the school’s priorities and, following the last inspection, are in a much stronger position to challenge the headteacher and to secure improvement.  Governors effectively scrutinise school data and reports from consultants so that they can ask questions and challenge the school. They have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in teaching and pupils’ achievement and allocate resources effectively. Governors fully utilise pupil premium funding and know how well disadvantaged pupils are achieving as a result of this spending.  The headteacher has worked with the governors to put in place a robust performance management system. Governors are consulted frequently and provide objective challenge. They have a full

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The leadership and management are good

understanding of the links between performance and pay and work with the school to tackle any underperformance.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite, courteous and friendly and proud of their school.  Attendance is improving and is now above average. This is because the majority of pupils enjoy coming to school; it is a friendly, happy environment in which to learn. More reluctant pupils are supported well by the education welfare officer who has worked with parents to reduce the incidence of persistent absence.  All parents who spoke to the inspectors, and the overwhelming majority of staff who filled in staff questionnaires, believe that behaviour is good in school. Parents say that they are pleased with the school and how much the staff care for their pupils.  Pupils are proud of their school and take great care to present their work neatly. They are keen to demonstrate why they like the school and want to show off their best work. Older pupils understand the importance of doing their best so that they are prepared for their secondary school. Pupils say that they

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Behaviour

enjoy learning and playing in the playground with their friends. Low-level disruption in most classrooms is rare and occasional name calling or disputes are sorted out quickly and fairly.  Most pupils have been taught to behave well and to respect each other. They respond quickly to teachers’ instructions and have good attitudes to learning. They work well together, often in pairs or groups. They support each other to learn and understand the importance of taking turns and listening to each other.  The very small number of pupils who find it more difficult to focus on their work or to behave appropriately, are well supported and helped to develop the skills they need to be successful learners.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and confirm that ‘teachers look after us well’. Staff are well trained and are able to safeguard their pupils.  Pupils understand what bullying means and say that behaviour has improved. The majority of pupils found it hard to recall any incidents of bullying in any of its forms. Behaviour logs support this improvement. Sometimes, pupils call each other names but all pupils are satisfied that this is dealt with quickly and effectively by a range of adults.  Pupils are taught how to stay safe by staff during assemblies and in lessons. Some pupils vividly remember visits from emergency service officers and an assembly led by the headteacher when the implications of name calling were discussed. E-safety is an important part of the curriculum and even the youngest children are able to explain the dangers of social media sites.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The drive and ambition of the headteacher and deputy headteacher, with support from governors and external advisors, have led to greater consistency in the quality of teaching since the last inspection. Everyone has worked hard to secure effective improvement.  Key Stage 2 pupils benefit from additional teachers for literacy and numeracy. Work is tailored to meet the learning needs of different ability groups.  Observations of teaching, which includes scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks, are rigorous and systematic. This has meant that all teachers understand the drive to secure more outstanding teaching. They have followed advice from external consultants and the deputy headteacher which has led to a more consistent approach to learning and classroom management.  Teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence in teaching mathematics have improved. Better use is made of information about pupils’ progress to help teachers plan teaching and to take swift action to address

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The quality of teaching is good

any underachievement. Teachers now provide helpful advice on how pupils can improve their work. Even so, in some classrooms, teachers do not always expect pupils to respond so that pupils can make even more progress.  The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics is effective. Pupils’ workbooks are well presented and handwriting has improved. Pupils enjoy reading and are offered regular opportunities to improve their reading comprehension. Pupils work well together and are encouraged to learn from each other. They are beginning to write for different purposes and across different subjects. However, relative to other subjects, the teaching of writing and the acquisition of grammar, punctuation and spelling skills, across the curriculum, are less well developed.  The spiritual, moral, social and cultural curriculum is effective. Pupils are kind to each other and to the animals they look after in school. They understand their place in modern Britain and are learning about

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The quality of teaching is good

important British values such as tolerance, respect, democracy and the rule of law. For example, following a children’s news programme, a group of Year 4 pupils were able to consider important political issues linked to the election. Year 6 pupils explored cruelty to animals through a Charles Causley poem about a dancing bear.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children achieve well in the early years and this continues throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. School leaders have taken decisive action to improve the quality of teaching in mathematics which has secured consistently better than average achievement.  Phonics, the sounds letters make, is taught well in both the early years and in Key Stage 1. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard at the end of Year 1 has been above average for two years. Staff support pupils to develop the skills they need to enjoy reading and writing.  By the end of Year 2, pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards continue to improve and have been significantly above average for the last three years.  By the end of Key Stage 2, the proportion of pupils reaching the level expected of them is above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils make the progress expected of them, with many doing even

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The achievement of pupils is good

better than this, especially in reading and mathematics.  School data and inspection evidence show that pupils in all year groups are making good progress. More precise school self-evaluation has helped the school to recognise the need for continual improvement, especially in writing and grammar, punctuation and spelling.  By the end of Years 2 and 6, the most able pupils achieve well. A higher than average proportion exceed the levels expected of them, especially in reading and mathematics. However, pupils perform relatively less well in writing and in their use of grammar, punctuation and spelling compared with other subjects. Effective and well-targeted support, including visits to a local high school, meant that a quarter of Year 6 pupils achieved a level 6 in mathematics.  The progress, from different starting points, of disadvantaged pupils compared with others nationally, has improved in mathematics but is slightly below others nationally in reading and writing. The attainment gap

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The achievement of pupils is good

between disadvantaged pupils and others nationally has narrowed in all subjects but widened compared with others in school. Attainment is similar to others nationally in reading and writing but approximately one year below in grammar, punctuation and spelling and six months in mathematics. The attainment gap is approximately 18 months below others in school in mathematics and 12 months in grammar, punctuation and spelling.  Provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is effective because they make good progress and are happy and well cared for in school. The school supports these pupils well to meet their needs. Leaders make good use of external agencies to enable these pupils to effectively make the adjustments needed to secure good rates of progress.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years is a thriving, happy and enjoyable place to learn. Children achieve well.  Children enter pre-school provision with levels of development which are broadly typical for their age. A number of preschool children currently move on to other schools. Children enter Reception at a level of development which is typical for their age and above in some areas, especially reading, writing and number. By the time they leave Reception, they have made good progress. A higher than average proportion has reached a good level of development with a number exceeding expectations. Children are, therefore, well prepared for learning in Year1.  Since the last inspection, provision in the early years has improved significantly. Indoor and outdoor space is used flexibly and time is set aside for children to play and explore their environment. Literacy and numeracy are a key focus. There are more interesting age-appropriate resources which encourage

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The early years provision is good

children to work independently and in groups. For example, groups of boys work well together to turn a playhouse into a waste dump and others cook interesting food using a mud kitchen.  Leadership and management of the early years are good. In the short time since the leader arrived in the school, she has secured improvements in the quality of provision and in the progress of the children. The early years leader shares the headteacher’s vision for the school and is helping staff to form a strong team approach. All staff are increasingly engaged in checking and recording children’s learning. They have used this information to plan the curriculum. For example, they are improving the range of activities to stimulate the boys so that they make as much progress as the girls.  Teaching in the early years is effective. Teachers expect children to understand classroom rules, to take turns and to cooperate with each other, such as sharing equipment and bicycles. They encourage children

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The early years provision is good

to express their views and take their suggestions seriously. They know what interests the children and develop interesting activities to promote creative, confident learners. As a result, behaviour is good across the early years.  The teaching of phonics is effective because staff are well trained and sessions are well organised and taught in a systematic way. Staff are able to deliver exciting ways to support children to make progress in their reading and spelling skills. Children are encouraged to take new sounds and words home to read.  The early years is a safe place for children to learn. The majority of parents acknowledge this. They say that staff are ‘very professional, friendly and approachable’. They are happy with the recent improvements in the early years and are increasingly engaged in their child’s learning. Many take up the offer of home visits, before their child starts school, and more parents are participating in reading and phonic

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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 137987 Local authority Calderdale Inspection number 462287

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 310 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jodie Batty Headteacher Tracy Turner Date of previous school inspection 23 April 2013 Telephone number 01422 244283 Fax number 01422 242218 Email address admin@bradshaw.calderdale.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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