Hanging Heaton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Janet Thompson Headteacher Hanging Heaton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School High Street Hanging Heaton Batley West Yorkshire WF17 6DW

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Controlled Junior and Infant School

Following my visit to the school on 9 February 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in June 2011.

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Controlled Junior and Infant School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have created a culture where only the best is good enough for the pupils at Hanging Heaton school. You and your senior leadership team are continually evaluating the teaching and learning to ensure that standards are maintained and improved. You and other adults in the school share a vision for excellence. Through regular and rigorous monitoring, you quickly identify any areas that need development. You tackle these weaknesses in a timely manner and with carefully thought-out strategies.

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Controlled Junior and Infant School

Since taking up the post of headteacher in 2013, you have recruited a completely new team of teachers. A thorough induction process and continual monitoring ensure that these teachers quickly settle into their roles and know what is expected of them. Since the last inspection there has also been some change in the governance team, including a new Chair of Governing Body who took on the role in February 2014.

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Controlled Junior and Infant School

You and your senior leadership team have addressed the areas for improvement from the last inspection well. Consequently, the progress that pupils make in Key Stage 2 has accelerated since the last inspection. Pupils make the progress in reading, writing and mathematics that is expected of them and many make more- than-expected progress. Teachers now give pupils more opportunity to write at length and with purpose in a variety of subjects, which has helped to improve pupils’ writing skills. Teachers now mark pupils’ work well. Pupils say that the feedback they get in lessons and in their books helps them know how to improve and that they get time to respond to any comments made.

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Controlled Junior and Infant School

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They talk about how happy they are and how they would grade their school as 10 out of 10. In lessons, pupils work well together and relationships are strong. Pupils show consideration to others in learning and in play. They move around the school in an orderly manner and are courteous as they do so. Strong partnerships with other schools and organisations mean that visits, such as those from the local imam, help pupils learn about the needs and beliefs of others. They respect and celebrate differences.

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Controlled Junior and Infant School

You and the governors ensure that safeguarding pupils is a priority. Arrangements are appropriate and records are of a high quality. You and other adults, including governors, are proactive with regard to safeguarding pupils. All staff are suitably trained and aware of their responsibilities. Care has been taken to ensure that, in your absence, staff are well equipped to deal with any immediate issues. You and your senior leaders work closely with other agencies to ensure that pupils’ needs are addressed very effectively. Pupils are extremely knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe, particularly when using the internet. They speak articulately about how they must not divulge personal details and how they must not assume that the person they are communicating with is trustworthy.

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Inspection findings

 Evidence from the inspection supports the school’s evaluation that Hanging Heaton is a good school. The evidence you gather by observing lessons, looking at pupils’ books and considering their progress means that you have a very accurate picture of how well pupils are learning in the school. When weaker teaching has been identified, you have quickly put support plans in place to bring about improvement. The deputy headteacher in particular is able to model excellent teaching to help others improve. Teachers are also given the opportunity to observe teaching in other schools to guide their improvement.

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Inspection findings

 You have developed a new assessment system to check how well pupils are doing. By working closely with other schools, you have ensured that assessments show an accurate picture of pupils’ progress.

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Inspection findings

 You and your team identified that pupils’ progress in reading was not as strong as it was in writing and mathematics in the last academic year. The leadership team quickly implemented a number of strategies, which they anticipated would improve reading skills across the school. Workshops took place for parents of younger pupils as well as a whole-school reader reward challenge involving reading buddies and class reader of the week as part of the improvement plan. Information about pupil progress in the spring term of 2016 demonstrates the positive impact that these initiatives are already having.

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Inspection findings

 Governors have made a substantial financial investment in the renovation of the outside provision for the Reception class since the last inspection. Children now have access to a stimulating environment, with a vast wooden climbing area which is complemented by other resources such as sand, large construction toys and opportunities to learn letters and number skills. This area is also made available for pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 on a regular basis to enhance their learning. Children in the early years generally start school with standards that are typical for children of that age. However, some children starting in September 2015 joined with personal independence skills that were lower than expected. Progress made in all areas of development for these younger children has not been fast enough in recent months. In response to this, leaders and managers have increased staffing, adapted the planning and put support plans in place to

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Inspection findings

help improve the progress these children make.

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Inspection findings

 Governors are better informed and knowledgeable about the school’s strengths and weaknesses since the last inspection. They are well trained and more aware of how they should challenge and support the school. They do this very well and act as a critical friend. They have a range of skills in finance, safeguarding, governance and pastoral and spiritual guidance, which they use effectively to help school improvement. The Diocese helps support the school through their education office and the Yorkshire Anglican Teaching Schools Alliance which offers training, including headteacher training and induction for new governors, as well as other assistance as needed.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils say they feel safe. Staff and parents consider that pupils behave well and that the school is well led. Pupils spoke confidently and articulately to inspectors and made them feel very welcome in their school. When questioned, pupils were able to explain what they had learned and how they had solved problems. They say they enjoy lessons because teachers make learning interesting by using a range of resources and by posing problems that they have to solve. Pupils spoke about how they enjoy working together and they were seen to do this very well during the inspection.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 children in the early years make consistently good, or better, progress during their time in the Reception class

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Next steps for the school

 initial improvements in the progress pupils make in reading are sustained. I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Education for the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales, the Regional Schools Commissioner and the Director of Children's Services for Kirklees Metropolitan Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, the deputy headteacher, members of the governing body (including the Chair of Governors and a member of the Diocese) and groups of pupils. I also spoke to a representative of the local authority and pupils at different times of the school day. I considered the responses from Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents) and comments made by staff and parents. We discussed your current school self-evaluation and subsequent action plans. We visited classrooms together and discussed the quality of teaching in the school. I reviewed a range of documents, including those on the school’s website and those relating to safeguarding and recent pupil progress.

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