Reinwood Community Junior School

Reinwood Community Junior School Burfitts Road, Oakes, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD3 4YL

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide high-quality leadership. They are assisted very effectively by leaders at all levels and by an extremely strong governing body. School leaders work in unison to sustain a strong drive for improvement.  Teaching is good. Leaders ensure that it is strengthened further through focused professional development for all staff. Consequently, an increasing amount of outstanding teaching accelerates pupils’ progress, especially in Years 5 and 6.  Pupils enjoy school because of the outstanding curriculum and wide range of sporting clubs and activities provided for them.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. The pupils’ respect of each other’s differing backgrounds underpins their good understanding of British values.  Parents and teachers share a productive partnership that also supports the pupils’ above- average attendance.  All staff provide high levels of care and welfare.

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This is a good school

They sustain a welcoming atmosphere and safeguard pupils effectively. As a result, pupils feel safe and behave well.  The pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning and relationships with each other and with staff underpin their good progress.  The pupils’ good levels of skill, knowledge and understanding prepare them well for their future education.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The school’s new assessment system does not always provide leaders with clear enough information to help pupils who find learning difficult make best progress.  The handwriting and spelling skills of some lower attaining pupils in Years 3 and 4 need further improvement.  At times, a few pupils are not encouraged to think and learn enough for themselves.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils from good to outstanding, by: ensuring that staff use assessment to measure more precisely the progress of pupils who find learning difficult and to fully support their learning making sure that the handwriting and spelling skills of lower attaining pupils in Years 3 and 4 are emphasised and taught more specifically encouraging more pupils to think deeply about their work before seeking adult advice.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The talented headteacher and deputy headteacher work very closely together, demonstrating exemplary leadership. They are strongly supported by knowledgeable governors and skilled year and subject leaders in maintaining a determined drive for improvement.  Since the last inspection, leaders at all levels have worked tirelessly to sustain a strong vision and a community where a very positive atmosphere encourages pupils’ learning. Leaders have strengthened the way they check the work of the school and assess pupils’ progress. This has brought significant improvement, especially in the way teachers ensure that pupils make at least good progress.  Senior leaders manage staff performance very effectively to quicken pupils’ progress. They give teachers challenging targets to develop their skills and to improve provision and outcomes in their areas of responsibility. As a result, for example, improvements in the teaching of reading and in pupils’ skills and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

enjoyment of reading have been a notable success in recent years.  Most staff, parents and pupils who spoke to inspectors or responded to the Ofsted questionnaires expressed the view that the school has ‘improved really well’ since the previous inspection. Many parents also indicated their appreciation of the care that teachers take in getting to know their children. Consequently, staff feel valued. Their morale is high and underpins their determination and ability to drive further improvement.  Leaders ensure that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils (the pupil premium) is used well to help these pupils to achieve as well as their peers.  Staff work in unison to promote equality of opportunity strongly and to prevent discrimination. This is seen in the way pupils from different backgrounds are welcomed and those who have special educational needs and others new to the school are helped to achieve as well as other pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The curriculum provided for the pupils is a particular strength. The school provides an exceptional range of clubs, and on-site and off-site learning experiences. For example, the breakfast club provides a vibrant start to the day that boosts pupils’ confidence and eagerness to learn together.  The staff link subjects together successfully to set topics and work that inspire pupils and encourage them to learn. Studies in geography and history, about the Second World War for example, provide rich learning experiences that extend their academic and personal achievement.  Teachers promote the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively through a wide range of topics and visits, such as to local churches and places of worship. Staff present displays, events and assembly themes such as ‘respect’ and ‘facing our goals.’ Pupils learn about democracy through elections to the school council and ‘eco’ groups. These strongly promote British values within the school’s

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

multicultural community.  Leaders use additional sports funding very effectively to raise pupils’ health and fitness and enjoyment in sport. The school employs specialist coaches to enrich staff’s and pupils’ skills. This has led to staff providing a wide range of sports clubs and competitive events with other schools to increase pupils’ involvement in sport significantly. For example, a 20% increase over the past year has now led to well over half of pupils participating in sports clubs.  The local authority has supported the school effectively since the previous inspection. For example, specialists have provided training for staff and governors to strengthen and widen leadership roles. The local authority continues to offer support, but recognises that the school now sustains its own capacity to improve.  The governance of the school The governing body has responded with determination to the previous inspection and has completed a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

rigorous self-review to improve its work. Governors are strongly led and have an excellent knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, governors carefully check information about pupils’ progress. They question staff leaders closely to understand evaluations of the quality of teaching and to hold them to account for improving school performance. Governors also visit the school on a regular basis to double-check that funds, including additional government funding, are used effectively to quicken pupils’ progress. Governors participate regularly in training provided by the local authority and ensure full adherence to all statutory requirements, such as health and safety legislation and safe recruitment of staff.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. School leaders and staff are vigilant in ensuring that safeguarding, child protection and welfare procedures fully meet statutory requirements. They liaise very

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

effectively with parents and outside agencies and are swift to deal with any concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Since the previous inspection, leaders have undertaken systematic and sustained improvement of teaching and assessment and consequently of pupils’ learning. They have used a carefully planned and effective programme of staff professional development and training to support improvements. Over the past year, for example, improved teaching of reading has secured pupils’ consistently good and better progress.  Staff increasingly enrich new initiatives, including better use of additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils, by sharing their expertise. Leaders play their part by checking progress more rigorously.  Teachers have strengthened the way they assess the pupils’ needs in line with the raised expectations of the new national curriculum. Teachers use the information gathered to plan pupils’ work effectively so that it builds on their previous skills and knowledge. This has a positive influence on pupils’ progress, especially

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

those with most ability. For example, during the inspection pupils in Year 5 enriched their numeracy skills well when challenged to explain and solve problems using column addition.  All staff promote very supportive relationships with pupils that underpin their good progress and confident engagement in learning. They give good oral advice to pupils about how to improve their work. Teachers also provide clear written guidance when they mark pupils’ work. Most pupils gain much benefit from the specific advice they receive. At times, however, some lower attaining pupils in Years 3 and 4 are not given enough help to improve their handwriting and spelling quickly enough.  Pupils with special educational needs benefit by having their needs tackled through individual educational plans. Teachers have also adopted an effective way of checking the progress of pupils who have a statement to support their complex needs. However, the system to measure and promote the best progress of other

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

pupils who find learning difficult is not yet equally effective.  Teachers and teaching assistants question pupils carefully to encourage their thinking and to deepen understanding. For example, pupils in Year 4 shared their ideas about how to use expanded noun phrases to enrich their writing before rising to the challenge and explaining their answers to the class.  Teachers in all classes cultivate pupils’ interest and widen their knowledge through stimulating topics, which link subjects together. For example, pupils in Year 6 sustained great interest, using hand held computers to research the work of Warhol and Lichtenstein. They used this information to create high-quality sketches and imaginative writing, which illustrated their ideas and deepened understanding.  When questioned, pupils were swift to articulate their respect of the teachers and enjoyment of learning. They said, ‘This is a school where adults do something straight away to help us.’ Parents also expressed

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

their appreciation in their responses to the Ofsted questionnaire when commenting that, ‘Teachers give children time to respond to their advice.’  Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour really well. Pupils express appreciation of the way teachers value their efforts and help them to learn. Adults set high expectations and encourage pupils to produce their best work. This is evident in the pupils’ well-presented work in books. Very occasionally, a few pupils are allowed to wait for more assistance before continuing with their work and this inhibits their ability to learn for themselves.  Staff display pupils’ work beautifully in classes and around the school to celebrate their efforts and to guide future learning. For example, teachers in Year 4 use popular stories and focus on characters such as Razor the cat in ‘Varjak Paw’ to stimulate and successfully develop the pupils’ reading, comprehension and writing

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

skills.  Teachers across the school extend pupils’ numeracy and mathematical skills in a similarly effective way by raising their interest through real-life problem solving activities. They also create colourful displays to promote school and British values strongly, and to enrich pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  The pupils thrive in a very caring community where all staff work diligently to meet their needs and keep them safe. As a result, pupils feel safe and greatly enjoy school. They blossom into well-rounded individuals and become confident learners.  Pupils are proud of their school, show respectful attitudes towards others and make excellent progress in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They show a clear understanding of British values by respecting different faiths and other cultural traditions and showing tolerance and abiding by the school rules.  Pupils welcome their roles and responsibilities in school and take them seriously. Pupils act supportively as ‘play leaders’ in the playground, or are elected to the school council and ‘eco’ groups to help organise events and develop school facilities.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils work very cooperatively in lessons, sharing ideas and listening thoughtfully and appreciatively to the teacher’s and each other’s suggestions. This was seen when pupils in Year 6 utilised dribbling and passing skills very effectively to keep possession of the ball during physical education.  Pupils listen attentively to their teachers and follow instructions carefully. On a few occasions, a few pupils are allowed to seek adult help too quickly, but most show excellent attitudes to learning, are keen to succeed and persevere in their work.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Increasingly, especially in Years 5 and 6, pupils’ behaviour in lessons is outstanding and contributes very supportively to their learning and progress. At times, a few pupils in other years need reminders to focus on their work more.  Pupils follow school rules diligently and are mindful of each other’s needs. They clearly appreciate the way staff are swift to address their needs and warmly and respectfully welcome visitors.  School records show that occurrences of inappropriate behaviour in recent years have reduced considerably, with a significant fall in incidents of bullying and those leading to exclusions.  Parents and pupils say that behaviour is usually good. Their responses in questionnaires reflect this view and also indicate that staff supervise pupils very effectively to keep them safe. Pupils also say that staff are quick

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Behaviour

to deal with incidents and to help those with behavioural and emotional difficulties.  Pupils understand that bullying may take different forms and are particularly knowledgeable, for example, about how to use computers safely and to avoid cyber bullying. Pupils are confident that if bullying did happen, staff would deal with it very effectively.  Over the past year, leaders have taken decisive action to improve attendance. They continue to liaise supportively and effectively with parents and outside agencies and have reduced absence and restored above average attendance.  The pupils’ good punctuality also reflects their refreshed enjoyment of learning and the school’s good partnership with parents.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Since the previous inspection there has been a sustained rise in attainment. In 2015, standards in Year 6 in writing and mathematics and additionally in reading rose to significantly above average. School information indicates that this represented good progress by pupils during their time in the school.  School checks of the progress of current pupils across the school show accelerated progress by pupils in Years 5 and 6 and good and improving pupils’ progress during Years 3 and 4. At times though, a few lower attaining pupils in Years 3 and 4 do not advance their handwriting and spelling skills quickly enough.  In particular, across the school, information about pupils’ progress this year shows a greater percentage of pupils working at higher standards than those expected for their age. Pupils also demonstrate advanced speaking and listening skills for their age, evident, for example, in the breadth of vocabulary they employ

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Outcomes for pupils are good

when responding to teachers’ questions.  The school has quickened pupils’ progress this academic year through effective teaching, especially of reading. Teachers have sustained a careful focus on stories that stimulate pupils’ interest and on regular reading practice in and out of class. They encourage parents to support reading at home to help secure pupils’ higher levels of skill. This is an improvement since the last inspection and means that pupils are achieving as well in reading as they are in writing and mathematics.  The most-able pupils, in particular, are making faster progress in response to challenging teaching and thought-provoking work that also entices them to undertake their own investigations. For example, pupils in Year 6 demonstrated their deepened understanding when writing and explaining how anaemic malnutrition contributed to the fall of the Mayan civilisation.  Pupils’ good and increasingly better progress in literacy and numeracy and their deep understanding across

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Outcomes for pupils are good

other subjects are clearly seen in displays and in their books in all classes. For example, models and paintings of war vehicles, needle-work, high-quality descriptive writing and computer-generated images illustrate the breadth and quality of pupils’ achievements.  Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who have English as an additional language receive a warm welcome and are fully included in all aspects of school life. They are given effective adult support according to their needs that enables them to learn well and make good progress. As with other pupils, they derive great benefit from the exemplary respect given to different beliefs and cultures and learn well by sharing experiences with their classmates.  Disadvantaged pupils are also enthused and engage well in learning during topic work. Staff use additional funding effectively to provide extra adult support and to include disadvantaged pupils in breakfast and other

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Outcomes for pupils are good

clubs. As a result, school information shows that this group of pupils is making progress in reading, writing and mathematics that is at least as good as, and sometimes better than, that of other pupils. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils are catching up quickly with other pupils as they move through the school. By the time they leave Reinwood, most gaps in attainment between disadvantaged pupils, their classmates and other pupils nationally are narrowed well or closed.  Effective provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability ensures that they also make good progress in relation to their needs and differing starting points.  Many pupils also excel in sport and art. Their wholehearted engagement in learning and well-developed skills in using computers to undertake research illustrate their readiness to continue successful learning during their secondary education.

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School details

Unique reference number 107621 Local authority West Yorkshire Inspection number 10002118

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 350 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Massey Headteacher Emma Eastwood Telephone number 01484 222207 Website http://reinwoodjuniorschool.com Email address office@reinwoodjuniors.org Date of previous inspection 16–17 October 2013

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Information about this school

 Reinwood Community Junior School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils attending the school are from White British backgrounds.  There are above average proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and pupils who speak English as an additional language.  A below average proportion of pupils has a special educational need or disability.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority) is above average.  Pupils are taught in single-year, mixed ability classes.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  An infant and nursery school shares the same site as this school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 26 lessons and saw the work of 12 teachers. They were accompanied by the headteacher during some of these visits to lessons.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised, including records relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance, safeguarding procedures and the school’s analysis of how well it is improving. The inspectors examined the school’s systems for checking progress and records of checks on the quality of teaching.  Inspectors talked to individual pupils and a representative group of pupils about the school and their work. They listened to individual pupils read and attended an assembly, a breakfast-club and after- school clubs. The inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ work across a range of subjects and classes.  The lead inspector held a meeting with members of the governing body. Inspectors also held meetings with school staff, mainly senior and middle leaders. The lead inspector met with a representative from

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Information about this inspection

the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the views expressed in the 41 online responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and in 32 staff and 31 pupils’ questionnaires. They gathered the views of several parents during informal meetings at the school during the inspection.  The inspectors considered the school’s use of the primary physical education and sport funding and the pupil premium.

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Inspection team

Alex Baxter, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Julia Foulger Ofsted Inspector Lynda Florence Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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