Normanton Altofts Junior School

Normanton Altofts Junior School Ash Tree Gardens, Altofts, Normanton, West Yorkshire WF6 2NF

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

p.1

This is a good school

 Standards are above average and rising each year. Pupils currently in the school are making good progress.  The quality of teaching is good. Pupils are given work to do that motivates and challenges them well.  Pupils’ behaviour in the school is good and they work hard in lessons. They feel safe and secure.  Leaders and managers have been successful in raising standards in all subjects and improving the quality of teaching. The school has improved significantly since the last inspection.  The curriculum is relevant and engaging for pupils, who leave the school ready for the next stage in their education.  Members of the governing body have improved their skills significantly so that they now are able to challenge and support school leaders effectively.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Middle leaders do not use achievement information sharply in their work to improve teaching.  Standards for the most able could be higher.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards further, particularly for the most able, by:  making sure that the work is consistently challenging for the most able  ensuring that teachers do not give pupils too much help and allow pupils to solve problems themselves.  Improve middle leaders’ use of achievement information to improve teaching, particularly in identifying which pupils could make better than expected progress.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher and her senior team have been successful in raising standards, accelerating pupils’ rates of progress and improving teaching. The school runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis. Leaders, managers and the governing body constantly strive to improve things further and as such, the school is well placed to continue its journey of improvement.  Writing and reading are at the heart of the curriculum and leaders place high importance on pupils being given the opportunity to write extensively in subjects such as history and science.  Trips out of and visitors into the school are common, to enhance the curriculum. A visit to a Mexican restaurant brought alive a topic on the Mayan culture and a space topic was enhanced through a planetarium visit. The curriculum supports pupils who struggle with reading well, through timely interventions to boost their skills. Sport, art and music are high profile in the school. Together, these

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

subjects develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness well.  Funding provided by the school sports premium is used well to develop teachers’ skills. The school measures the impact of the funding carefully, with the proportions of pupils participating in sport reaching a high point of 80%.  Leaders give careful and imaginative thought to making sure that the pupil premium funding is making a difference to the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. For example, some funds were used so that boys could work with a local author on their creative writing. A project called ‘sweet treats’ helped pupils to improve their mathematical skills through baking cakes.  The school promotes equal opportunities well. The school’s tracking of progress identifies any pupils who might be at risk of underperforming and these are discussed in meetings with teachers. The special educational needs coordinator tracks pupils carefully to ensure that pupils who have special educational

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

needs or disability are provided with the right equipment, resources and support for them to make good progress.  The local authority has worked well with the school. The challenge it has offered has been considerable and much appreciated by the school. The school improvement partner has helped the headteacher to develop a good system of holding staff to account for progress and has supported the governing body to improve its understanding of achievement information.  Middle leaders have good subject knowledge. They have worked well with teachers to improve their skills and have been instrumental in raising standards across the school. While they use achievement information well to check that standards are rising, their checking is not as sharp as it could be, particularly in identifying which pupils could make better than expected progress.  The governance of the school  Governance has improved significantly as a result of a self-evaluation exercise that helped governors

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

improve their understanding of achievement information. This has enabled all governors to challenge and support school leaders more closely.  The governing body is provided with concise, regular information on the achievement of different groups of pupils so that governors have up-to-date information on the school’s strengths and further areas for development.  The governing body keeps a close watch on the management of teachers’ performance so that teachers’ pay is closely aligned to their teaching skills and how well they raise achievement.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The governor with responsibility for safeguarding frequently meets with the headteacher to check that policies are in place and being followed. The school’s welfare officer is relentless in her checking of attendance and pupils’ well-being. Records of child protection cases are detailed. The school works in close collaboration with outside agencies in its care of

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching is strong across the school. Challenge is usually high, with the work for the least able being appropriately broken down so that they can manage it well. Pupils say teachers ‘make learning fun’.  Mathematics teaching is strong. Teachers ensure that teaching the basic skills, including learning times tables, is regular and thorough. In lessons there are good opportunities for pupils to work out alternative ways of solving problems, which helps them to make good progress.  The teaching of reading is regular and places appropriate importance on developing pupils’ comprehension skills. The library is well stocked and used frequently by pupils who enjoy reading for pleasure.  The teaching of writing is strong. Teachers develop pupils’ spelling, punctuation and grammar well, which is reflected in the rising standards. In some year groups, pupils had been making less progress in writing.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

This has now been addressed by teachers by ensuring that there are sufficient opportunities for pupils to write their own original stories.  All pupils are taught Spanish. Teachers have good subject knowledge and inspectors were impressed with pupils’ good accents and how Year 3 pupils were able to pronounce unfamiliar words in Spanish. Pupils are full of enthusiasm for learning Spanish, which is particularly evident in the impeccable presentation of their work.  Teachers use their assessment information well to make sure that work is appropriately demanding. Their questioning makes sure that pupils have to think deeply about their answers. Pupils are encouraged by teachers to revisit their work to improve it.  Teaching assistants support pupils effectively and are well deployed by teachers to provide support to individuals and small groups of pupils.  Science is taught regularly and systematically in all year groups. There are good opportunities for pupils

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

to use their literacy skills within their science work and also to take part in many different experiments, which brings learning science to life for pupils.  The most able could be challenged more effectively, so that the standards they reach are even higher. The work they do is sometimes too easy. Moreover, teachers give them too much support so that sometimes they do not solve problems themselves.

p.4

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils were able to talk to inspectors confidently about what they should do if they received threatening messages on their mobile phones and how to stay safe online.  Pupils say that bullying is rare. The school records any incidents well and resolves them promptly, communicating well with parents.  Most parents are supportive of the school’s work to promote personal development and welfare. Comments such as ‘the school goes above and beyond’ are common.  Pupils are given ample opportunities to take up responsibilities, such as helping out with lunches and supporting infant schools with organising their sports days.  Pupils have a good understanding of life in a modern, democratic Britain. Regular trips to temples and mosques help them appreciate multicultural aspects of British society. Pupils develop their understanding

p.4

Personal development and welfare

of the workings of government well, for example by attending local town council meetings.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils’ behaviour around the school is good. Boisterous behaviour at dinnertimes does occasionally happen, but in the main, pupils play sensibly and safely.  A number of pupils have joined the school from other schools where their behaviour was challenging. Their behaviour has improved significantly as a result of the clarity of school rules and how consistently the staff promote them in all classes.  In lessons, pupils’ attitudes to learning are strong. They respond quickly to teachers’ requests for them to listen. Pupils are well equipped and ready to learn in lessons. They participate well in assemblies when required to do so.  Few parents express any concerns about behaviour.  Pupils’ attendance is above average. All arrive on time and well equipped for school in the mornings.

p.4

Outcomes for pupils are good

 In 2015, standards in all subjects were above average. Pupils had made good progress in all subjects. Over time, standards have been rising rapidly, particularly in writing. The Year 6 pupils that left in 2015 had made good progress in all subjects.  Inspection evidence indicates that pupils currently in the school continue to make good progress in all subjects. This good progress is also reflected in the work pupils do in other subjects, such as Spanish and science.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability achieve well. Good records of their support are kept and parents are kept well informed of their progress. Teaching assistants give good-quality support, while also allowing pupils to be independent in their work.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress and, in some cases, better progress than their peers. Any gaps in achievement between them and others in the school are narrowing.

p.5

Outcomes for pupils are good

 In 2015, the most able made good progress with the proportions making and exceeding expected progress being in line with that of other schools nationally. Inspection evidence indicates that the most able continue to do well in all subjects, although there is scope for standards to be higher for the most able.

p.5

School details

Unique reference number 108208 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 10002027

p.6

School details

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

p.6

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 284 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Sinclair Headteacher Tracey Peacock Telephone number 01924 899449 Website www.altoftsjuniorschool.co.uk Email address headteacher@altofts.wakefield.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 14–15 November 2013

p.6

Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school serving the village of Altofts, located to the north east of Wakefield.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is below average. This is additional funding provided by the government to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is similar to that in other schools around the country.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and so the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language or who are from minority ethnic groups is below the national average.  Since the last inspection, an assistant headteacher has joined the senior leadership team.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

p.6

Information about this school

 The school works closely with two other primary schools to enable staff to share expertise and improve the quality of teaching.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

p.6

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching throughout the school. They scrutinised pupils’ books and listened to them read. A number of these activities were carried out alongside senior leaders.  Inspectors talked with pupils both in meetings and around the school at lunchtimes and playtimes. They also held discussions with senior and middle leaders. The lead inspector met with the school improvement partner from the local authority and with several members of the governing body.  Various documents were scrutinised by the inspection team, including the school’s checks on the quality of teaching, development planning, school policies and child protection records. Prior to the inspection, the lead inspector looked at information on the school’s website.  Inspectors considered the 32 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View). Additionally, various parents were met by an inspector informally at the start of the school day.

p.7

Information about this inspection

 The inspection team took account of the 18 questionnaires completed by staff.

p.7

Inspection team

Robert Jones, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Dawn Foster Ofsted Inspector Nicola Shipman 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 .

p.7

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.8

Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspection team

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

p.8