Aire View Infant School

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

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Mrs Vicky Bottomley Headteacher Aire View Infant School Elliott Street Silsden Keighley West Yorkshire BD20 0AW

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Short inspection of Aire View Infant School

Following my visit to the school on 28 June 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 October 2010.

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Short inspection of Aire View Infant School

You, the governors and your leadership team have maintained the good quality of education the school provides since the previous inspection. As headteacher, you demonstrate an energy and enthusiasm for learning that is caught by all who work with you. You continue to look for new and better ways of doing things; as a result, the school and the quality of teaching is improving. You use your knowledge of the community and local area to help staff deliver an interesting curriculum that meets children’s needs well. Pupils enjoy attending Aire View. They take pride in their school and their improving progress demonstrates the success of the work of leaders, managers and staff. Staff and governors appreciate the contribution you make to the local community. The stability that your leadership has provided over the past 22 years, as well as your high expectations of staff, pupils and parents, enables children to gain the skills and knowledge they need to make a good start

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Short inspection of Aire View Infant School

at junior school. All the parents who responded on Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire) would recommend this school to others.

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Short inspection of Aire View Infant School

Pupils are attentive in lessons and talk enthusiastically about their work and the school. Of note in the classrooms and corridors is the emphasis given to art, particularly painting, which is of a high standard. During lessons, the school is quiet and calm. Pupils focus carefully on the tasks they are set with a good level of concentration. Playtimes are friendly and highly active. Discipline is effective and pupils follow instructions well. For example, the pupils walked sensibly into the building without any fuss during a very heavy shower at playtime. Pupils like the playtime buddy system and the younger ones aspire to being a buddy when they get into Year 2.

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Short inspection of Aire View Infant School

You have worked successfully on the area identified for improvement at the last inspection, this was to:

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Short inspection of Aire View Infant School

 Improve pupils’ achievement, especially in reading and for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Short inspection of Aire View Infant School

You continue to identify other areas for improvement well and the school’s current improvement plan has appropriate actions aimed at addressing these. These include: improving the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities; improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and making sure that additional support helps those pupils and children in danger of falling behind to catch up.

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Short inspection of Aire View Infant School

Great care is taken by all staff to safeguard the pupils’ health, safety and well- being. Staff and governors’ training is planned effectively to ensure that all have the appropriate level of knowledge and skills. Governors oversee safeguarding and are well qualified, keeping up to date with legislation to ensure that they discharge their duties as required by law. Regular audits of the school’s safeguarding arrangements are undertaken by the lead safeguarding governor who checks documentation, records and practice. Checks on the recruitment of staff are thorough, as is record-keeping. As headteacher, you actively support parents with particular needs, such as those who foster and adopt children. Your excellent knowledge of the local agency services available enables you to ensure that families receive appropriate and timely support. Staff ‘go the extra mile’ to ensure that children who are vulnerable are given additional support as they arrive at the

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Short inspection of Aire View Infant School

school and when the time comes for them to move on to the next stage of their education.

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Short inspection of Aire View Infant School

Parents who completed the online survey reported that their children feel safe in school and this was borne out by those pupils who spoke to the inspector. The relationship between staff and pupils is very strong. The excellent levels of care and attention that staff provide help pupils to grow in confidence and become increasingly independent. The new nurture class is making a positive difference in identifying and supporting pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inspection findings

 Leaders and managers know exactly what they need to do to continue to improve the school. They check regularly what is working well and use the information gained to determine what needs to change. Governors ensure that they receive information about pupils’ progress in a format that makes sense. They continue to ensure that the school does all it can to encourage pupils’ regular attendance, with increasing success. It is the number one priority for the school, as is evident on entry to the building, where a big banner states the importance of punctuality and regular attendance.  Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils have improved over the last two years and their achievement is now closer to the national average. The school’s assessment information, confirmed by inspection evidence, shows that disadvantaged pupils are much better prepared for starting the curriculum in Year 1 than they were previously. The school’s increasing successful

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Inspection findings

support for those in danger of falling behind means that more pupils are on track to continue to reach the standards expected by the end of Year 2.  The progress that disadvantaged pupils make in reading and writing is slowed by a lack of opportunity to practise their new skills regularly enough. For example, the school has a home reading policy, where children may take their reading book home daily and practise reading aloud to their parents. Many families use this well to support their child’s reading fluency and comprehension. However, despite providing additional literacy lessons for small groups of pupils, the school does not consistently provide individual reading opportunities systematically for children who lack support at home.  At the last inspection, standards at the end of Year 2 in reading for all pupils were identified as an area for improvement. Standards have improved, due in part to the emphasis given to getting children off to a

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Inspection findings

better start in Nursery and Reception and the regular teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make). Staff ensure that children’s language, communication and literacy skills are developed well. The curriculum caters for the needs of all children well. Boys are encouraged to develop their knowledge and skills effectively; ‘boy friendly’ topics, such as ‘super heroes’ capture their interest. Daily phonics lessons and reciting familiar stories contribute well to the increasing number of boys reaching and exceeding the standards expected for their age in reading and writing.  Mathematics resources are used well to help pupils recognise number facts. For example, a nursery child recognised the pattern of 9 instantly when completing a mathematical activity. Staff encourage pupils to work with numbers through songs and activities that develop their understanding well. As a result of these initiatives, there has been an increase in the

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Inspection findings

percentage of pupils reaching the higher levels in mathematics.  Local pre-schools and childminders are encouraged to work with the school to ensure that children get off to a good start. Assessment information is shared regularly, which means that local providers know what they need to teach children before they start in Reception.  A nurture group to support children who experience difficulties concentrating in larger groups was recently established. Selected pupils also attend a range of small-group activities to help their progress in literacy and mathematics. These groups appear to be working well. However, withdrawal from mainstream classes leaves gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding which need to be plugged.   The curriculum is well-designed to interest pupils. Pupils in all key stages take part in visits to learn about their local community. They enjoy these experiences and staff use them well to extend pupils’ vocabulary. Art is

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Inspection findings

very well taught, with an excellent focus on using the correct brushes, strokes and paints to create high-quality work. Pupils make good progress in art from Nursery through to Year 2, where watercolour images of Peter Rabbit were carefully drawn and painted during the inspection. However, some areas, such as handwriting, need a more systematic approach to giving pupils opportunities to practise, to ensure that they develop their technique well.

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Next steps for the school

To continue to improve this school, leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 disadvantaged children are provided with enough opportunities to practise reading to increase their fluency and comprehension skills  the impact of intervention groups is monitored closely to ensure that the gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding are addressed  there is continued focus on the improvements identified in the school improvement plan.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Bradford. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection, I observed children learning in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. I looked at their books and their work on the walls. I spoke to children in lessons, around the school and in the playground. I listened to pupils reading across the school and had extensive discussions with you, governors, your senior leadership team, teachers and other staff. I analysed the 50 responses on Parent View and took into account the 33 responses to the survey of staff. I also reviewed a range of documentation that you provided, including safeguarding information and pupils’ progress data.

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