Midgley School

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

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Miss Joanne Mansfield Headteacher Midgley School Lane Ends Midgley Halifax West Yorkshire HX2 6TX

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Short inspection of Midgley School

Following my visit to the school on 31 January 2017, 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 January 2012.

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Short inspection of Midgley School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Midgley School

At the time of the previous inspection you were asked to increase the involvement of subject leaders in school management, extend the outdoor provision for children in early years and make sure that pupils develop a neat and fluent style of joined-up handwriting. You have successfully tackled these challenges. Subject leaders are fully involved in the leadership of the school and carefully check the work and progress of pupils. You were quick to create a well-designed outdoor area for children in the early years when the school was being refurbished and extended. Parents recognise that the provision has been strengthened. Pupils are proud of their work and it is very well presented.

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Short inspection of Midgley School

You have created a climate where senior leaders and staff are committed to providing a high-quality education for all pupils. Staff know what is expected of them and are keen to implement suggestions for improvement. This has led to considerable improvements in the quality of pupils’ writing. It has also brought about faster progress in mathematics and high standards of reading. You have given time for subject leaders to work closely with other schools to strengthen the teaching of mathematics and writing. Pupils are reaping the benefits of this work and making good progress. Subject leaders are clear about their responsibilities and are making sure that teaching is good and leads to good progress for pupils. Not enough pupils made secure progress in their writing at the end of key stage 2 in 2016. Since September, you and the new leader for writing have quickly addressed this with teachers and sought good advice from the local authority to strengthen the

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Short inspection of Midgley School

teaching of writing. Impressive improvements have been made in a very short period of time. Current work in writing shows consistently strong improvement across the school. Teachers have high expectations and provide many opportunities for pupils to write at length, both in English lessons and across a range of other subjects. There are times when pupils have a clear purpose for their writing, but this has yet to be fully developed to inspire pupils further.

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Short inspection of Midgley School

New leadership in early years has strengthened the provision. Children’s progress is good and attainment is above average. There are many opportunities for children to develop their reading and mathematical skills in the provision. Occasionally, writing opportunities are not promoted as well as reading and mathematics.

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Short inspection of Midgley School

Your analysis of the work of the school is accurate and plans for improvement focus well on key priorities. All staff who responded to the online questionnaire stated that they had a clear understanding of the goals that the school aims to achieve. Staff readily accept the good advice given by subject leaders and plan exciting activities that pupils enjoy. Staff and pupils enjoy working in the school and are proud to be members of the school.

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Short inspection of Midgley School

There is a strong culture of care for pupils, with effective safeguarding procedures in place. The school fulfils all the requirements for checking staff’s suitability to work with children, including governors and volunteers, and records this clearly in its central register. The school provides effective training to ensure that staff are aware of how they should act to keep pupils safe.

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Short inspection of Midgley School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. Staff, including those in the after-school club, are vigilant and know what to do should they have any concerns about pupils’ safety. Governors receive regular reports about safeguarding to check that pupils’ needs are being met.

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Inspection findings

 Parents are very complimentary about the work of the school. They are clear that good teaching inspires their children to learn well and attitudes to learning are good. You have created a purposeful learning environment where pupils are polite, tolerant and supportive of each other. Pupils enthuse about the many opportunities to take part in residential activities and school visits.  You are supported by a strong governing body that knows the school well. Governors seek pupils’ views and opinions about the school and have checked that their priorities are being met. They are determined to make sure that the school continues to provide a good education for all of its pupils.  Behaviour in school is good. Pupils play well together and they are supervised appropriately. They are taught well about how to keep themselves safe. Pupils’ attendance is above average, with few pupils regularly absent from school. This

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Inspection findings

is supporting pupils’ good gains in learning.  Since the previous inspection pupils’ progress in mathematics and reading in key stage 2 have improved consistently so that both are now good. For those pupils leaving Year 6 in 2016, their progress in reading was in the top 10% of all primary schools nationally. Progress and attainment in early years and key stage 1 are also good because of good teaching that engages pupils well.  Subject leaders check pupils’ progress thoroughly in all subjects and have high expectations. Pupils’ work is analysed closely and should any be falling behind, good support is given to help them to improve. In mathematics, the subject leader has redesigned the curriculum to create more opportunities for pupils to solve problems and provide greater challenge for pupils. This is working well across the school. Occasionally, work set for pupils is not challenging enough. Additionally, pupils make unnecessary errors because they do not check carefully

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Inspection findings

to make sure that their answers are realistic.  The teaching of reading is a strength. Pupils are given interesting and challenging reading materials. Their understanding of what they are reading is checked carefully. Parents say that their children are expected to read regularly at home and do so. Leaders recognise the good support that pupils are given at home, especially for their reading.  Although thorough in many aspects, the school’s website does not comply with Department for Education guidance on the publication of information about the curriculum and how parents can request paper copies of information.

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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

 the school’s website complies with Department for Education guidance  greater opportunities are available for children in early years to strengthen their writing  pupils’ writing skills are strengthened even further by providing them with greater purpose to their writing  teachers support pupils to develop effective checking procedures in mathematics.

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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 Calderdale. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection I met regularly with you as part of a professional dialogue throughout the day. I also met with the chair of the governing body and three other governors. I held a separate meeting with a representative of the local authority. I conducted an analysis of pupils’ writing and mathematics with the leaders of these subjects. I observed a range of teaching and spoke to pupils throughout the day about their safety and learning in school. I spoke with parents at the start of the school day. I analysed 80 pupil and 16 staff questionnaires along with 32 parents’ responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). I looked at the school’s review of its own performance, its development and improvement plan, a number of key school policies and the minutes of governing body meetings. I considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance. I spent some time in the after-school club.

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Information about the inspection

I agreed to prioritise the following areas with you at the start of the inspection: the effectiveness of leaders and managers in securing good teaching and good outcomes for pupils, particularly in writing; and the effectiveness of the provision in early years.

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