Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

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

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Mrs Lorna Kemplay Headteacher Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School Eastmoor Road Wakefield West Yorkshire WF1 3SQ

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Short inspection of Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

Following my visit to the school on 18 April 2018, 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 February 2014.

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Short inspection of Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) 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 Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

Wakefield Pinders Primary is a safe, happy learning environment. The corridors and classroom are filled with bright and attractive displays that show the wide range of exciting experiences that pupils are able to enjoy. The early years setting is well organised and productive so that children get the best possible start when they enter the school. As pupils move around the school they are polite and respectful and this is supported by the good relationships that they have with their teachers and other staff. You have compiled an evaluation of the school’s many strengths, and a detailed action plan that is focused on improving the right things, so that Wakefield Pinders continues to improve. You have organised the new leadership team well and there is a real sense of purpose among leaders.

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Short inspection of Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

You and your staff have high expectations of all groups of pupils and give good support to the high number of pupils who speak English as an additional language. These pupils flourish in your school. You provide effective support for vulnerable pupils and the staff are clear that the needs of the pupils must come first. Staff model the behaviours you expect from your pupils. Pupils learn to work well together, support each other with their learning and really persevere, even when they find work difficult. Parents and pupils say that they enjoy school and would recommend it to others. As result, attendance has improved and is currently in line with the national average. You have responded well to the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection. Outcomes in writing have improved in both key stages. Pupils make good progress across key stage 2. The most able pupils made better progress in

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Short inspection of Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

2017 due to higher levels of challenge. During my visit, I looked at pupils’ work in writing. We felt that it was important to continue developing the level of challenge for the most able pupils, as sometimes work was too easy for them. Outcomes in writing in 2017 were a success and it is crucial that the level of challenge those pupils received is now maintained. You are working hard to ensure that opportunities to apply writing skills in other curriculum areas continue to increase. Pupils have improved their handwriting skills and are beginning to produce increasingly fluent handwriting.

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Short inspection of Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

The leadership and management team has changed considerably since the last inspection. You have created a focused and coherent team that works well together. As a team, you drive the school forwards while ensuring that the culture is one that considers the workload of staff. There are strong connections with the community. Middle leaders are clear about their roles and responsibilities and are integral in the improvement of the school. They visit classrooms regularly to see the quality of learning across the school. They also scrutinise pupils’ work from a variety of year groups and provide individual support for staff. Middle leaders provide professional development for staff; for example, to develop the teaching of reading, and know what needs to be done next to ensure that outcomes continue to rise.

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Short inspection of Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

You have worked hard to ensure that attendance improves. Supported by your colleagues, you have taken effective steps to engage parents and families in the life of the school. Many families speak English as an additional language and you have a high level of support available to ensure that they are able to fully access the opportunities that the school provides. You check the attendance of individuals and groups of pupils carefully and respond quickly to support any that may have low attendance. This has helped to increase overall attendance. The levels of persistent absenteeism have reduced considerably and your close monitoring of pupils, even when their attendance has improved, ensures that you are able to sustain this success.

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Short inspection of Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

You and your staff put pupils’ safety and welfare above all other considerations. Staff who are new to the school receive thorough induction training and all staff are given regular training in safeguarding. The safeguarding policy and procedures are fit for purpose and understood by all staff. As a result, staff are vigilant and know what to do should they have any concerns. They understand their need to report any suspicions to you or your deputy safeguarding lead and know who to talk to should they have any concerns about the conduct of adults. Leaders respond well to the changing risks faced by pupils. For example, the building work on site has been carefully risk assessed and pupils talk about the assembly you arranged to explain to them the dangers associated with entering work sites.

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Short inspection of Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

Your safeguarding team communicates with each other well and this allows you to provide good support for vulnerable pupils. You have detailed knowledge about the needs of your pupils and work well with external agencies to ensure that they remain safe. The actions you take are swift and robust and you ensure that the care you provide for pupils is extended to families. The learning mentor provides effective support for families and a wide range of approaches are used to develop strong, supportive relationships with the community.

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Short inspection of Wakefield Pinders Primary (JIN) School

Leaders ensure that pupils are provided with a good quality of education on how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online. Pupils can talk maturely about the different ways that they can keep themselves safe and know what to do should they have any concerns. The curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn about road safety and cycle training allows them to develop the skills they need when cycling on roads.

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Inspection findings

 Outcomes in reading have not been good enough in recent years. You have identified this as a priority and there is now a more consistent approach to the teaching of reading evident in classrooms. Outcomes at the end of key stage 1 have increased and are now in line with the national average. Pupils are making good progress across key stage 1 and within upper key stage 2 so that the difference between school outcomes and the national average is diminishing quickly. Progress is less strong as pupils move into the early stages of key stage 2. Leaders have identified this and taken action, so this is beginning to improve.  Leaders have used a range of effective strategies to support staff to improve the teaching of reading. Detailed analysis of assessment information has enabled leaders to identify specific areas of reading and writing that pupils need to improve. However, teachers do not always use this information well enough to

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Inspection findings

match activities to the needs of all groups of pupils. This means that sometimes tasks can be too easy for the most able pupils in reading and writing.  Developing pupils’ vocabulary is a real strength of teaching and there is continual discussion about unfamiliar and interesting words that pupils can use in their own writing. Pupils are given opportunities to deepen their knowledge by talking about global issues, going out on visits or working with visitors to school. For example, pupils in Year 6 were engrossed in a debate about acid rain. This helps pupils to use these experiences when answering questions about texts.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language now make similar progress to other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Staff provide effective support for these pupils and use visual resources and practical equipment to help pupils who have only recently begun to speak English. Further support, which is tailored

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Inspection findings

to individual needs, is given to pupils when they are not making enough progress. These pupils are identified quickly and this means that they are able to catch up.  Leaders have strengthened links with parents and families. As a result, pupils who speak English as an additional language receive effective support from the moment they enter the school in the early years. Home visits allow staff to identify pupils’ language needs and regular workshops and activities in school allow parents to understand the school’s expectations. Bilingual staff help parents and families to overcome any language barriers and an English speaking group is offered to parents who want to develop their English skills.  Pupils say that the support they receive when they enter school with limited English is incredibly helpful. One pupil I chatted to spoke articulately and confidently about a wide range of aspects of school life: how to stay safe when

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Inspection findings

using the internet; how adults supported learning and how behaviour has improved throughout school. I would never have known that she had been unable to speak English 18 months ago!  Middle leaders carry out thorough checks on the quality of teaching and learning. They watch teachers, examine pupils’ books and speak to pupils. This has enabled them to identify what needs to improve and to provide staff with effective support. Teaching assistants are integral to the improvement of the school and are kept well informed of new strategies and approaches. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved and outcomes in reading, writing and maths have increased.  A revised assessment system has been implemented and this enables leaders to check the progress of individuals and groups of pupils more accurately. Teachers have a greater understanding of what their pupils need to do to improve. They discuss this with leaders each term to agree the next steps for pupils. Leaders

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Inspection findings

are confident that this information is accurate because staff work together and with colleagues from other schools to check their judgements. Staff now need to plan tasks more carefully, taking into account what they have learned from these conversations.

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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

 assessment information is used more effectively to plan tasks that meet the precise needs of individuals and groups of pupils  the most able pupils are challenged sufficiently so that the proportion of pupils meeting the higher levels at the end of key stage 2 continues to rise  the high rates of progress pupils make early in the school are sustained throughout key stage 2.

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

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met you and shared my lines of enquiry. I also met with members of the governing body a representative from the local authority, senior leaders, the subject leader for English, the designated safeguarding leader and the school’s learning mentor. I considered the responses of parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and any free-text comments. I scrutinised the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaires for staff and pupils. We visited classes together in all key stages in the school. I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, met with a large group of them and looked at samples of pupils’ work. I viewed a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school’s current performance and its plans for further improvement. I considered a number of policy documents, including those for safeguarding, and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. I examined the school’s website to check that it meets requirements on the

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