Stanbury Village School

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

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Mr Graham Swinbourne Headteacher Stanbury Village School Main Street Stanbury Keighley West Yorkshire BD22 0HA

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village School

Following my visit to the school on 9 May 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 April 2014.

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village 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 Stanbury Village School

Your vision to provide ‘the best possible education for every child in a place where pupils can flourish’ is shared and understood by all members of the school community. This vision is central to all aspects of school life. You, your staff and governors place a strong emphasis on developing the whole child. You ensure that pupils succeed academically. However, you also prepare pupils well for life beyond school. As a result, the curriculum is broad and balanced and provides numerous enrichment opportunities such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics projects, outdoor challenges, musical performances and numerous trips and visits. Displays around the school celebrate pupils’ achievements and reflect the diversity of activities on offer. For example, pupils’ work on the creation of an Egyptian museum and a display on the plant life found by pupil ‘wildlife explorers’ demonstrate this well. Pupils talk warmly and with excitement and enthusiasm

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village School

about the extensive range of activities on offer to them. Pupils told me these activities help them to develop their ‘life skills’.

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village School

Pupils are extremely well behaved. They are polite and well mannered. Pupils are respectful and tolerant of each other and enjoy learning about different faiths and cultures. Pupils show a very positive attitude towards their learning. They feel well looked after and cared for. The pupils I talked to said they enjoy their lessons, particularly mathematics, science and the annual ‘mystery topic’ project work. Staff morale is high and staff feel well supported. They talk positively about their professional development and the impact it has on their practice. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive and supportive of the school. All parents who responded to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, would recommend the school. One parent said that the school has ‘such a welcoming environment, where pupils are encouraged to respect and look after each other’. Another said, ‘ Stanbury School has produced well-rounded young adults with inspired minds, caring hearts and a

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village School

strong work ethic since 1883 – long may it continue.’

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village School

Since the previous inspection, outcomes have improved. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year has been above the national average for the last two years. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics combined by the end of Year 6 has been above the national average for the last two years. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard is in line with the national average. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for secondary school.

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village School

An area for improvement identified at the previous inspection was to ensure that targets set for pupils’ progress are challenging and that staff are held to account for them. You have introduced a new target-setting system. Pupils receive targets for improvement on a half-termly basis. They are supported, through additional support if required, to achieve these targets. Pupils, especially pupils in Years 5 and 6, are clear about the next steps they need to take to progress in their learning. Staff meet regularly with a member of the senior leadership team to discuss the progress made by pupils in relation to their targets.

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village School

Since the previous inspection, you and your staff have focused on ensuring that pupils are given work that challenges them. This is evident, particularly in Years 5 and 6 mathematics, where teachers develop pupils’ reasoning and problem-solving skills well. However, senior leader acknowledge that there is still work to do to ensure that progress is accelerated, particularly for the most able pupils.

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village School

Leaders, including governors, have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose.

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village School

You ensure that staff and governor training is updated regularly. Staff understand the important role they play in keeping pupils safe. They know the signs to look out for which may indicate that a child is at risk of harm. Pupils told me they feel safe in school. All parents who responded to the online Ofsted survey agree that their children are safe and happy in school.

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Short inspection of Stanbury Village School

Pupils told me that bullying is rare. School bullying records indicate that this is the case. Pupils said that one of the strengths of the school is that staff ‘do not tolerate bullying’. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online. Pupils also learn about how to keep themselves safe in other areas, for example on the road.

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Inspection findings

 In the last two years, all pupils in Year 1 have met the required standard in the phonics screening check. This is due to a highly effective and consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. Across the school, there is a strong culture of reading. Pupils read widely and often. Pupils told me that they enjoy reading.  Pupils’ attendance has been high for many years. However, this year there has been an increase in pupils’ absence. Consequently, overall attendance rates are now slightly lower than the national average. Persistent absence has increased in the last two years, although it is still below the national average. You have rightly identified attendance as a priority in your improvement plan to ensure that attendance improves to the high levels seen in the past.  The school action plan and subject improvement plans identify the main priorities to improve the school further. However, you, your leaders and governors agree

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Inspection findings

that these action plans would benefit from clearly identifying who will check and who will evaluate the impact of actions. You also acknowledge that actions need to be evaluated against the impact they have on raising pupils’ achievement.  In 2017, Year 6 boys’ attainment and progress in writing improved. This is because you have focused on improving the quality of pupils’ writing. In particular, there are more opportunities for pupils to edit and improve their work. This is helping boys to improve their writing and spot their own errors. Teachers have introduced topics to engage boys, for example project work on the Egyptians. There are opportunities for pupils to write for different audiences and purposes in subjects other than English. This enables pupils to practise and enhance their writing skills.  Most pupils who responded to the online Ofsted survey said that their teachers give them work that challenges them. This was an area for improvement

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Inspection findings

identified at the previous inspection. Inspection evidence indicates that challenge is more prevalent in key stage 2. For example, in mathematics, pupils receive ‘challenge’ tasks to extend their thinking. Pupils are given opportunities to reason about their mathematical ideas and explain their methods. However, this is not consistent across year groups. Leaders understand that there is still work to do to ensure that more pupils, particularly the most able, develop skills that are above those typical for their age.  Pupils experience a wide range of enrichment activities which contribute well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures and visit places of worship. For example, pupils talked about their recent trip to a Sikh temple. Pupils are clear about what constitute British values. However, you and your governors acknowledge that your strong work on

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Inspection findings

British values can be strengthened further by raising pupils’ awareness of the risks of radicalisation in society, so that they are even better prepared for life in modern Britain.

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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

 teachers more consistently challenge pupils, particularly the most able, to ensure that they achieve standards above those expected for their age  action plans are more precisely evaluated against the impact that they have on raising pupils’ progress  they develop pupils’ understanding of the risks posed by radicalisation in British society.

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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 the inspection, I made brief visits to all classes with you. I also looked at the work in pupils’ books with the English leader and the mathematics leader. I met with three governors, including the chair of the governing body. I held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.

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Information about the inspection

I took account of the 39 responses from parents to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View, and the 33 free-text comments. I also took into account the 23 responses to the Ofsted pupil survey and the 11 responses to the Ofsted staff survey. I met with a group of 12 staff. I talked informally to pupils during lessons. I met formally with pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. I listened to two pupils in Year 3 read. I spoke to a number of parents as they dropped their children off at the start of the school day.

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Information about the inspection

I scrutinised a range of documents, including the school improvement plan, the school’s self-evaluation, assessment information, consultant reports, governors’ minutes, attendance trends, behaviour logs and safeguarding information.

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