Streethouse Junior, Infant and Nursery School

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

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Mrs Deborah Leach Acting Headteacher Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery Whinney Lane Streethouse Pontefract West Yorkshire WF7 6DJ

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Short inspection of Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

Following my visit to the school on 11 July 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 Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You took up post as acting headteacher at the start of the summer term. A teacher has taken up the role of acting assistant headteacher. Governors have worked alongside the local authority to ensure stability for staff and pupils during the recent changes in leadership. Staff have responded positively to your leadership and they say that the school is in safe hands during this period of transition. Parents, carers and staff value the commitment of senior leaders and governors. As a result, they have high levels of confidence in the work that leaders at different levels have done to ensure that the school continues to be effective and pupils are well cared for.

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Short inspection of Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

Since taking up post as acting headteacher in April, you have impressed staff, governors, parents and pupils. You and your staff are a cohesive team who work well together for the collective good of its pupils. The overwhelming majority of the community are positive about all aspects of the school. One parent’s comment endorsed the view of many: ‘This is a small school with a big heart that puts the children first.’

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Short inspection of Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

During this period of transition, you have continued to lead the school with passion and determination. The school’s motto of ‘Respect’ helps to keep everyone happy and focused and helps to foster a caring community where teamwork is valued. Pupils understand and subscribe to the importance of having respect for themselves and for one another. Pupils focus well in all they do by showing a keen desire to learn and celebrate in their own and each other’s talents. Many pupils join the school at different times of the year. These pupils are welcomed and settle well. However, these children do not fully benefit from what the school has to offer. As a result, some of these pupils have gaps in their learning and do not make the same rate of progress as pupils who have been at the school the longest. However, pupils who join the school are well supported to make good progress. In addition, almost all year groups have above-average numbers of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have

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Short inspection of Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

special educational needs and/or disabilities. The inspection showed that these pupils do make good progress from their starting points; however, external data does not reflect the effect on pupils’ attainment and progress at key stages 1 and 2.

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Short inspection of Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

The last inspection challenged teachers to ensure that pupils write clearly and legibly. Evidence seen in lessons and pupils’ workbooks show that the vast majority of pupils develop good writing habits when forming and joining letters. As a result, pupils show great pride in their written work.

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Short inspection of Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

In addition, the last inspection challenged leaders to improve teaching so that more is outstanding. This was explained further by ensuring that teachers adjust the work they give to pupils according to how well and how quickly they complete it. Work in pupils’ books show that most are well challenged in their learning. However, we agreed that there is more work needed to ensure that teachers’ use of assessment is more precise in targeting the needs of more pupils, particularly the most able, so they exceed standards at the end of each key stage.

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Short inspection of Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

The school takes its safeguarding duties very seriously and ensures that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Pupils are well known in this small school and leaders do all they can to ensure that they are safe. Pupils say that they feel happy, safe and well cared for. Pupils told me that there is always someone on hand to help and lend an ear to solve problems, should they arise. Teachers are fastidious in teaching pupils about being safe. Pupils learn about the importance of being safe through the curriculum, including: stranger danger, the potential dangers of social media and how to cross the road safely. Equally, parents have full confidence in the school’s work to keep pupils safe. The school website is peppered with helpful advice to help parents explore safety at home, including keeping safe online. Pupils benefit from learning about the risks in their local community. Police officers are regular visitors into school who work alongside pupils to ensure that

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Short inspection of Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

they grow up to be responsible and respectful citizens.

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Short inspection of Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

The recruitment checks undertaken on staff, governors and visitors are stringent to ensure that all adults are suitable to work with children. All staff and governors receive child protection training. This makes everyone vigilant and alert to any potential dangers so they can confidently report any concerns should they arise.

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Inspection findings

 I was interested in how the school was challenging pupils to achieve highly. Leaders rightly identified that in 2016, very few pupils reached the higher standards by the end of key stages 1 and 2. The immediate action taken by leaders and teachers has had a positive impact. At the end of 2017, more pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, reached the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, pupils achieve in line with other pupils nationally and are well prepared for their next stages of education. The most recent assessment information has shown a dip in performance at the end of key stage 1. However, inspection evidence shows these pupils have made good progress from their starting points. Recent actions have accelerated the progress of pupils, particularly in writing. However, these actions have not had the effect intended on helping pupils reach the expected standards at the end of key

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Inspection findings

stage 1. Nevertheless, you are not complacent and accept that there is room for improvement by ensuring that teachers use assessment information more precisely so that more pupils reach the higher standards.  Children join the school with skills that are well below average for those typical for their age, particularly in communication and language. Although the proportion of children reaching a good level of development is lower than the national average, children make good progress from their starting points. Leaders have identified that some children, particularly boys, have not achieved as well in literacy. Leaders and teachers have prioritised speaking, listening and writing opportunities to permeate in the activities children do. For example, children enjoy talking to adults in small groups, which helps their ability to take turns and develop confidence when speaking aloud. During role-play activities, children are

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Inspection findings

imaginative and enjoy expressing their ideas and views. Children are given effective support to develop their writing skills. As a result, children form letters carefully and write simple sentences that communicate meaning. However, more work is needed to ensure that more children, particularly the most able, express their ideas at greater length and depth so as to exceed end of year expectations.  In 2016 and 2017, the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has been lower than the national average. Leaders have rightly identified that some pupils, particularly boys, did not achieve as well as girls and their peers nationally. Leaders have been aware of this issue and have prioritised this as an area for improvement. This has had some success in helping pupils to secure their phonics knowledge and blend sounds together when reading and writing. However, this has not had a sustained and positive

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Inspection findings

effect. The most recent unvalidated results and work in pupils’ books show that the teaching of phonics needs to be more effective in helping the least able to get a solid grounding in developing their phonic knowledge.  I was interested to unpick how well the curriculum supports pupils’ learning and development across a broad range of subjects. You and your teachers are committed to providing a curriculum that is rich and varied. Pupils benefit from regular visits and visitors into school. This helps to enhance their curriculum experience. Pupils experience a wide range of opportunities to apply their mathematics skills in a range of contexts. For example, pupils recorded their personal achievements in a neat graph when comparing their times when running a mile each day. In addition, pupils have ample opportunities to use money in real-life contexts when using their enterprise skills. In other areas of the

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Inspection findings

curriculum, pupils achieve highly in science. Pupils enjoy interesting tasks to investigate using a wide range of scientific equipment, including the dissection of a heart. In addition, sport plays a prominent part in the school; pupils have positive attitudes to sport and enjoy the wide range of activities available during and after the school day.  Over time, attendance of all pupils has been below that of other pupils nationally. You have rightly prioritised pupils’ attendance as a key area for improvement. You have raised the profile of the importance of regular attendance and the effect that absence has on pupils’ achievements. You and your team work with a range of agencies in a bid to secure better rates of attendance. You are tenacious in promoting good attendance and challenging pupil absence vigorously, including families who take term-time holidays. Equally, pupils’ good attendance is regularly rewarded through incentives. Pupils enjoy being rewarded for good

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Inspection findings

attendance. You have made some small inroads in improving attendance. However, although there is improvement in this area, attendance figures remain below the national average.

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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 use assessment information to ensure that pupils, particularly the most able, are consistently challenged to reach the higher standards at the end of the early years and key stage 1  the teaching of phonics helps more pupils, particularly the least able, to apply their phonics and meet the expected standard in Year 1  work with families and agencies continues to improve pupils’ overall attendance and reduce persistent absence to match the national average more closely.

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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 visited all classes to observe teaching and its effect on learning. I also scrutinised work in pupils’ books. I met with a group of pupils to discuss their experiences at the school. I also met with two governors and scrutinised minutes of governor meetings. I held a short meeting with a representative from the local authority. I heard a sample of pupils read and I scrutinised a range of documents, including information on pupils’ progress, attendance information, safeguarding, the school’s self-evaluation and the school development plan. I considered the parents’ written responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. I spoke to a number of parents in the playground, as they dropped their children off at school.

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