Setting

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

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Mrs Naeem Nazir Mount Pleasant Primary School Mount Street Lockwood Huddersfield HD1 3QP

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No formal designation inspection of Mount Pleasant Primary School

Following my visit with James Reid, Ofsted Inspector, and Cathy Morgan, Ofsted Inspector, on 12 December 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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No formal designation inspection of Mount Pleasant Primary School

This inspection was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for inspecting schools with no formal designation. The inspection was carried out because Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector was concerned about the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements at the school.

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Evidence

Inspectors scrutinised the single central record and other documents relating to safeguarding and child protection arrangements and met with the headteacher, groups of pupils, parents and carers, the chair of the governing body, a representative of the local authority, and staff. Documents, including the recent safeguarding audit, minutes from governors’ meetings, curriculum plans, school policies, communication with parents and pupils’ work, were evaluated.

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Evidence

Having considered the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Context

The school has 660 pupils on roll, ranging from Nursery to Year 6. There are three classes in each year group. The highest proportion of pupils are of Pakistani or British Pakistani heritage, and there are 14 other ethnic groups in your school. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is much higher than the national average. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is slightly higher than the national average. The number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is lower than the national average, with a slightly higher than national proportion of pupils having an education, health and care plan. At the end of the last academic year, eight staff left the school and you made eight replacements. During the inspection, you were interviewing for a teaching assistant’s position.

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Context

Leaders and managers are highly effective in ensuring that safeguarding systems and procedures are in place. There are clear messages around the school to promote safeguarding, including, ‘see it, say it, stop it’. You provide appropriate guidance to staff in your policies. For example, the behaviour policy is clear, and leaders ensure that staff implement it consistently. The staff code of conduct also provides clear guidelines and sets out expectations for staff relating to expected standards for their behaviour, appearance, use of mobile phones, confidentiality and the importance of safeguarding. Other policies are also clear, but are not as personalised to the school.

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Context

There is a culture of keeping children safe in your school. You ensure that staff receive appropriate training. Staff have recently had refresher safeguarding training and training about the ‘Prevent’ duty. From this and from your regular updates at staff meetings, staff are very clear about the signs to look out for should a pupil be subject to or vulnerable to abuse. Staff know the importance of swift action and are clear about how they would report concerns. Referrals are considered carefully by the highly experienced designated safeguarding lead. Follow-up actions are appropriate to keep pupils safe. Safeguarding records are clear, but do not always make explicit the impact of the outcomes of actions taken. Staff are fully aware of the whistleblowing policy and all are familiar with the latest government guidance. One member of staff said, ‘it is important to raise any concern to protect our children’.

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Context

You ensure that safeguarding is a priority for everyone involved with your school. Safeguarding is discussed regularly at staff briefings, meetings and governors’ meetings. You have appointed a safeguarding governor who works with you and your staff. You provide appropriately detailed information to governors in relation to safeguarding and they provide appropriate challenge to you and your leaders. Following a safeguarding audit, carried out by Leeds local authority in September 2018, you and your leaders have acted quickly on the feedback provided. As a result, additional training has been carried out and the single central register has been redesigned to ensure greater clarity. Documentation relating to safeguarding shows that you are proactive and up to date with safeguarding matters.

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Context

Pupils spoken with during the inspection say that they feel very safe in school. The site is secure, and pupils know, for example, that anyone visiting the school will be wearing a visitor’s badge. Pupils say that the CCTV cameras that are present in school help them to feel safe because they know the corridors and external doors are monitored. Pupils say that they have trusted adults to whom they can go to share their worries. Pupils are confident in the role of the ‘befrienders’, who are pupils who are trained to support other pupils who may be feeling vulnerable. Pupils appreciate the ‘worry box’ in each classroom that teachers check regularly. Pupils say that teachers help them and teach them to be kind to one another.

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Context

Pupils learn how to stay safe online and they learn about healthy relationships in an age-appropriate way. You ensure that a variety of external speakers such as the NSPCC and the fire service attend the school to educate pupils about the risks they may face as they grow up. You make appropriate checks on anyone who is coming into school, but do not do this formally or record it fully. Pupils experience assemblies about a wide variety of topics, for example World Book Day, BBC Children in Need, cyber bullying and Easter. Pupils say that they particularly enjoy assemblies where they have opportunities to practise their singing.

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Context

Teachers ensure that pupils learn about British values and there is evidence of this in teachers’ planning, pupils’ work and displays around the school. For example, pupils have had lessons based around Black History Month and have commemorated Remembrance Day and learned about war. In religious education lessons, pupils learn about a variety of different religions and cultures, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and through this, pupils understand and respect other people’s choices.

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Context

Pupils behave well and learning in classrooms is purposeful. Pupils are very polite, use their good manners and hold doors open for adults. Pupils say that bullying is not an issue. If bullying does happen, then pupils are confident that staff will listen to them and will resolve any issues quickly. There are clear routines established in the school that ensure orderly movement as pupils leave and return to their classrooms during break time and lunchtime.

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Context

Staff say that the senior leadership team is highly visible and that its members listen to any concerns that staff raise. Staff appreciate that leaders and governors consider their well-being. Staff feel consulted about changes to the school and the actions leaders wish to take to continue to improve the quality of education in the school. This creates a team culture in which everyone is working in the best interests of the pupils.

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Context

Leaders ensure that there are many opportunities for staff to work with and get to know parents. During the inspection, before the start of the school day, parents were in school with their children, learning alongside them. This helps parents to improve their skills to enable them to support their child’s learning. Many parents attended the school during the inspection to take part in a ‘Prevent’ duty workshop. Parents say that they value the opportunities that the school provides for them to support their children and keep them safe.

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External support

Leaders work highly effectively with the local authority. The school improvement partner provides advice, support and challenge to the headteacher and senior leaders. The school engages fully with the safeguarding services of the local authority, and a safeguarding review was commissioned by Kirklees local authority and carried out by Leeds local authority in September 2018. The ‘Prevent’ coordinator for the local authority speaks highly of the work that the school is undertaking with staff and parents to ensure that they are knowledgeable about the dangers of, and signs that their child may be vulnerable to, extremism or radicalisation. During the inspection, a parents’ ‘Prevent’ duty workshop was attended by 40 parents.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Leaders and governors should ensure that all policies are personalised to the school.  Leaders should consider a more formal, consistent approach to checks made on external visitors through a ‘visitors in school’ policy.  Ensure that child protection records are sharpened and provide details of the impact of outcomes of actions taken to support pupils.

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Priorities for further improvement

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

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