Lydgate Junior and Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Lydgate Junior and Infant School Lydgate Road, Soothill, Batley, West Yorkshire WF17 6EY

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Outcome

Lydgate Junior and Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They are polite and well mannered. They behave well in lessons because they want to learn. Pupils listen to each other. They show respect for other people’s views and opinions. They play well together and move around school in a sensible manner. Pupils enjoy the range of after-school clubs and trips available to them. They said that the school makes sure that all pupils can go on school trips. One child said, ‘It’s about equality and equity for all.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and have high aspirations. They relish the chance to take on one of the many roles and responsibilities, for example head boy and girl, school councillor or being a representative of a local organisation that helps fundraise for local charities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school and know how to stay safe when they use the internet. They told me that bullying is rare but does happen from time to time. They said that staff deal with any behaviour issues in a quick and fair way.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are very positive about the school. One parent said: ‘Lydgate is a great school for my daughter. She really enjoys everything that is going on: trips, breakfast club, after-school clubs and special events. There are rarely any behaviour problems.’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school is well led and managed. Leaders and governors know the strengths and areas that need improving in the school. They tackle any weaknesses well and make sure that they improve quickly. Governors hold leaders to account. They make sure that all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities. Staff are proud to be part of the school and feel well supported.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders place reading at the heart of the curriculum. Children in the Reception class sing 15–16 October 2019

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songs to remember the sounds they are learning. They play rhyming games and learn about traditional fairy tales. Pupils learn early reading skills from the moment they enter the school. Staff are well trained and skilled in the teaching of phonics. Teachers are ambitious in the number of sounds and words that they expect children to read by the end of each term. Pupils who are not confident readers receive effective extra help. As a result, they are not left behind.

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Pupils take home books that match the sounds they have been learning in class. Pupils’ vocabulary increases as they learn new words through good reading habits. Teachers are passionate about reading. They read to pupils each day.

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Leaders ensure that pupils who fall behind catch up and do well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, pupils who need it have effective individual teaching support. This helps them to be ready for new learning.

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Leaders have organised the mathematics curriculum in a logical way. Teachers have a clear understanding of what they want pupils to know. Children get off to an excellent start in mathematics in the early years. They explore mathematics through play.

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Changes to the way that pupils learn mathematics are having a positive impact. Pupils are keen to take risks and are not worried when they get answers wrong. The majority of teachers use assessment to build on pupils’ prior learning. Some teachers do not always use information about what pupils already know and can do. This means that, sometimes, work set is too easy.

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The early years is a hive of activity. Children have a smooth transition into Reception and so they are ready to learn when they arrive. Trusting relationships enable children to be happy and motivated. They respond well to adults and are curious to learn. Pupils who speak English as an additional language thrive in a language-rich environment.

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Leaders have considered the order of the history curriculum. They have linked the topics that they teach to the national curriculum. Teachers enhance the curriculum with exciting trips and inspiring visitors. Pupils enjoy learning about the past. They behave well, enabling teachers to get on with teaching. Pupils have developed an understanding of key events in history, remembering facts well. Pupils are beginning to make links in their learning across topics, for example how Viking women and women in Victorian times received similar treatment. This is not yet the case in all foundation subjects.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that pupils are safe in school. Staff receive regular training on issues such as radicalisation and domestic abuse. They are aware of the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make timely referrals to the local authority. They seek early help when concerns about pupils’ safety arise. They are tenacious in following up concerns. They share 15–16 October 2019

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information with other agencies and work hard to engage vulnerable families.

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Leaders ensure that there are systems in place for checking and monitoring attendance. As a result, the proportion of pupils who miss school on a regular basis is declining.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Improvements and strengths in mathematics are evident across the school. However, leaders need to ensure that all staff are using assessments effectively to match the work set to the abilities of the pupils and move pupils on to more challenging learning when they are ready.  Pupils remember their learning in history well because they enjoy well-planned lessons and activities. However, this is not yet the case in other foundation subjects, such as geography and design and technology. At this stage, teachers have not yet clearly identified the specific knowledge that pupils should be able to remember for a long time. Leaders need to ensure that curriculum plans clearly identify what pupils need to learn and remember in the long term in these subjects.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 12–13 December 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 15–16 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10088999 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.lydgateprimary.kgfl.dbprimary.com/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 October 2015

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  The school runs a breakfast club for all pupils.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, key stage 1 leader and other subject leaders. I also spoke with the chair of governors and two other governors. I met with the special educational needs coordinator.  Leaders joined me for most of the inspection activities. Activities included: lesson observations in most classes; discussions with staff, pupils and parents; scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks; and scrutiny of key self-evaluation documents, curriculum plans, behaviour records and details of provision for pupils with SEND.  Reading, mathematics and history were selected for close scrutiny. This included discussions with school leaders about their intentions for these subjects, discussions with subject leaders, lesson observations to check how well the subjects were being 15–16 October 2019

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taught and discussions with pupils, who talked about the progress they were making in their workbooks.  I spoke to pupils, parents and staff about the school’s work to keep pupils safe. Records and documentation were considered, along with the school’s single central record.

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Inspection team

Eve Morris, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 15–16 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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