Denholme Primary School

Inspection of Denholme Primary School Minorca Mount, Denholme, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD13 4AY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 12–13 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they love coming to school because the staff are nice to them. Pupils like to see their friends and work hard. Pupils speak with enthusiasm about the visits to museums and local areas of interest. They talk in detail about their experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some pupils enjoy the before-school club, where they have a healthy breakfast. They select different activities every day. Strong relationships exist between staff and pupils. The after-school club runs in the same way. Pupils can take part in clubs and activities such as gardening, sports, music, art and craft. Some pupils have started their own ‘eco group’. Pupils show interest in environmental issues and climate change. They want to make Denholme ‘green’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us that they have been learning about anti-bullying and know what it is all about. Pupils said that bullying happens sometimes, but adults soon sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers said that their children are happy and safe in school. Some parents think that pupils thrive and have confidence in the school. A small number of parents said that leaders could work more with parents. All parents said that they like the teachers and they are approachable.

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better?

Leaders have a clear structure for staff to plan and teach mathematics and English. Staff are clear about what they will teach pupils across the year. Pupils are now able to tackle challenging work in these subjects. Teachers follow the subject content in the national curriculum. However, leaders have not been consistent in planning what pupils need to know and be able to do in some other subjects. Some curriculum leaders do not check the quality of learning in the subjects they lead. Leaders’ plans do not show the knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn clearly enough. Leaders have not accessed the relevant training they need to support them with this.

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better?

Teachers deliver curriculum content well. They make learning interesting and relevant. However, weaknesses in curriculum planning mean that pupils often cannot make connections across different subjects. They sometimes find it hard to remember important information from previous learning.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised early reading. They have started to ensure that all staff are well trained. This helps some pupils to become better readers and develop a love of reading. There is some variability in the quality of phonics teaching. Pupils do not build on the strong start they make to phonics in the early years.

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better?

Until recently, the plans for phonics sessions did not help pupils well enough. This led to pupils not accessing the phonics they need to know by the end of Year 1. Pupils’ outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check followed a downward trend. In 2019, they were below the national average. Leaders have now altered their phonics plans to include the relevant content. 12–13 November 2019

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. One parent said that the school had made a difference to their child which was ‘life changing’. Resources for communication are helping pupils to take part in whole-class lessons. Other pupils talked about the ways they helped each other in lessons.

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There has been a decrease over time in the number of children with a good level of development in early years. Children have a strong start in Nursery. This helps them to make rapid gains, which begin to slow down as they progress further up the school. There are no improvement plans in place to tackle the decline in outcomes. Recent improvements in the plans for early mathematics have improved children’s understanding. Leaders need to be clear about the rest of the curriculum.

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Pupils learn well when staff expect them to aim high. Staff expect pupils to behave well. They give reminders when pupils forget. Pupils help one another to consider the best way to work together.

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Attendance remained below average at the end of last year. The attendance and inclusion officers tackle this issue. Current attendance is now in line with the national average. Fixed-term exclusions were high last year. This year, to date, they have reduced. Persistent absence is still high and often linked to holidays taken in term time. Leaders are working with families to improve attendance.

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Governors are passionate about supporting the school. They ask specific questions about the information that leaders provide. Governor meeting minutes show that they are too accepting of the answers provided. This means that they do not challenge leaders further or agree actions on what they need to change.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff have had training in safeguarding. Staff understand the risks pupils may face. They recognise when a pupil needs help and share their concerns. Leaders work well with other professionals to ensure that the right support is in place. Record- keeping is well managed, and records are kept in a secure place. Pupils learn how to stay safe, including when they work online.

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Safeguarding

Governors and leaders make checks on adults before they begin to work or volunteer at the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders of English and mathematics have been developed effectively, but other curriculum leaders need further development. Therefore, senior leaders should provide opportunities for leaders at all levels, including governors and the early years leader, to develop their skills and become analytical and evaluative about 12–13 November 2019

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the impact of their work. They should provide professional development to help teachers to plan pupils’ learning more effectively.  Although the wider curriculum follows the content of the national curriculum, it does not identify the necessary progression and end points to enable pupils to make connections and develop important knowledge and skills. Leaders need to ensure that they have sharply focused, ambitious plans which will identify the end points that pupils are expected to reach.  Leaders have recently improved the long-term plans for teaching phonics. They now ensure that these plans include the knowledge pupils need for the required standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Leaders need to tackle the two- year downward trend in phonics at the end of Year 1, so that a higher proportion of pupils have the phonics knowledge they need to read fluently in Year 2.  Leaders’ decisive actions to tackle high absenteeism have resulted in

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improvements to the overall attendance of pupils over time. However, the proportion of pupils who are repeatedly absent is above the national average. Leaders should continue to work with parents to reduce persistent absenteeism, so that it is at least in line with national averages. This includes tackling the number of holidays taken in term time.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you're not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 12–13 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110663 Type of school Primary

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governing body

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school converted to become an academy school on 1 January 2017 as one of four founder schools to form Nurture Academies Trust. When its predecessor school, Denholme Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  In addition to mainstream provision, the school runs a designated specialist provision (DSP) for pupils who have autism spectrum disorder, funded by Bradford Council. It usually caters for pupils from Reception class to Year 6 who live in the Bradford area. There are currently eight pupils accessing this provision.  The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is above the national average.  The school runs a breakfast club and after-school club. 12–13 November 2019

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, early years leader, SEND coordinator, designated specialist provision leader and some subject leaders.  We met the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust.  The arrangements for safeguarding were checked. We looked at the school’s vetting checks on adults, staff training and safeguarding records.  We discussed the school’s records on attendance and behaviour with leaders.  We analysed the school’s self-evaluation document and plans for improvement.  We looked at curriculum planning for a wide range of subjects.  We met two members of the governing body, spoke to one governor on the telephone and looked at the minutes of governing body meetings.  We talked informally with pupils in lessons and at breaktimes. We also took account of the 33 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire.  We talked to a number of parents as they dropped their children off at the start of

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Information about this inspection

the school day. We also looked at a parent survey school leaders had carried out and the 41 responses to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View.  We met with members of staff and took account of the 21 responses to Ofsted’s online survey.  The subjects considered as part of this inspection were early reading, mathematics, history and science. We carried out deep dives in these subjects. This entailed meeting with senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers, looking at curriculum plans, visiting lessons, speaking to pupils about their learning and looking at pupils’ work. We also listened to pupils read and observed a teacher listening to pupils read.

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Inspection team

Louise Greatrex, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Aitchison Her Majesty’s Inspector 12–13 November 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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