Siddal Primary School

Inspection of Siddal Primary School Backhold Lane, Siddal, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 9DL

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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 Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 5–6 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They know exactly what staff expect of them. They like the praise and rewards they get for good behaviour. Reward points encourage pupils to arrive at school on time. Pupils say the new behaviour system is ‘very fair’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils trust the adults in school. Pupils are clear about adults’ high expectations of treating each other kindly. They say that if they have a problem or a fall out, they go to whichever member of staff is nearest, because they know they all will help. They say that bullying is very rare. Parents and carers, too, praise the support the staff team gives their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone in school knows how important it is to be able to read well. Younger pupils get lots of practise at reading aloud. They enjoy reading to their Year 6 buddies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many different clubs for all pupils to take part in. Some favourites are ‘Wacky Science’, ‘Reading for Fun’ and ‘School of Rock Band’. Pupils enjoy regular trips and are starting to link what they find out on visits to what they have learned in the classroom.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In some subjects, pupils do not learn and remember well enough. Leaders are working on this.

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better?

School leaders have addressed the considerable drop in pupils’ achievement that occurred three years ago. Improved curriculums in English and mathematics are taught well by teachers. More pupils now reach national standards by the end of Year 6.

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better?

Leaders have identified that they have similar work to do in other subjects. Pupils find it hard to remember what they have been taught. New curriculum leaders have worked with other trust leaders to make sure that subject plans meet the national curriculum expectations. They have started to think about how pupils will have the chance to revisit and practise what they have learned. It is too soon to see if this curriculum will help pupils to remember more.

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better?

In some subjects, in some year groups, pupils are able to talk about their recent lessons. For example, Year 6 pupils talk enthusiastically about what they have learned about the Victorian period. They can compare society then to life in Britain today. They do not naturally use words related to the subject, but leaders have recently planned what vocabulary they would like pupils to know and when.

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better?

The new leader for design and technology has accurately spotted weaknesses in the previous curriculum. One-off tasks and homework activities to fit in with topics have meant that pupils have not improved their knowledge over time. The leader has plans to address this, but these are still to be actioned in classes. 5–6 November 2019

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In the early years, leaders’ work to make sure that children make a strong start in all areas of learning is paying off. Adults quickly establish good relationships with children and parents. The adults have high expectations of pupils behaving well and being friendly. Children have many opportunities to learn and practise phonics and early mathematical skills.

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School leaders are making sure that pupils read well – this is a school priority. Phonics is taught successfully by well-trained staff from the start of Reception. Expectations of what pupils will know and when are clear and ambitious. Teachers carefully check what pupils have learned and what they need to know next. Any pupil who finds reading difficult gets extra help and practice to catch up. Staff have carefully selected new books for pupils to read and share. Year 1 pupils are keen to talk about the characters in ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘The BFG’.

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In mathematics, a similarly well-planned curriculum and frequent checks on learning ensure that pupils achieve well.

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Leaders make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have the support and resources they need to achieve well. Pupils have the chance to learn the same as everyone else. When they need it, they are given extra help and time to practise what they have learned. This helps pupils succeed, particularly in learning to read.

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Staff plan a range of activities to promote pupils’ personal development. They have noted ways to strengthen this on their improvement plan. Staff give strong support to families. They work with families to keep pupils’ attendance high. Leaders use additional funding wisely to provide support when it is most needed.

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The local governing board understand the strengths and weaknesses in the quality of education. However, responsibilities of trustees and the local governing board are not set out clearly. This means that some aspects of the school’s performance have not been checked well enough.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school. Leaders are responsive to any safeguarding issues that arise. For example, when leaders identified that some pupils were not using the internet safely, a series of lessons was put in place. Pupils now revisit this learning often, so they know about the dangers and benefits of the internet. However, curriculum plans do not identify exactly when pupils will learn about some aspects of keeping themselves safe. Lessons often respond to concerns that arise, rather than anticipating what pupils need.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive training and updates about keeping pupils safe. They know how to report concerns. They have an overview of some of the signs and symptoms that 5–6 November 2019

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might indicate that pupils are at risk of harm. However, staff’s understanding of some safeguarding risks is underdeveloped. For example, at the start of the inspection, few staff understood the risks associated with child criminal exploitation, including county lines activity. Additional training for these aspects of safeguarding was organised by leaders during the inspection.

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Those responsible for governance receive regular information about safeguarding arrangements from school leaders. However, some confusion between the trust and the local governing board means that responsibilities for checking leaders’ work in this area are not clearly understood.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 While safeguarding arrangements ensure that pupils are safe, further action is needed to strengthen the school’s work. Training updates should be sufficiently rigorous to ensure that staff stay up to date with emerging risks. The curriculum should be planned sequentially so that pupils’ understanding of how to keep themselves safe is developed to best effect. Particular attention should be given to when pupils will learn about and revise risks associated with different relationships and local risks in the community. Those responsible for governance should ensure that they are clear about who is holding leaders to account for the safeguarding arrangements in place in the school.  Leaders have identified that curriculum leaders and teachers will need further support to plan and deliver an effective curriculum in foundation subjects. Leaders should continue their work to improve the curriculum, making sure that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

all subjects are well sequenced and planned over pupils’ time in school, so that pupils can remember what they have learned.  The scheme of delegation has not been seen or understood by all trustees and members of the local governing board. Governance needs to be strengthened so that trustees and the local governing board have a clear understanding of their delegated duties. The systems in place to check on the effectiveness of the leaders’ work in school should be well understood by everyone. This will help governors to quickly spot and understand what aspects most need improvement.

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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 . 5–6 November 2019

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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. 5–6 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10115215 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Siddal Primary School converted to become an academy school on 1 September 2012. When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall. The school is part of Brighter Futures Academy Trust.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher and deputy headteacher throughout the inspection. The lead inspector met with representatives from the local governing board and the board of trustees.  We explored the curriculum by carrying out deep dives in reading, mathematics, history and design and technology. This involved meeting with curriculum leaders, visiting lessons, speaking to pupils and looking at their work and speaking to teachers. We heard pupils read.  We carried out a substantial range of activities to check the arrangements for safeguarding pupils. This included speaking to a wide range of leaders (including 5–6 November 2019

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the designated leader for safeguarding), staff, governors and trustees to check their understanding of how to keep pupils safe. We looked at the curriculum for teaching pupils how to keep safe. We spoke to pupils. We looked at school safeguarding documents. We looked at several examples of records of concerns raised by school staff and actions that had been taken.  We spoke to parents before school and to staff with different roles in school to seek their views.  We spoke to pupils, formally and informally, throughout the inspection. We observed pupils in classrooms and at lunchtime and breaktime.

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Inspection team

Kate Rowley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Pritiben Patel Ofsted Inspector 5–6 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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