Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of Elland CofE Junior and Infant School Westgate, Elland, West Yorkshire HX5 0BB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 10–11 March 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

School leaders and governors have raised expectations of what pupils can achieve. This has resulted in much higher standards of work. Pupils now know and remember more. They have developed confidence in themselves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning because the quality of the education they receive is good. Teachers use their thorough subject knowledge to engage and interest pupils. As a result, attitudes to learning are positive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors, staff and to each other. They are curious and confident. They are proud of their school and enjoy telling visitors all about it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at school. They say that there is an adult they can talk to who looks out for them. Pupils say that bullying does occasionally happen. However, they say that it does not go on for long because adults soon sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the activities that teachers plan to enrich learning. These include outdoor learning and the visits and visitors that are part of the wider curriculum. For example, some pupils had enjoyed their Stone Age day, when they made their own cave paintings. Pupils appreciate the opportunities they have to be leaders in school. Examples include being a befriender, worship warrior or digital leader. Pupils enjoy the after-school clubs that are available for them.

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better?

Changes introduced since the previous inspection have brought about rapid improvement. Leaders and governors are ambitious for every pupil. As a result, there has been an improvement in the achievement of pupils currently in school.

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better?

Pupils enjoy reading and have very positive reading habits. This is because teachers choose texts that engage and interest pupils. They make meaningful links with learning in other subjects. For example, during the inspection, some pupils were learning about crime and punishment in history. They were adding to their knowledge by studying the poem ‘The Highwayman’, by Alfred Noyes. Younger children learn stories off by heart. For example, a child in the Reception Class was ‘reading’ the story of ‘What the Ladybird Heard’ to her friends.

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better?

Children get off to a flying start in early reading in the Nursery class. They have fun with songs and rhymes and saying the sounds in words. Children begin to match letters to sounds at the start of Reception class. The books that they have to practise reading match the sounds they already know. This gives children, especially those who need to catch up, increasing confidence in reading. 10–11 March 2020

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The sequence of learning in mathematics ensures that pupils’ knowledge and skills grow lesson by lesson. Teachers and support staff are skilled in helping pupils to learn and remember more. Teachers plan the appropriate level of challenge and support for pupils. As a result, pupils use their mathematical knowledge to tackle challenging problems.

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Well-sequenced curriculum plans are in place for the full range of national curriculum subjects. However, plans for the foundation subjects are at different stages of implementation. Leaders have prioritised some subjects, such as history and science. This has ensured that the quality of education in these subjects is strong. Plans are in place to strengthen the other foundation subjects.

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The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Their needs are well met.

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Staff in the early years are determined that all children will have an ‘I can’ attitude. They work hard to establish links with families. Clear routines help children to feel safe and confident to try new things. Adults make the most of opportunities for learning. For example, the children loved experimenting with powder paint in the pouring rain. Whole-school subject plans start in the early years. There is built in progression from the early years to Year 1. As a result, increasing proportions of Reception Year children are ready for the next stage of their learning.

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Leaders have introduced a new behaviour policy based on the school’s strong Christian values. It has brought about a calm sense of purpose in lessons and around school. Pupils have confidence in adults to sort out any silly behaviour or bullying quickly.

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Pupils’ attendance is below the national average. This is despite the effort that leaders put into helping families to understand the importance of regular attendance. Too many pupils are persistently absent.

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Pupils are caring and keen to help others. They decide which good causes they will help and how. Pupils learn about their place in the wider world and about a wide range of other faiths and cultures. They enjoy after-school activities such as languages club, photography club, choir and girls’ and boys’ football.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Adults know pupils well. They are vigilant in looking out for the signs that something may be wrong. They know what to do if they are concerned. Leaders take swift and appropriate action to keep pupils safe. They are tenacious in getting help for those pupils and families who need it.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that pupils understand risks and know how to seek help. For example, pupils have learned about road safety, online safety and knife crime. 10–11 March 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum plans for the foundation subjects are at different stages of implementation. The subject knowledge and confidence of teachers is strong in those subjects that have been prioritised, such as history and science, so pupils are able to build progressively on their knowledge and skills. Leaders need to carry on with their plans to strengthen pedagogy and teachers’ confidence across the rest of the foundation subjects.  Levels of absence and persistent absence remain too high. As a result, pupils miss too much learning. Leaders need to continue to remove the barriers that are preventing improvement. This includes helping some parents to understand the importance of regular attendance.

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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 are the school and you are 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. 10–11 March 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121676 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21–22 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are White British and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is well above average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average.

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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 with the headteacher, deputy headteacher/English leader, assistant headteacher/early years leader, SEND coordinator, phonics leader, mathematics leader and some foundation subject leaders.  We met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  We met with a representative from the local authority. 10–11 March 2020

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 We had a telephone conversation with a representative from the Diocese of Leeds.  The subjects considered as part of this inspection were reading, mathematics, science and history. 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 scrutinising pupils’ work. We also observed adults listening to pupils read.  The arrangements for safeguarding were checked. This included checks on the single central record, staff training and safeguarding records. We also talked to members of the school’s safeguarding team.  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 talked informally with pupils in lessons and at breaktimes. We also took account of the 27 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire.

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 We talked to a number of parents as they dropped their children off at the start of the school day. They also took account of the four responses to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View.  We met with a number of staff and took account of the 14 responses to Ofsted’s online survey.

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Inspection team

Janet Keefe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Barbara O’Brien Ofsted Inspector 10–11 March 2020

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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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