Clayton Village Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Clayton Village Primary School John Street, Clayton, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD14 6AD

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Outcome

Clayton Village Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Clayton Village Primary School are enthusiastic about their learning. They particularly like the practical lessons and doing science experiments. They say that while some pupils ‘smash it’ in lessons, there is help, if they need it, for those who may find the work a bit harder.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they feel safe in school because ‘someone is always there for you’. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour. In lessons, pupils are highly engaged. A small minority of pupils have struggled to behave well in school. Pupils say the new behaviour policy is successful and is making a real difference. As one pupil put it: ‘Teachers are kind and help us when we get angry.’ Pupils know the school will not tolerate bullying of any sort.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school curriculum for mathematics, reading and science has recently been reviewed. This has helped pupils learn and remember more, particularly in mathematics. Pupils still have gaps in their science knowledge. Reading has the highest priority. This has made a real difference to pupils’ enjoyment of reading. Some pupils who say they did not like reading before are now keen readers. However, older pupils struggle to talk about different genres. They do not talk with confidence when comparing authors.

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

The teaching of phonics is strong. The sequence of sounds that pupils learn is carefully planned from start to finish. In the Reception class, children quickly gain a good grasp of their phonics. This means that they soon acquire the mechanics of early reading to sound out words. By the end of Year 1, pupils achieving the expected standard in phonics is above the national average.

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

Leaders have been successful in prioritising ‘reading for enjoyment’. Children in the reception class have the chance to read in the classroom bed. Here they enjoy a selection of bright and inviting picture books. In the rest of the school, there are frequent 25–26 February 2020

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opportunities for pupils to read. They say they like the daily DEAR (‘drop everything and read’) sessions. Pupils, including previously reluctant readers, now really enjoy reading. However, some of the older pupils are not sufficiently familiar with a range of authors. This means that they are not able to confidently compare authors’ styles or different genres of books.

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The teaching of mathematics is effective. The sequence of learning is well organised. Pupils have a secure understanding of mathematics. This helps them when learning new topics. For example, I saw a Year 5 class revising what they could remember about fractions. This quickly moved on to learning how to add fractions. The school’s strategy of helping pupils to ‘keep up’, rather than ‘catch up’, means that pupils are confident mathematicians. This is reflected in the improvement in results at the end of key stage 2. Pupils in key stage 2 explained how splitting the mathematics lessons over breaktime really helps them. The teacher assesses their work and then ‘sorts us out’ after playtime and gives extra help if it is needed.

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The school has recently revised its organisation of some curriculum subjects, including science. The school’s emphasis on making learning fun means that pupils enjoy carrying out experiments. For example, I saw that Year 2 pupils were very excited doing an experiment to see which materials kept a boiled egg warm. Pupils could explain why foil was the most effective insulator. Year 6 confidently used their technological skills to research the workings of the heart. They used graphics to label a diagram, naming the parts of the heart. The plans for science lessons set out what pupils need to learn. However, the delivery of the science curriculum still needs fine-tuning. Teachers do not build on what pupils already know. There is insufficient emphasis on ensuring that pupils are familiar with the correct scientific vocabulary.

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Clayton is an inclusive school. Staff are committed to making sure that pupils are safely in school every day. Leaders and governors effectively provide for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They ensure that these pupils have every opportunity to take part in activities and trips to help them learn. Staff say that leaders are considerate of their workload and look after their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff work well with parents and carers, and other agencies. This helps to protect pupils and keep them free from harm. Governors check that they meet their statutory duties for the safer recruitment of staff. Staff are well trained, and they understand their responsibilities for safeguarding pupils.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in school, online and in the local community. When they share their worries with staff, they are confident they will be followed up effectively. 25–26 February 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have introduced whole-school plans and resources for teaching wider curriculum subjects. For some subjects, including science, plans have been introduced recently and are not yet fully established. As a result, pupils have misconceptions and gaps in their knowledge and are unable to make clear connections with their previous learning. Leaders need to ensure that teachers’ subject knowledge is further strengthened, and they consistently use the correct technical vocabulary. Teachers should plan lessons which help pupils remember what they already know, so pupils gain a better understanding of science and retain this knowledge over time.  Pupils enjoy reading and have access to a range of books in class and the library. The older pupils are not confident in discussing the works of different authors. Pupils should be taught to recognise themes in what they read. They should be taught to identify the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

style of an author’s writing and discuss viewpoints within a text as well as make comparisons with other texts.

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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 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 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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 8–9 March 2016.

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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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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 . 25–26 February 2020

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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. 25–26 February 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10110796 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.claytonvillageprimary.org.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8–9 March 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school currently has three specialist leaders of education supporting other schools in the local authority.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, senior leaders and other members of staff. I also met with a group of governors, including the vice chair of the governing body. I spoke to the chair of governors through videophone.  I looked in depth at reading, science and mathematics. In doing so, I visited classes across all year groups and reviewed pupils’ work. I spoke to pupils about their learning and listened to them read. I also met with teachers.  I met with those responsible for safeguarding. I looked at a range of documentation linked to safeguarding, including: child protection policies and procedures; absence data; information about how pupils’ behaviour is managed and information about how more vulnerable pupils are supported. I talked to pupils during the inspection and asked them about how safe they feel. 25–26 February 2020

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 I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at playtimes and lunchtimes. I gathered pupils’ views about the school through formal and informal discussions. I considered the 19 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  I scrutinised a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and safeguarding documents.  I gathered the views of parents at the end of the day. I considered the 80 responses to Ofsted’s parent questionnaire, Parent View, and the 19 free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Karen Heath, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25–26 February 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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