Honley CofE (VC) Junior, Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of Honley CofE (VC) Junior, Infant and Nursery School Jaggar Lane, Honley, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD9 6BT

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 October 2021

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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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 19 and 20 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils enjoy coming to school and are motivated to learn. They work hard to show how they follow the school ‘golden values’ of respect, trust, resilience, responsibility, and kindness. They are polite and friendly towards peers, staff, and visitors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in their lessons most of the time. They respond well to the positive direction of adults. However, when learning does not match their needs, they sometimes lose focus. When this happens, they remain compliant and complete the work asked of them. Some pupils are unable to self-regulate their own behaviour during more unstructured times. Adults help them to make the right choices.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they feel safe. They know staff help them if they have a concern. Bullying is rare. Leaders use restorative approaches to help repair relationships when misunderstandings occur. Pupils know it is important to help one another.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents are positive about the school. They say they can communicate well with all staff. They would recommend the school to other parents. However, some parents expressed their concerns about the support given to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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better?

Leaders have developed detailed curriculum plans with an aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. However, they have not ensured staff have the skills they need to implement them effectively.

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better?

A new phonics scheme was introduced last year. Leaders recognised the previous scheme was not supporting pupils to develop the early reading skills for them to become fluent and confident readers. They have provided information to parents about the new scheme. This helps parents understand how to help their children at home.

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better?

The teaching of reading and phonics is not helping pupils to read with confidence and fluency. In many cases the books pupils read do not match the sounds that pupils know. Weaker readers in key stage 2 struggle to read unfamiliar words. They have too many gaps in their phonic knowledge. Some staff have not received the training they need to be able to support pupils to read well. As a result, some pupils do not catch up quickly and are unable to access the full curriculum.

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better?

There is a clear coherent curriculum in place across keys stage 1 and 2 in mathematics. It is taught in small steps and most pupils can access the learning because they are prepared for each step. However, leaders are unaware of what is taught in early years and do not know how it prepares pupils for work in Year 1. 19 and 20 October 2021

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The geography curriculum has a clear rationale. However, many staff are in the early stages of implementing it. Staff are not sure how to ensure pupils can remember important information because they put in too much content.

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Although the most able pupils develop their writing skills, other pupils do not have the automatic handwriting skills they should have for their age. Teachers provide opportunities to write across the curriculum, but in some cases the activities are not well chosen or sequenced in a developmental way.

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Leaders have ensured the individual plans for pupils with SEND are detailed and are of high quality. However, many staff do not have the skills they need to be able to adapt the curriculum well enough for these pupils. They do not make the right activity choices and adaptations for pupils with SEND. Leaders have not monitored the quality of provision well enough to make sure the plans have been implemented in the classroom.

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Leaders consider that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is as important as their academic achievement. They have taken appropriate steps to give them equal importance. Pupils learn about the fundamental British values through the curriculum, assemblies, visits, and visitors to school. However, provision to develop pupils’ knowledge of different religions and cultures is less effective. As a result, they are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be.

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Leaders have secured an inclusive culture which is underpinned by a strong commitment to promoting equality and diversity. Leaders have thought carefully about the content and sequencing of the relationships, sex, and health education curriculum, including the teaching of the protected characteristics, especially in relation to the school’s Christian values. However, pupils’ understanding of consent is less well developed.

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Pupils have the opportunity to develop their talents and interests in sporting events. They like the variety of activities on offer as part of physical education and say the school performs well in competitions.

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Children in early years enjoy learning about phonics. They like making the actions associated with each sound. Leaders understand the importance of children having a deep understanding of number. However, they have not thought about how they connect what they are doing to the rest of the school’s mathematics curriculum. Children have positive attitudes to their learning. Staff are warm and encouraging. Children respond well to this and want to be kind to each other.

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Leaders have supported staff with managing their workload. They have a high regard for staff well-being. Staff say leaders are approachable.

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The governing body supports the school well. Governors have a full understanding of their statutory duties. They continue to access a range of training to support them in their roles. 19 and 20 October 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are aware of the issues in the community that may affect their pupils. They work in partnership with external agencies. As a result, pupils receive the support they need.

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Safeguarding

All staff have regular training so they can identify potential safeguarding risks. They take swift action and know how to raise concerns.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to stay safe online. Parents receive updates about new dangers online to help them keep their children safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are not providing a good enough education. Despite curriculum plans being in place, they have not been implemented well. Leaders have not monitored the quality of implementation. As a result, teachers do not ensure they plan appropriate activities to meet the needs of all pupils. Leaders should ensure staff have the training and support they need to put the plans into place.  Some curriculum leaders do not understand how the early years curriculum links across the school. This means it is not clear how it links to learning in key stage 1, so that pupils are prepared for learning a full range of subjects. Leaders must ensure the curriculum in key stage 1 builds effectively on pupils’ learning in the early years.  Across the school, pupils who struggle to read have reading books that are too challenging. They do not receive sufficient support to enable them to become confident readers. Staff do not model the pure sounds well enough for pupils to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

decode unfamiliar words. This prevents pupils from accessing the curriculum as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that reading books match the sounds that pupils already know, and that pupils who struggle to read receive the support they need to enable them to read with greater confidence.  Pupils with SEND are not accessing the provision they need, despite detailed plans being provided by leaders. This is due to staff not having the necessary skills and understanding of how to implement the plans. Leaders must ensure staff have the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully meet the needs of pupils with SEND.  Leaders have not secured an effective approach to the teaching of writing. Handwriting has not been sufficiently prioritised for pupils in key stage 1 to ensure that they acquire the automatic fluency they need to write well in key stage 2. Although leaders have identified handwriting as an area of focus, plans

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

are at an early stage. Leaders must ensure their plans are implemented effectively. 19 and 20 October 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 19 and 20 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200760 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Information about this school

 The school was formed in May 2017, with the merger of the nursery and infants’ schools with the junior school.  The headteacher of the junior school was appointed as the headteacher of the new school in May 2017.  The school is larger than the average primary school.  The school has a day care provision for two- and three-year-olds.  There is an out-of-hours provision, run by the school, available for pupils to attend before and after school.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation. 19 and 20 October 2021

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and the early years leader.  Meetings were held with a representative of the local authority and members of the governing body.  The lead inspector considered an external report from the local authority representative and governors’ minutes.  Inspectors examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans and documentation relating to attendance and pupils’ behaviour.  Curriculum plans for early reading, mathematics, geography, physical education and personal, social and health education were discussed. The inspection team visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at examples of pupils’ work.  Information on attendance, behaviour and safeguarding records were analysed. Meetings with leaders and different staff across the school were held to discuss

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the safeguarding of pupils.  Pupils’ behaviour was considered at different times of the day, including lunchtime and in lessons.  Inspectors considered the views of parents through 34 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and by meeting parents during the inspection.  Views of staff from the 37 responses to the Ofsted survey and meetings during the inspection were considered.  Views of pupils during meetings, in lessons, and around school were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Louise Greatrex, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Knox Her Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 20 October 2021

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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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