South Kirkby Common Road Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of South Kirkby Common Road Infant and Nursery School Common Road, South Kirkby, Pontefract, West Yorkshire WF9 3EA

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 November 2021

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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 17 and 18 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers really appreciate the positive changes that leaders have introduced over the last couple of years. Some parents wrote to Ofsted months ago to tell us this. In 2019, only 42% of parents who completed the Parent View survey would have recommended the school. In our survey for this inspection, 98% of parents said they would recommend the school now. One parent said, ‘Mrs Edwards has given the change it needed to create a happy, family-feel school.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel settled, safe and secure. Staff expect pupils to behave themselves. Pupils understand this. Pupils follow the rules in class and on the playground. Consequently, pupils behave well when they are learning and at social times. There is no bullying. Pupils pay attention in class. They stop what they are doing straight away if teachers need them to listen carefully. Poor behaviour never disrupts learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lots of pupils have missed school unavoidably because of COVID-19 isolation periods. Leaders noticed that some pupils are having far too much time off school, on top of their COVID-19-related absences. These pupils are missing out on their education far too often.

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better?

The new headteacher has increased staff training in all areas of the curriculum. Teaching assistants appreciate being included in training now. One teaching assistant said, ‘Since the start of this year, we have been offered more training alongside teaching staff, and this has helped to create an even stronger team.’ Staff appreciate the healthy culture of professional respect. Staff say leaders support them in managing their workload well.

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better?

Leaders improved the curriculum for early reading and phonics in 2019. All staff teach the phonics programme consistently and as it is designed to be taught. Reading books are matched closely to pupils’ phonics knowledge. Pupils read with increasing confidence and fluency.

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better?

Leaders give phonics teaching the highest priority. When staff are off sick, or isolating due to COVID-19, leaders always start the day by planning who will teach absent teachers’ phonics sessions. The new headteacher is an advanced skills teacher. She often teaches phonics lessons herself.

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better?

The curriculum is well planned and sequenced. Teachers make learning fun. Pupils can remember what they have learned. For example, in a science lesson, pupils could recall and describe different parts of the body, such as blood cells, lungs, plasma and platelets. Pupils remembered vividly the unset orange jelly that the teacher used to represent blood plasma. This creative, age-appropriate strategy is a typical example of teachers helping pupils to remember their learning long-term. 17 and 18 November 2021

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Too many pupils are missing out on the improved curriculum on offer because they are absent so often. A third of Year 1 pupils are persistently absent. This is holding their learning back.

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Teachers in the early years encourage children to practise their word reading and number skills when they are playing. For example, telephone numbers are written by the toy telephone in Nursery Year. Three-year-old children have a go at dialling the numbers listed for mummy, daddy or ‘nanna’. The outdoor learning environment is just as enticing as it is indoors. There are lots of opportunities for reading, mark- making and counting indoors and outside. Children are learning and thriving.

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Teachers analyse assessment information skilfully. They use this information to make sure that learning is planned that meets each individual pupil’s needs. Parents of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) told inspectors that school leaders listen more carefully to parents’ views now. This is helping pupils with SEND to make good progress.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal development is good. Leaders are helping pupils to learn about democracy by putting it into practice. Members of the pupil parliament are elected by their peers. Staff consult the pupil parliament and listen to their views. For example, the headteacher asked the pupil parliament if they would like a Macmillan coffee morning for parents. The pupil parliament said instead of parents, they would prefer pupils to have the opportunity to share hot chocolate and a bun together. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed raising funds for charity, having a treat in the process.

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Pupils’ behaviour is good. Even the youngest children behave well. Leaders are continuing to improve the curriculum to ensure that pupils’ behaviour consistently shows respect for people of other faiths and cultures. Pupils are given moments of stillness and quiet reflection during the day. Classical music plays in corridors. This school is an oasis of calm.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have trained staff to make sure that they can identify pupils who may be at risk of harm quickly and accurately. Leaders work closely with other professionals to get pupils the extra help they need to stay safe.

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Safeguarding

Governors thoroughly check the school’s safeguarding arrangements. Leaders ensure that all the necessary recruitment checks are made.

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Safeguarding

Some parents do not notify the school if their child is going to be absent from school. Staff spend lots of time ringing or texting parents and other contacts. If no one replies, leaders make home visits to check that absent pupils are safe. 17 and 18 November 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Not including any COVID-19-related absences, 43 pupils are persistently absent. This represents a quarter of the school population. Absent pupils are missing out on valuable learning time. Persistently absent pupils are not receiving their full statutory entitlement to education. They are not securing the core knowledge and skills they should achieve for their age. Leaders should continue to work with families to help persistent absentees attend school. This will give all pupils equal opportunity to make good progress in all areas of their learning.

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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. 17 and 18 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200649 Type of school Infant and Nursery

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 December 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 An interim headteacher led the school between 2019 and 2021. The new substantive headteacher was appointed in June 2021.  Following the last inspection, the local authority identified some experienced governors to improve the effectiveness of the governing body.  The chair of governors was appointed in September 2021.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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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 school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met the headteacher, the assistant headteacher and the early years leader. The reading, mathematics, art and design, science and geography subject leaders also met inspectors. 17 and 18 November 2021

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 A meeting was held with two governors, including the chair of governors.  A representative from Wakefield local authority met inspectors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading and phonics, mathematics, science, geography and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) to discuss provision for pupils with SEND and evaluate education, health and care plans. Inspectors visited lessons with the SENCo to observe the extra support in place for pupils with SEND. Telephone conversations were held with three parents of pupils with SEND.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety were evaluated on arrival at school, at breakfast club, in the dining room and at breaktimes.

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 Senior safeguarding leaders and the school business manager met inspectors to discuss recruitment and safeguarding records.  Inspectors checked all pupil leavers and their destinations to rule out off-rolling.  Inspectors met leaders to evaluate their use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and COVID-19 catch-up funding.  Several parents spoke to inspectors during the inspection. Inspectors reviewed the 42 responses to Parent View and considered two written responses that were sent separately to Ofsted, providing parents’ positive views of the school’s provision for remote education.  Teachers met inspectors to discuss the quality of education and leaders’ support for their workload. Two teachers attended these meetings online. Inspectors also evaluated 17 staff responses to Ofsted’s survey and considered one letter written by a member of staff for the attention of the lead inspector.

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 Inspectors considered the 21 pupils’ responses to Ofsted’s survey. Informal discussions were also held with pupils at breaktimes.  Fourteen members of staff, including two teachers, were absent during this inspection.

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Inspection team

Tracey Ralph, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Judy Shaw Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 November 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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