Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School Leeds Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire WF12 7HP

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School are inquisitive and friendly. They are kind and considerate to one another. They enjoy coming to school to ‘learn lots of new stuff’. Pupils enjoy playing with their friends and the range of equipment on offer during breaktimes and lunchtimes. If they find themselves without anyone to play with, they sit on the friendship bench. It is not long before other pupils spot them and ask them to join in with their games.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that bullying rarely takes place, but they know that if it does, an adult will ‘sort it out’ very quickly. Staff are vigilant around any behaviour incidents that occur. If an incident does happen, leaders support pupils through stories and group discussions. This helps pupils to make the right choices.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum. However, in subjects other than English and mathematics, the curriculum is not consistently well planned and sequenced. Pupils do not always achieve as well as they could, because expectations of them are not consistently high enough, or they are not given the right support to meet their needs. This is particularly the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy extra responsibilities such as being school councillors and monitors. They can develop their interests through a range of extra-curricular activities that are on offer.

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

Leaders are at the early stages of developing the wider curriculum in subjects such as history, geography and art. In some topics within these subjects, leaders set out in detail what they want pupils to know and remember. Pupils engage with lessons and are 5 and 6 April 2022

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successful. However, where expectations of the knowledge pupils will learn are less clear, pupils struggle to remember new concepts. A lack of connection between expectations in areas of learning in the early years and what pupils learn in key stage 1 slows the progress pupils make. Some pupils become disengaged and do not behave as well as they should.

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Teachers checks on what pupils have remembered are not precise enough. They do not identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge well enough. Pupils who do not remember certain concepts do not receive extra help. Leaders have not developed an appropriate assessment to identify where pupils need extra support.

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Leaders have given careful thought to how pupils learn to read. They have made this their top priority. All staff receive training on how to deliver the school’s new phonics programme. Pupils enjoy these lessons and are learning to read. Pupils who are not confident and fluent readers receive support. However, this is not often enough. Pupils do not get enough time to practise reading to an adult. This is slowing down their progress.

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Pupils enjoy mathematics lessons. Leaders have identified that pupils are not as confident in telling the time and understanding place value because of missed learning during COVID-19. Leaders have adapted the curriculum to give pupils practise in these areas.

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Children in the early years benefit from clear routines and expectations. They engage well when activities and lessons are well planned, in areas of learning such as in mathematics. However, where leaders have not clearly set out the curriculum children should learn, children are less engaged and make less progress.

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Leaders’ plans to support a minority of pupils with acute complex needs have been prioritised and are effective in identifying strategies that help pupils to achieve. However, most pupils with SEND are not given the support they need to access the full curriculum. Staff do not have enough knowledge or expertise to fully meet pupils’ needs and ensure that they can access the curriculum successfully. This means that many pupils with SEND do not make the progress they should.

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Leaders have a planned personal development programme in place that support pupils’ wider development. Pupils learn about friendships and families and are confident to talk about these. Pupils enjoy a range of activities that they can take part in during the school’s ‘active week’ such as rock climbing and martial arts.

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Staff feel that leaders support them to manage their workload. They say that leaders have an ‘open door’ policy and that they can talk to them about any issues, either personal or work-related.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 5 and 6 April 2022

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Leaders ensure that all staff understand how to identify pupils that may be at risk of harm or neglect. They do this through regular training and updates. Staff know how to raise and record concerns.

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Pupils are taught how to stay safe both in the community and online through the school’s personal development curriculum. Pupils feel safe and can explain why they are safe. Leaders identify pupils who maybe struggling and offer support through the school’s children’s champion.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In wider curriculum subjects, such as history, leaders have not set out the knowledge that they want pupils to remember. They have not planned out how what children learn in key stage 1 will build on what they learn in the early years. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum from early years to Year 2 is well planned and sequenced. Staff should receive training to deliver these effectively.  Leaders’ systems to check on pupils’ knowledge and understanding in the wider curriculum are not developed. Teachers do not fully consider what pupils already know and can do. Where expected knowledge in the curriculum is less clear, teachers are unsure exactly what to assess. Some gaps in pupils’ knowledge are missed. Leaders need to align curriculum expectations and assessment arrangements, so that teachers are very clear what to check on. This will help teachers identify where pupils have not remembered the knowledge they need and where they need extra support.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils who struggle to read with accuracy and fluency do not read to an adult often enough. They do not catch up as quickly as they should. Leaders should ensure that interventions are frequent and that staff regularly listen to pupils read. This will ensure that pupils get enough practice to help them become confident readers more quickly.  The curriculum does not meet the needs of many pupils with SEND. Staff do not have the knowledge or expertise needed to provide the right support. The progress that many pupils with SEND make is too slow. Leaders should ensure that staff receive training so that they are able to identify and provide the right support for pupils with SEND across the curriculum.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately. 5 and 6 April 2022

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This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 5 and 6 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10200337 Type of school Infant

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provision

Appropriate authority The governing body

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provision

Date of previous inspection 9 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club.  The school does not use alternative provision.  There is a new headteacher in post since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the assistant headteachers, teachers and the school business manager. The inspector also met two members of the local governing body and a meeting was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, 5 and 6 April 2022

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spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also heard pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lesson visits and at break and lunchtimes. She spoke to pupils about their views on behaviour.  The inspector spoke with parents at the end of the school day. The inspector considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss the actions taken to keep children safe. She reviewed a range of documents including the school’s single central record.

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Inspection team

Jenny Thomas, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 April 2022

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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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