Sharneyford Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Sharneyford Primary School Todmorden Road, Bacup, Lancashire OL13 9UQ

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Outcome

Sharneyford Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Sharneyford Primary School is a welcoming learning community where pupils are happy. Staff and pupils greet visitors with warm and friendly smiles. Many pupils said that this small school is like being part of an extended family.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff treat pupils with respect and kindness. Pupils understand the importance of demonstrating the same qualities to their peers. Pupils feel safe in this supportive and caring environment. They trust staff to help them when they feel worried or upset.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff are ambitious for every pupil, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders expect pupils to achieve highly. Staff are successful at making this happen. Adults are keen to celebrate pupils’ achievements at every opportunity. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff model and expect high standards of behaviour. Pupils respond to this by being polite and well mannered. Pupils know how to spot the different kinds of bullying. They said that bullying was very rare and that it is dealt with quickly when it does occur. Parents and carers agree.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At this small school, teachers are keen to offer plenty of extra learning experiences to bring the curriculum to life. For example, pupils develop their outdoor skills, imagination and scientific knowledge through the work they do in the local woodland area.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn. From the early years to Year 6, they have ensured that the curriculum is well designed in almost every subject. Overall, staff deliver the curriculum well. This is because leaders’ design of the curriculum successfully takes account of the different needs of the mixed-age classes. The key knowledge that staff must teach to pupils is clearly set out in the majority of subjects. In 9 June 2022

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most curriculum areas, ideas and concepts build successfully over time. This helps pupils, and children in the early years, to know and remember more of their learning.

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In one or two subjects, however, the curriculum is still being refined. The knowledge that teachers want pupils to learn is not as clear as it could be. The curriculum in these remaining subjects has not been fully adapted to take sufficient account of the needs of pupils from mixed-age groups. Sometimes, this hinders pupils’ ability to get the most out of the curriculum on offer. Despite this, pupils, and children in the early years, achieve well across the curriculum. Overall, leaders have created a broad, interesting and relevant curriculum that prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

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Teachers’ knowledge of the curriculum motivates pupils. Teachers, including those in the early years, explain new ideas clearly. They use leaders’ assessment systems well. Teachers pick up and deal with misconceptions quickly and provide pupils with regular opportunities to revisit and recap important learning.

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Learning to read is one of leaders’ top priorities. A love of books and reading is an important feature of school life. Teachers provide engaging and innovative reading competitions. For example, they encourage pupils to read stories to animals. Older pupils value reading and recognise that it fires their imagination. They said that reading fluently will help them to build their knowledge and vocabulary.

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Children get off to a good start with learning to read in the early years. They enjoy songs, rhymes and stories. In the Reception class, children quickly get to know letters and sounds, and how to blend them together to make words. As they move into key stage 1, pupils read books that match the sounds they already know. They practise often and become confident readers.

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Pupils who struggle to read receive appropriately targeted support. This successfully builds their confidence and increases their fluency in reading. These pupils are identified quickly and very few of them fall behind their peers.

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Staff know and understand the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders make sure that these pupils’ needs are identified correctly. Staff across the school work well with external agencies to support those pupils with complex needs. Leaders ensure that these pupils have the same opportunities to access the school’s ambitious curriculum as their classmates.

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Pupils behave well around school and in class. They enjoy learning and are keen to do their best. They are confident to contribute to lessons by sharing their ideas and opinions. Pupils enjoy playing together at breaktimes. Younger pupils really appreciate the care that the older ones show them.

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Older pupils relish their role in school and take up the opportunities they are given to invent new clubs and responsibilities for the good of the school community. For example, some pupils have been trained as mental health ambassadors and run a ‘feelings club’ for their peers. Pupils enjoy the range of clubs and activities on offer, including skiing, yoga and sports tournaments. Pupils with SEND join in all that the school offers. 9 June 2022

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Staff feel well supported by leaders with their workload and well-being. They are proud and happy to work at the school. Governors hold leaders fully to account for their work to improve the curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff understand their responsibility to keep pupils safe. Regular training ensures that all staff have up-to-date safeguarding knowledge. The procedures in place for reporting concerns are well understood by all staff.

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Safeguarding

Leaders maintain a close oversight of the pupils that they know to be vulnerable. They work closely with parents and external agencies. Pupils and families get the timely support that they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including how to manage risks when online. For example, pupils learn about cyber bullying and can clearly describe how to stay safe when on the internet. Pupils know what to do if they have a concern about their safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In one or two subjects, leaders have not adapted the curriculum sufficiently well to take account of the needs of mixed-age pupils who are learning in the same class. As a result, some pupils are missing out on the essential knowledge that they need to achieve highly. Leaders should revise their curriculum thinking in these subjects so that teachers know exactly what knowledge they want pupils of different ages in the same class to learn and when this should be taught.

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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.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 2014. 9 June 2022

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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. 9 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240667 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 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 School leaders do not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their work and school life. Inspectors also spoke with the headteacher, who was also the special educational needs coordinator. They held discussions with staff that focused on the well-being and safeguarding of pupils.  An inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including that relating to school improvement, safeguarding and the checks undertaken on newly appointed staff. 9 June 2022

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 Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the responses received via the free-text facility. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey.  An inspector talked with pupils about the books that they like to read. An inspector also heard pupils read.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.

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Inspection team

Sue Eastwood, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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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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