Todmorden CofE J, I & N School

Inspection of a good school: Todmorden CofE J, I & N School Burnley Road, Todmorden, Lancashire OL14 7BS

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Outcome

Todmorden CofE J, I & N School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy everything about their school. They say that lessons are fun and interesting and they love the many opportunities they have to be physically active. They rise to the high expectations that leaders, governors and staff have for them. They are proud of the school emblem of a kite bearing the words love, honesty, hope and perseverance. It embodies the aspiration of leaders that everyone will be ‘soaring high together’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well-behaved and polite. They are sensible when moving around school and look after each other in the playground. They work with each other positively, discussing their learning in a mature manner. The way in which the younger pupils help each other to read is particularly impressive. Bullying and name calling are rare. Pupils are confident that it will be sorted out if it does happen. Pupils have a highly developed sense of fairness and respect for others. They take a dim view of anyone who is unkind to someone just because they are different to themselves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want pupils to experience as much of the wider world as possible. They provide a wide range of enrichment activities and make sure that everyone can take part. Pupils respect and care for others and the environment. They have raised huge amounts of money for causes that are important to them.

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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious for all pupils. It is well sequenced from Years 1 to 6 in all subjects. Leaders have identified the smaller blocks of knowledge that they want pupils to learn and remember. This helps teachers to plan sequences of lessons that build on prior learning. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and present information clearly in ways that interest pupils. Teachers identify gaps in pupils’ learning. They make sure they recap and revisit knowledge until pupils remember it over time. 6 and 7 July 2022

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Leaders make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all lessons. Adults check learning in lessons and help pupils to keep up. There is no ceiling on learning. All pupils are challenged to go as far as they possibly can.

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Children in the early years get off to a flying start in reading and mathematics. The curriculum in these subjects is designed to secure the building blocks for successful learning as children move into Year 1. Children get to know numbers inside out. For example, they are able to quickly say all the combinations of numbers that make five. Subject leaders have not included the early years in curriculum plans for other subjects. As a result, learning in other areas of the early years curriculum is not as strong and children are not as well prepared for Year 1 as they could be.

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Reading is a high priority. Teachers read to pupils for enjoyment every day. Pupils change the books they borrow from the well-stocked library every week. The pupil librarians wrap ‘mystery’ books in brown paper to entice other pupils to try them. Reading books for beginner readers closely match the phonic sounds they know. This helps them to tackle their reading books with confidence and enjoyment. Every pupil in school reads to an adult at least once a week. Knowledgeable and well-trained staff give pupils extra help when they need it.

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Teachers help pupils to build their mathematical knowledge gradually and securely. Pupils practise calculations every day before using their knowledge to solve problems. Pupils say that their ‘soaring points’ make them think harder. Year 6 pupils investigate the properties of regular and irregular polygons. This helps them to calculate the size of different angles drawn inside polygons.

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Pupils take their leadership responsibilities very seriously. Pupils regularly lead worship assembly. They think very carefully about the content. For example, Year 4 pupils include a ‘recipe for friendship’ in their assembly. The pupil librarians explain how they look after the library. The house captains say that they encourage others to take part in sport and help organise games in sports week. School councillors are involved in making plans to improve the playground. Everyone is looking forward to these improvements.

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Pupils enjoy the many school visits that are planned for them. The Year 6 pupils were looking forward to their ‘mystery trip’ and the Year 2 pupils were thrilled to be visiting the seaside. They were extremely proud of the beautiful beach bags they had made. After- school activities are free for everyone and are changed regularly. Among the selection on offer at the time of the inspection were tabletop games, aerobics, mile-running club, rounders and quiz club.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained to keep children safe. They know the risks that pupils face, particularly in the local context. Leaders act swiftly to make sure pupils get help and support when they need it. 6 and 7 July 2022

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Leaders have made sure that pupils have many avenues for seeking help from adults. Pupils trust the adults in school to help them if they have any worries.

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Keeping safe is woven through the curriculum and is reinforced through assemblies and visits from organisations such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and the police. As a result, pupils can say what they should and should not do to keep safe, including online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In science and the foundation subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge they want children to learn in the early years. This means that curriculum progression in these subjects is not as strong from the early years to Year 1 as it is from Year 1 onwards. Leaders should identify in these subjects the key knowledge they want children to know and remember to provide a firm foundation for learning 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.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 13 th September 2011.

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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 . 6 and 7 July 2022

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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. 6 and 7 July 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10200323 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 8 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher are new to post since the previous inspection.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of additional funding through the pupil premium grant is above the national average.  The school nursery has provision for two-year olds.  The school runs its own breakfast and after-school club.  The school’s religious character is Christian. The diocese inspects this separately under section 48 of the Education Act 2005.  The last section 48 inspection took place in March 2017. It was judged to be outstanding. Section 48 inspections are currently scheduled within eight years of the previous inspection. This cycle has been extended to allow for the period when inspections were paused due to COVID-19 restrictions 6 and 7 July 2022

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection 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.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, who is also the English leader and SENCo, the mathematics leader and the science leader.  The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority on the telephone.  The inspector spoke with a representative from the diocese of Leeds on the telephone.  The inspector met with a group of girls and a group of boys.  The inspector met with the family support worker and the educational mental health practitioner.  The subjects considered as part of this inspection were reading, mathematics and science. The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects. This entailed meeting

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Information about this inspection

with senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers, looking at curriculum plans, visiting lessons, speaking to pupils about their learning and scrutinising pupils’ work. The inspector also looked at plans and workbooks for history and geography and observed adults listening to pupils read.  The inspector checked the arrangements for safeguarding. This included checks on the single central record, staff training and safeguarding records. The inspector also talked to the designated safeguarding leader.  The inspector discussed the school’s records on attendance and behaviour with the headteacher.  The inspector read the school’s self-evaluation document and plans for improvement.  The inspector talked informally with pupils in lessons and at break times. They also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire.  The inspector took into account the responses to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector met with a number of staff and took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.

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Inspection team

Janet Keefe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 July 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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