Old Town Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Old Town Primary School Billy Lane, Wadsworth, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire HX7 8RY

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Outcome

Old Town Primary School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a section 5 inspection now. The school's next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Old Town Primary is a school that is at the very heart of its local community. It is hard to identify where the school ends and the local community begins. Many volunteers ably support the daily work of school staff in developing pupils personally and academically. Over half the pupils in school sing in the school choir. They regularly perform locally and beyond. All pupils in Years 3 and 4 perform in a musical, written specially for them by a member of staff, based on the history of the local area.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. Pupils thrive academically because of well- planned curriculums and high-quality teaching. They benefit from a wealth of trips that are carefully matched to their learning. Pupils enjoy talking about their learning in the context of the real world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying and poor behaviour is rare. When it does happen, leaders deal with it very effectively. Leaders ensure that all pupils involved get the support they need. Pupils feel safe and well cared for. Leaders make sure that pupils receive highly effective personal support to help them navigate their worries, challenges and concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are resolutely committed to ensuring that all pupils can benefit from the education they offer. Teachers provide highly effective support to make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can take a full part in learning. Additional support is provided to enable all pupils to benefit from extra-curricular opportunities, such as learning to play an instrument.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and families value the work of the school exceptionally highly. 20 July 2022

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

Leaders have involved the local community in the design of the school curriculum, for example by including the study of the Cragg Vale Coiners in the history curriculum. In each subject, leaders have identified the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to know, from Reception to Year 6. This helps teachers to ensure pupils make strong progress as they move through the school.

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

Teachers benefit from effective training that supports their subject knowledge and understanding. When starting a new topic, teachers check that pupils have remembered what they have studied previously and address any gaps in learning. Leaders check what pupils have learned in the long term by having focused ‘revise and rotate’ discussions with pupils. They use this information well to make changes to their curriculum, teaching and staff training.

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

Teachers and leaders make sure that effective learning support plans are established for all pupils with SEND. Teachers involve parents in the regular review of these detailed plans to make sure that the current needs of each individual pupil are met well. Families of pupils with SEND are exceptionally happy with the support their children receive.

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

Pupils develop strong reading skills. Children learn phonics from the very start of Reception. Leaders provide high-quality training to all adults working with children as they learn to read, including volunteers. Adults consistently use the agreed phonic approaches to support children to keep up with the planned phonics programme. Where additional practice or teaching is needed, this happens quickly. Children in Reception, or pupils in other years learning phonics, read to adults daily.

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

Pupils across the school enjoy reading. They talk about books they have enjoyed reading and have recommended to their friends. Teachers read to their classes every day. The books that they read have been carefully selected to broaden pupils’ reading experiences. Books read by teachers are carefully matched with books in the library. Staff, including a school librarian, skilfully encourage pupils to read a wide range of different books rather than ‘sticking with what they know’.

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

Staff in school know their pupils and their families very well. They know the barriers that exist which prevent some pupils from being able to benefit from the exceptional range of opportunities available. Leaders work with families to ensure that all barriers are removed. For example, where finance prevents a pupil from learning to play an instrument, leaders secure alternative funding. Almost all pupils in school are learning to play an instrument. Many are learning to play two or more.

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

Leaders have developed a personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum that teaches pupils about themselves, their place in the world, and the world around them. Leaders have carefully planned assemblies to support this programme. Pupils learn about different faiths in lessons and first-hand from visitors in assembly. 20 July 2022

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Leaders, including governors, have a determination to keep improving. They actively seek feedback from pupils, families and staff. They act on points made. Leaders ensure that staff are only asked to do things that will make a positive difference to pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured, through frequent training, that every adult working in school, including volunteers, knows the signs that a pupil may be at risk. Adults know their responsibility to report concerns and clearly understand the processes to do so.

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Safeguarding

The designated safeguarding lead ensures that, when concerns are raised, appropriate next steps are taken promptly, including seeking support from outside agencies where necessary.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught about the risks they may face as they grow up. Leaders ensure that the personal safety curriculum is flexible enough to address new issues, both locally and nationally, that could place pupils at risk. They ensure that this information is shared with parents.

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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 to be a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2016.

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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 . 20 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. 20 July 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10200309 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 2 and 3 November 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school.  The school does not use any 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, the leader in charge of the PSHE curriculum, the designated safeguarding lead, a group of governors and the local authority school effectiveness officer.  Inspectors considered a wide range of documentary information, including school policies, school self-evaluations, records of behaviour and bullying, minutes of governing body meetings and information regarding safeguarding processes.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of 20 July 2022

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lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector listened to pupils reading.  An inspector met with the subject leader of history and reviewed history curriculum planning documents.  Inspectors visited the breakfast club and observed pupils at social times and when moving around the school.  Inspectors spoke to teachers, teaching assistants, support staff and school volunteers over the course of the inspection and considered the responses to the staff survey.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the school day and reviewed the responses to the Ofsted’s survey, Parent View. This included any free-text responses.  Inspectors met formally with groups of pupils and spoke to others informally throughout the inspection. They considered the responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Steve Wren, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie McGrane Ofsted Inspector 20 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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