Holmfirth Junior Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Holmfirth Junior Infant and Nursery School Cartworth Road, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire HD9 2RG

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Outcome

Holmfirth Junior Infant and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Holmfirth Junior Infant and Nursery is a caring school that is very well regarded by the community. Staff have high expectations of all pupils. Pupils say that they are proud of their school and that they enjoy attending. They told the inspector that they feel safe and trust the adults to look after them. Pupils understand what bullying is and the different forms it can take. They confirm that bullying rarely happens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The support leaders provide for pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Leaders ensure that pupils have a clear awareness and appreciation of diversity. A carefully structured curriculum for personal, social and health education develops pupils’ understanding of healthy relationships. As a result, pupils are clear how to manage risks and keep themselves safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils conduct themselves sensibly around school. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in classrooms. Typically, pupils behave well in lessons. Most listen carefully and work hard. They have positive attitudes to learning. Parents praise the school’s efforts to develop pupils as individuals, as well as responsible and active citizens. One parent, whose opinions represented the views of many, said ‘the school is a magical place where the decisions that are made centre the child at the heart’.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about the subject knowledge they want pupils to know and the order in which pupils will learn it. This ensures that new knowledge builds on what pupils already know. However, this is not the case for all pupils. For pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the curriculum does not identify the crucial knowledge they need to learn. Most pupils remember what they have been taught. In science, for example, pupils could clearly explain what they knew about man-made and natural light sources. They then used this knowledge when learning about the refraction of light, and day and night. 14 and 15 June 2022

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Teaching pupils to read is a high priority. Teachers ensure pupils read books which match the sounds they are learning. This helps pupils to quickly become fluent readers. The youngest pupils get off to a good start in their reading. They quickly learn letter sounds and use this knowledge to help them read. Pupils enjoy listening to teachers read stories as part of their daily story time. Leaders have carefully chosen books which link to the topics pupils are learning. This gives pupils’ extra information about the subjects they are learning. The library provides a wide choice of books for pupils to borrow and read. Older pupils read widely, including works from classic authors such as William Shakespeare and Jane Austin. Pupils who need support to catch up are quickly identified. All adults have received the training they need to teach phonics well.

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In mathematics, pupils know that their multiplication facts help them to understand fractions. Mathematics teaching in the early years focuses on developing children’s counting skills. Inspectors saw children easily identify a number of objects without having to count them, as they recognised the pattern they made. Teachers use subject vocabulary with precision. This helps pupils to know and understand mathematical terms and use these in their work. Teachers usually check that pupils have learned important knowledge before they teach something new. However, the presentation of some pupils’ work is not good enough. This leads to mistakes or misunderstandings which are sometimes missed by teachers.

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Children in the early years enjoy learning together in welcoming and attractive spaces indoors and outdoors. These areas prioritise language, reading and number. Children quickly become curious and independent learners enjoying the learning that staff plan for them. Staff talk to the children and ask probing questions. This contributes to developing children’s knowledge, understanding and skills well. Adults make the children think hard about their learning. While playing, children develop their social skills as well as their ability to talk, read, write and count. This makes learning fun for all.

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The school has an effective personal development programme. Leaders ensure that pupils have access to a wide range of activities and enrichment opportunities. Opportunities such as forest schools, chess and drama are well attended. Pupils make an active contribution to their school. They act as road safety officers, librarians and school councillors. Pupils are proud to plan and run clubs for the benefit of others.

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Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of fundamental British values and are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They show respectful and tolerant attitudes, and know how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Pupils like that the school has no uniform. It allows them to be unique and themselves. As one pupil told the inspector, 'We just like being treated like individuals, staff know us for who we are’.

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Governors know the school well. They use their combined knowledge and skills effectively to provide robust challenge and support to leaders. They make appropriate checks on the quality of education and safeguarding. This has helped the school continue to improve. 14 and 15 June 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is a key priority for all staff. Leaders have ensured that staff have had all the necessary training that they need to keep pupils safe. Staff are vigilant to risks that affect their pupils.

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Safeguarding

Staff quickly identify pupils who may be at risk and take appropriate action when required. Leaders follow up safeguarding issues appropriately. They work very well with external agencies and families to support pupils who need help.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught to keep safe in a range of situations, including when playing outside and when using the internet or social media. The school holds events to inform pupils of these risks and how to manage them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, pupils with SEND have not secured the knowledge and skills they need before moving on to new learning. Leaders should identify the essential knowledge and skills they want all pupils with SEND to learn and be secure with before moving on. This will enable teachers to check that pupils with SEND remember the essential subject content in order to be ready for future learning.  The quality of pupils’ work is too variable. Leaders’ expectations of pupils recorded work are not consistently applied. This leads to pupils making unnecessary mistakes. These mistakes leads to misconceptions that are not always addressed as teachers are unable to read accurately the recorded work. Leaders need to make sure that in all lessons, all pupils, at all times, take the care and attention needed to produce the quality work leaders expect.

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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 November 2012. 14 and 15 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. 14 and 15 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10228168 Type of school Junior Infant and Nursery

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteachers Julian Rose and Jon Warrener

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 May 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is an average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are of white British heritage.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding is lower than the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There is a before and after-school club called ‘Tiger Club’. This is not managed by the school’s governing body.

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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 the school and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school. 14 and 15 June 2022

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 The inspector spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject leaders, a range of school staff, a representative from the local authority and members of the governing body.  The inspector discussed the school’s records on attendance and behaviour with leaders.  During the inspection, the inspector spoke to pupils about their work and school life. The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at playtime and lunchtime.  The inspector spoke to parents and considered the 57 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also considered the 24 responses to the online staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and science. The inspector talked to leaders of these subjects, visited lessons, listened to pupils read, reviewed pupils’ work, and spoke to teachers and pupils.  The inspector considered a range of information and documentation provided by the

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school, including curriculum planning for a wide range of subjects, the school self- evaluation documents, plans for improvement and governor minutes. The inspector also looked at information available on the school’s website.  The inspector held a meeting with the leaders responsible for safeguarding. A range of safeguarding documents were checked. Pupils’ safeguarding information was discussed and evaluated.

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Inspection team

Nicola Shipman, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 June 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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