Laycock Academy

Inspection of a good school: Laycock Primary School Laycock Lane, Laycock, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD22 0PP

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Outcome

Laycock Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They are proud to wear their school uniform. Pupils are respectful to each other and to adults. Leaders and teachers have high expectations of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. Staff care deeply about the well-being of pupils. Pupils know adults will listen to them if they have any worries or concerns. Pupils’ good behaviour around school contributes to a calm environment. Bullying is not tolerated. On the rare occasions it happens, adults resolve it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make a strong contribution to the life of the school. For example, they take on responsibilities such as playground buddies, cloakroom monitors and school councillors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very active and enjoy the excellent facilities in the school playground. They describe everyone as friendly. They say that no-one is ever left on their own at playtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school at the heart of its community. Leaders have built a strong partnership with parents. Many parents and carers appreciate the work the school is doing to help their children develop personal and academic skills.

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

Leaders have planned an effective curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils. They have made sure it is carefully sequenced from early years to Year 6. Leaders have identified the crucial knowledge in each subject that pupils must learn and by when. This allows pupils to build on what they already know.

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

Reading and phonics are planned very effectively across the school. This helps children in early years and pupils in key stage 1 to learn new sounds quickly. Children enjoy learning to read and most engage enthusiastically. The early reading leader is an expert in the 14 September 2022

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teaching of phonics and supports adults to teach phonics well. Books are well matched to the sounds that pupils know. Some pupils, who find phonics and reading difficult, get skilful support to help them catch up. Teachers reinforce new sounds with children in lessons during the day. Staff read regularly to pupils. Children in Reception bring books from home for the teacher to read to the class. They are excited when the teacher chooses to read one of their books. Older pupils read words and sounds quickly and fluently. By Year 6, pupils have good reading skills. They enjoy and understand what they are reading. A love of reading is fostered across the school, and many pupils are avid readers.

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Teachers plan a range of suitable activities to help pupils learn well in mathematics. Leaders have supported new teachers to teach the mathematics curriculum effectively. Teachers use assessment well. They identify gaps in pupils’ learning and address them. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, have a sound understanding of mathematics and problem-solving.

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In Reception, children develop good communication and listening skills through well- planned activities. Effective questioning makes sure that children are always focused on learning. Children are beginning to develop good mathematical vocabulary.

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The history curriculum is well taught by some teachers. Other staff, with less experience, do not always plan lessons which ensure that the curriculum is taught as leaders intend. Pupils enjoy history when they are taught well but can lose concentration and interest when they are not clear about what is expected of them. Pupils enjoy historical visits to places such as the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

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Pupils, and children in Reception, are confident and polite when meeting visitors. They enjoy voting for the school council, collecting for charities and taking on jobs such as helping the caretaker. They have a good understanding of equality and diversity. Pupils said they abide by the ‘Golden Rule’ and treat people as they would want to be treated.

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Staff report that their workload is taken into account by leaders and that assessment systems are not onerous.

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The trust board keeps a close eye on how the school is helping pupils to learn. It has a clear and accurate understanding of the work of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are vigilant and know how to keep pupils safe. They know about local issues and have updates about safeguarding. Leaders work with parents and, when necessary, contact external agencies to keep pupils safe. Thorough checks are made on the suitability of adults to work with pupils. The trust checks the effectiveness of safeguarding procedures regularly. 14 September 2022

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Pupils are well aware of, and know how to manage, risks they may face online. They learn about road safety and how to swim.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Currently, teachers’ knowledge and expertise vary in some foundation subjects, for example history. As a result, planned work for pupils is not always closely matched to the intended curriculum. This affects some pupils’ attitudes to learning, presentation of work and knowledge of these subjects. Leaders should explore ways of providing subject-specific training for staff to ensure that there is consistently high-quality teaching in all subjects.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Laycock Primary School, to be good in June 2014.

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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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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 September 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Laycock Primary School converted to become an academy school in May 2018. When its predecessor school, Laycock Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school was a founding member of the Pennine Academies Yorkshire Trust, which it joined when it converted.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There has been significant change in staffing since the previous academic year. Some of the changes are temporary.

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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 met with the headteacher and subject leaders. The lead inspector held a discussion with three trustees, including the chair of the board. The lead inspector also met the chief executive officer of the trust and the director of primary education. 14 September 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. This involved meeting with curriculum leaders, visiting a sample of lessons, looking at samples of pupils’ work, including some work from the previous year, and talking to teachers and pupils. Inspectors also listened to some pupils reading.  Inspectors looked at curriculum plans, and pupils’ work, with leaders.  Inspectors reviewed a range of safeguarding documentation, including the single central record. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leader and the child and parent support officer to check how leaders record and respond to safeguarding concerns. Inspectors checked the safeguarding and welfare requirements for children in early years. They spoke with staff about safeguarding and child protection. Inspectors spoke to pupils about safety and how they learn to stay safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the day. They spoke to pupils about

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their views on behaviour in school. Inspectors considered how the school is supporting pupils’ personal development.  Inspectors spoke with a number of parents at the end of the school day. Inspectors analysed responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire.  Inspectors met with pupils and staff to consider their views. Inspectors analysed pupil and staff responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Jim McGrath, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Stout Ofsted Inspector 14 September 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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