St Stephen's CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Stephen's CofE Primary School Gaythorne Road, West Bowling, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD5 7HU

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 2 and 3 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have developed a caring and inclusive ethos where all pupils are valued. The foundations of this ethos stem from the school’s core values: nurture, grow and flourish.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for all pupils. Pupils behave well and have a positive attitude to learning. They learn through a well-planned curriculum which builds year on year. Pupils appreciate the exciting activities that take place at their school. They wear the new school uniform with pride.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults provide an extensive network of support to ensure pupils and families are well cared for. One parent, reflecting the views of many stated, ‘There is nothing they wouldn’t do to help’. The school is a central part of the local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe in school. They know who to go and see if they are worried. Pupils have a good understanding of what bullying is. Incidents of bullying are very rare. When they do occur, adults are quick to sort out problems. Pupils told inspectors that everyone in school is treated fairly.

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better?

Leaders have a clear vision for the curriculum which has been overhauled since the last inspection. They are ambitious for what pupils will achieve and have developed the curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils. Leaders have carefully sequenced the knowledge pupils will learn from Nursery through to Year 6. In history, pupils in Year 6 have developed their knowledge of the ‘Windrush’ and how people’s expectations were different to the actual reality when they arrived in Britain. Pupils also discussed how Bradford has changed over time due to industrialisation.

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better?

Teachers revisit essential knowledge using activities such as ‘flashback’ tasks in mathematics, which helps pupils remember more over time. Most teachers adapt lessons effectively to meet the needs of pupils. However, this is not consistent across all year groups.

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better?

Pupils are supported to develop a real love of reading. Books are celebrated and displayed around the school. The teaching of phonics is effective. Reading books are accurately matched to pupils’ reading ability. Pupils are given frequent opportunities to practise reading skills throughout each day. As a result, they develop as fluent readers. If pupils find reading difficult, adults provide additional support. Leaders have carefully selected a wide range of high-quality books for pupils to read. Pupils discussed their favourite authors, including J. K. Rowling and Philip Pullman.

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better?

Leaders quickly identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are supported effectively. Adults provide them with guidance and additional resources. As a result, pupils with SEND do well. 2 and 3 November 2022

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Children make a good start in the early years. They are welcomed into a supportive environment where adults help them to flourish. Teachers have carefully planned what children need to learn. The curriculum focuses on communication and language, complemented by carefully selected books. Adults support children to be able to work together and share resources. Routines are well developed and children know what is expected of them. There are many activities which appeal to children’s curiosity. For example, some children really enjoyed making Diwali lanterns and were using words such as ‘sparkling’ and ‘glittery’ to describe them.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and focus on their learning. Pupils who need extra guidance with their behaviour, get the help they require. Staff help these pupils make the right choices. Leaders provide support to ensure pupils attend regularly. However, there are a few pupils who are frequently absent and miss out on learning.

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Leaders provide exceptional opportunities for pupils’ personal development. Pupils are very proud of the roles they can hold in school, which include sports leaders and being part of the MAD (Making A Difference) club. There is an active school council and pupils feel that they contribute to improvements in the school. Pupils have a thorough understanding of different religious beliefs and cultural communities. The school offers an extensive range of clubs, some of which are based on pupils’ own interests. These include Islamic calligraphy and animation. Some clubs take place during the school day to enable more pupils to participate. Staff plan trips and other events to widen pupils’ experiences and raise their aspirations.

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Leaders manage the school well and the governing body provides strong support. Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and the areas on which to focus to make it even better. Staff are very committed and want the best for all pupils. Morale is high and staff work well as a cohesive team. Teachers at all stages of their careers are well supported by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have developed a culture where pupils’ safety is the key priority. They make sure pupils and their families get support quickly. Pupils learn how to keep safe in a range of situations. They understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding checks are made on staff prior to working in the school. Governors visit school regularly. They check safeguarding systems and talk to pupils about how staff keep them safe. 2 and 3 November 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is variance in how well teachers adapt the content of lessons to meet the needs of pupils. This means that some pupils do not learn as well as their peers. Leaders should help teachers to better adapt their teaching, to enable pupils to learn and remember more.  The attendance of some pupils is too low. These pupils are missing out on learning. Leaders have already started to address this, with some success. However, they must continue to improve the attendance of some pupils to ensure they benefit from the curriculum on offer.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 2 and 3 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241169 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 12 February 2019

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Information about this school

 The school has not undergone any significant changes since the last inspection.  The school was judged to be good at its most recent inspection of denominational education and the content of the school’s collective worship under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in May 2022. Section 48 inspections were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They restarted in September 2021. The next section 48 inspection will be within eight years of the previous section 48 inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and assistant headteachers. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and a 2 and 3 November 2022

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representative from the local authority. The lead inspector had a discussion with a representative from the Diocese of Leeds by telephone.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors visited a sample of lessons.  An inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures. Documentation was scrutinised and evidenced how the school identifies and supports pupils at risk of harm. Inspectors spoke with a range of pupils and staff to evaluate the school’s safeguarding culture.  An inspector checked the school’s single central record to make sure all staff had the appropriate checks to work with children.

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 The views of staff and pupils were considered from conversations and through responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.  An inspector spoke to parents during the inspection. The responses to Ofsted’s Parent View, including written responses, were considered.

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Inspection team

Andy Taylor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Janet Madden Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 November 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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