Heckmondwike Primary School

Inspection of Heckmondwike Primary School Cawley Lane, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire WF16 0AN

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Inadequate Previous inspection grade Good 25–27 January 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Heckmondwike Primary receive a very poor standard of education. The curriculum does not meet the needs of pupils, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have not ensured that staff are well trained in delivering the school’s curriculum. Consequently, pupils do not achieve well, including children in the early years.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A significant proportion of pupils with SEND receive part or all of their education in separate spaces from their peers. This is called the ‘ARC’ provision. These pupils do not have full or equal access to the curriculum. This prevents them from developing the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are friendly, courteous and welcoming to visitors. They behave well. Pupils enjoy receiving rewards for their positive behaviour. They say that adults help them to sort out any problems that they may have. Bullying is rare. Staff respond swiftly if it does occur. Pupils say they feel safe and well looked after. They try to live by the school’s values, ‘PRIDE’, which include qualities such as respect, integrity and determination.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils participate in different sports and visit local places of interest. They have the chance to develop leadership skills through being a play leader, or part of the school council. Despite this, the curriculum for pupils’ personal development is not well planned. It does not prepare them for life in modern Britain.

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

The pupils who attend this school, particularly pupils with SEND, have been failed by deep-rooted weaknesses in leadership. Senior leaders, including governors, have done too little to tackle the significant shortcomings of the school. As a result, the school’s effectiveness has declined significantly since the last inspection.

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

Pupils do not benefit from a well-thought-out and ambitious curriculum. In many subjects, leaders have not decided on the crucial knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn. Additionally, leaders have not thought about the order in which key knowledge will be taught. Many subject leaders have not had the time or support that they need to ensure that pupils study a meaningful curriculum. Staff have not accessed relevant curriculum training to develop their subject knowledge. This has contributed to a weak curriculum.

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

Teachers do not use assessment well enough. This means that, in most subjects, gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not identified and misconceptions are not effectively addressed. Consequently, pupils struggle to remember what they have been taught previously. In a wide range of subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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

The provision for pupils with SEND is of poor quality. Leaders do not identify pupils’ additional needs accurately. They do not provide staff with useful information to help 25–27 January 2023

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them to support pupils with SEND. Staff do not adapt the curriculum or teaching to meet pupils’ needs. Most pupils with SEND do not receive the support that they need. Because of this, they do not achieve as well as they should. While some parents of pupils with SEND are happy with the support that their children receive, many are not. Parents feel increasingly frustrated because things do not seem to improve.

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Leaders have been slow to bring about improvements in early reading. They have recently identified a new phonics scheme to develop a more consistent approach to teaching early reading. Pupils who are less confident with reading get extra support at times, but the quality of this support is variable. Staff are not trained well enough to make sure that the teaching of phonics is of a consistently high quality. Because of this, some pupils do not catch up sufficiently when learning to read.

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Children in the early years do not experience an acceptable education. Despite some recent improvements in the Reception Year, many weaknesses remain. Staff do not routinely interact with children in a way that supports their development. Some staff lack the expertise that they need to improve children’s spoken language and vocabulary. As a result, children in the Reception class are not well prepared for Year 1.

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Some pupils benefit from some wider experiences, such as residential visits and after-school clubs. Yet, these opportunities do not broaden pupils’ experiences well enough. Pupils’ knowledge of healthy relationships and fundamental British values are not well developed. Consequently, pupils are not being sufficiently well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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A significant number of pupils are persistently absent from school. These pupils are falling further behind. Leaders are working determinedly with families to ensure that pupils’ attendance improves. For example, staff arrange free breakfast to encourage pupils to come to school. Despite this, attendance rates remain stubbornly low.

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Leadership is weak. Governors have not sufficiently challenged senior leaders to improve the school, including on the quality of education. They accept too much of what leaders tell them without question. Governors have failed to recognise the growing discontent among staff. Leaders, including governors, have not ensured that staff are well supported. They are unaware that some staff feel that their workloads are excessive and insurmountable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding records are accurate and up to date. They ensure that the necessary checks are made on adults who work with pupils. The designated safeguarding team is dedicated and makes sure that there is a strong culture of keeping children safe in the school. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and weekly updates. These keep staff well informed. Staff are vigilant. They know how 25–27 January 2023

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to raise concerns. The school’s work to support families, including their partnership work with other professionals, is having a positive impact.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The provision for pupils with SEND is extremely weak. Their needs are not identified, or met effectively. Some pupils with SEND do not access the full curriculum. Leaders have not ensured that pupils with SEND receive the support that they need. Because of this, too many pupils with SEND experience a poor quality of education. Leaders need to make significant and rapid improvements to how they meet the needs of pupils with SEND so that these pupils can make necessary progress through the curriculum.  The curriculum does not meet pupils’ needs. Leaders do not identify the important knowledge they want pupils to learn or the order in which this should happen. Leaders need to work with staff to develop a curriculum that enables pupils to gain the knowledge and skills they need over time.  Leaders have not ensured that staff have the subject knowledge to teach the curriculum well. Sequences of lessons are not well planned to help pupils to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

revisit and remember essential knowledge. Leaders should ensure that staff receive the necessary subject-specific training so that they can deliver the curriculum effectively.  Leaders have not ensured that staff have the expertise to teach the school’s chosen phonics programme. As a result, pupils who need help with their reading, including pupils with SEND, are not getting the support that they need. Leaders should urgently ensure that staff are suitably trained so that pupils get the help that they need to catch up.  Teachers do not have a clear picture of where gaps in pupils’ knowledge exist. This means that pupils struggle to remember previous learning in a wide range of subjects and they do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders must develop assessment processes that check how well pupils are learning important knowledge from the taught curriculum.  Leaders have not mapped out the knowledge and skills that they want children to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

learn in the early years. Children do not build the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to be ready for Year 1. Leaders must identify what children need to know and do by the time they leave Reception, so that children can develop the foundational knowledge they need in readiness for key stage 1.  A significant number of pupils are persistently absent from school and this is showing little or no sign of improvement. This contributes to the lack of progress made by some pupils. Leaders have started to try and engage with families. However, the rates of persistent absence remain high. Leaders should take more effective action in order to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence rates. 25–27 January 2023

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 There are weaknesses in the organisation and planning of the personal development curriculum. Opportunities to promote pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values are not meaningfully planned. Leaders need to significantly improve the personal development curriculum so that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain.  Leaders’ systems for quality assurance are not effective. As a result, leaders and governors do not know how well the school is meeting the needs of pupils. Leaders, including governors, must review quality assurance systems to ensure they precisely identify what will make a positive difference.  Governors have not sufficiently challenged leaders to tackle the significant weaknesses in the school. As a result, they do not assure themselves that leaders’ actions are effective. Governors should ensure that they receive the training they need so that they can hold leaders to account effectively in order to rapidly

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improve the school.  Having considered the evidence, the inspectors strongly recommend that leaders and those responsible for governance do not seek to appoint early career teachers.

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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. 25–27 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255821 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 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes in leadership since the previous inspection.  At the time of this inspection, the substantive headteacher was not in school.  The school has had a significant turnover in membership of the governing body in recent years.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. 25–27 January 2023

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 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 had several meetings with the acting headteacher during the inspection. The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority and representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors met with the early years leader, early reading leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and leaders responsible for pupils’ personal development.  The quality of education was considered through deep dives in early reading, computing, mathematics, history and science. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and scrutinised samples of

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pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ work in other subjects and scrutinised curriculum plans in art, design technology, modern foreign languages, music, and personal, social and health education.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation, including leaders’ self-evaluation, improvement plans and documentation relating to pupils’ attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and school business manager. Inspectors considered the safeguarding policy, training records, and examples of safeguarding concerns. The single central record of checks on the suitability of staff to work with children was also scrutinised.  Inspectors observed pupils at social times and held formal and informal discussions with pupils about what it is like to be a pupil at the school.  Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire.

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Inspectors also considered the responses to staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Jean Watt, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Liam Colclough His Majesty’s Inspector 25–27 January 2023

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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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