Holywell Green Primary School

Inspection of Holywell Green Primary School Stainland Road, Holywell Green, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX4 9AE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 21 and 22 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this inclusive and welcoming school. Adults and pupils build warm and supportive relationships with each other. Pupils say that school is a safe place to be and that there is no bullying. They know that adults will help to resolve any problems they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have developed an aspirational curriculum that demonstrates their high expectations of what pupils can achieve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. As a result, pupils behave well throughout the school. In lessons, they are attentive and engaged. They move around school calmly and sensibly. They are polite and welcoming to visitors and are respectful towards one another and adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils have leadership roles, such as school councillors and house captains and vice captains. They appreciate the sense of responsibility that these roles bring. School councillors are elected democratically, and they know that they have a positive influence over decisions about their school.

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better?

Leaders are ambitious for what pupils can achieve, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders know their school well. They have made improvements to the curriculum in recent years and know what further improvements are necessary.

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better?

In most areas, leaders have developed a curriculum that identifies the important knowledge they want pupils to know and remember. In subjects such as mathematics and religious education, pupils benefit from sequences of lessons that help them to know more and remember more. This is not the case in all areas of the curriculum, however. In art and design, the curriculum is less well developed. It is not always clear how what pupils are learning builds on what they have learned before. Leaders acknowledge this, and there are plans in place to improve the consistency of the curriculum.

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better?

Reading is a priority at the school. Books are celebrated and enjoyed. Topics in early years are often themed around favourite books and stories. Leaders have recently introduced a phonic scheme that teachers use consistently and effectively in the teaching of reading. Pupils’ reading books are well matched to the sounds they have learned. Teachers regularly check on pupils’ progress in reading and provide support to help them keep up if they slip behind.

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better?

Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. They are well supported through adaptations, such as the use of coloured paper and writing slopes, which aids them with their writing. However, pupils’ support plans do not 21 and 22 March 2023

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always break down the targets that pupils should achieve into small enough steps. This makes it hard for teachers and leaders to check how well they are learning.

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Children get off to an excellent start in early years. Leaders have planned a curriculum that prepares children well for the next phase of their education. They develop in all areas of learning through access to well-planned provision. Children behave well because of high expectations and well-established routines. There are strong relationships between adults and children and an atmosphere of cooperation. The children develop independence and confidence. For example, teachers give children opportunities to perform and role play.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about their experience of working at the school. Leaders are mindful of their workload. Subject leaders are passionate about their subjects but do not have sufficient opportunities to check the impact of the curriculum in their subjects.

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Leaders have developed a highly inclusive environment. Pupils are tolerant and understanding of difference. When asked how they would react to a new pupil joining the school from a different country or culture, they said that they would ‘welcome them with kindness’. Pupils are less clear about wider fundamental British values such as democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law.

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Leaders ensure that there is a range of additional opportunities for pupils to develop beyond the academic curriculum. Over the summer, pupils produce scrap books that they return to school in the autumn, which is celebrated. Pupils are directly involved in improving the school environment through activities such as developing the wildlife area. Staff provide pupils access to trips, educational visits and after-school sports clubs. The older pupils visited the science department of a sixth-form college. This was an exciting opportunity for pupils to see how their experience and knowledge of science could develop.

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Governors are passionate and committed in their support of the school. They have a clear vision and ambition for the school to continue to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding. They have ensured that all staff are well trained and up to date with safeguarding issues. Robust systems and record-keeping ensure that, when concerns are raised, they are recorded in a timely way. Leaders work with external agencies, when necessary, to secure help for pupils.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school. They trust adults. They know how to keep themselves safe, including when using technology.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, the precise knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn is not clearly defined. Leaders should work with staff to help pupils learn the most important knowledge that they need to remember.  Leaders do not provide staff with sufficiently precise guidance on how to best support pupils with SEND. They should work with staff to develop better support plans and provide clearer guidance to enable pupils with SEND to make better progress through the curriculum.  In some subjects, there is limited oversight of how well the intended curriculum is being implemented. This means that, in some subjects, leaders are less clear about what pupils know and can remember. Leaders should establish better ways to check how well the curriculum is being implemented.

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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. 21 and 22 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10227279 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.holywellgreenschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school is recruiting a new headteacher to start in September 2023.  There is a before- and after-school club provision managed by the school, which was part of the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, religious education and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the 21 and 22 March 2023

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curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. Inspectors also held meetings with subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the safeguarding team and representatives of the governing board.  Inspectors examined safeguarding records, including the single central record and recruitment checks on staff.  Inspectors considered the views of parents by reviewing responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also spoke with parents as they arrived with their children at the end of the school day.  Alongside the responses to the online survey for staff, inspectors also considered views by meeting with various groups of staff.  Inspectors also considered views of pupils, speaking with different groups of

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Inspection team

Dughall McCormick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ruth Beckett Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 March 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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