Ninelands Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Ninelands Primary School Ninelands Lane, Garforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS25 1NT

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Outcome

Ninelands Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ vision for education extends beyond subjects that pupils study. Pupils achieve well in the academic curriculum. Leaders complement this with an effective package of pastoral care. Initiatives such as mental health support for pupils demonstrate adults’ care for pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a calm and purposeful environment where pupils learn well. Pupils are polite and respectful. They are confident to express themselves in conversations with adults. During lessons, pupils focus on their learning. Adults effectively refocus pupils when they become distracted. Pupils’ efforts are regularly rewarded by teachers. Bullying is rare. When it does happen, pupils and their parents and carers have confidence in adults to resolve it effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders understand the importance of language and vocabulary. Pupils regularly read together as a class. Leaders encourage pupils to read more widely and for pleasure. Classes visit the local library each term to participate in workshops arranged by the school. Many pupils work towards completing the ‘50 recommended reads’ for each year group.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy educational visits that enhance what they are learning in class. Pupils in older year groups attend residential visits, for example to Robin Hood’s Bay. Leaders design these visits to develop pupils’ cultural capital. In school, pupils make good use of the forest school provision. Children in the early years benefit from exploring the rich outdoor provisions, for example when learning about life cycles of animals.

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

The school has experienced recent changes in leadership. The appointment of the new headteacher in September 2022, along with changes in other leadership roles, has resulted in a period of transition for the school. This has been well managed by leaders 17 and 18 May 2023

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and governors. Consequently, parents, carers and staff feel well informed, and pupils have continued to receive effective support.

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The curriculums that pupils study are at least as ambitious as the national curriculum. Some subjects, such as mathematics, make effective use of commercial schemes. In these subjects, leaders adapt resources to meet the needs of pupils at this school. Leaders have considered what pupils know from the early years when planning what they should learn in key stage 1.

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Teachers explain new learning clearly. They give pupils opportunities to deepen their understanding through discussions with their peers and by practising new skills. During ‘daily deliberate practice’ sessions, teachers address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Teachers ask questions to check pupils’ understanding. Usually, teachers use the information they gather to inform future teaching. However, in some lessons, teachers miss opportunities to use the information they gather to adjust their teaching and to address pupils’ misconceptions. When this happens, pupils’ progress through the curriculum slows.

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Children in the early years make a prompt start to learning to read. In Nursery, staff support children’s development of vocabulary. Adults use rhymes and songs to build children’s understanding of the sounds that letters make. Leaders have recently changed the school’s phonics scheme. They have trained staff in how to deliver the new scheme. Staff use this training to implement a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. As children progress through the school, they learn to read with increasing accuracy and fluency. Older pupils are able to use expression when they read aloud. When pupils encounter unfamiliar words, they use their phonic knowledge to read them accurately. Pupils who need additional help to enable them to catch up are identified quickly and receive the support they need.

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The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well understood by leaders and teachers. Leaders make effective use of external agencies, such as for speech and language therapy, to inform the support they provide to pupils. Staff receive detailed information about how they can meet the needs of pupils with SEND in lessons. They use this information effectively to ensure these pupils can access their learning.

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Pupils learn about important issues such as fundamental British values in personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons. Other knowledge from the PSHE curriculum is taught during assemblies and in subjects such as physical education, where pupils learn to keep physically healthy. Leaders are rightly reviewing how they deliver relationships and sex education. They know changes are needed to help pupils develop a more secure age-appropriate understanding of this important information. Some pupils in school hold leadership positions. For example, members of the school’s eco committee are currently working to reduce plastic waste across the site. Pupils are rightly proud of their positive impact in these roles.

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Leaders, including governors, have an accurate understanding of the school, its strengths and areas for development. They have commissioned additional support from the local authority to deepen this understanding. School leaders provide governors with detailed 17 and 18 May 2023

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and accurate information about the school. Some leaders are new to their roles. They are being well supported as they become established. Governors and senior leaders understand the need to develop this support further. They recognise the need to ensure leaders at all levels are impactful and are enabled to offer effective support to their colleagues.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are well trained. Staff know how to recognise indicators of harm to a pupil. They report concerns about pupils’ welfare promptly. Leaders use pastoral meetings effectively to share information about challenges pupils are experiencing. Where necessary, leaders make appropriate referrals to external agencies. When leaders are not satisfied with the response of external agencies, they act as advocates for their pupils.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about risks they may encounter during PSHE lessons. For example, pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and how to deal with online bullying. Pupils are confident to raise their concerns and worries with an adult.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Many leaders are new to the school or to their roles. In some cases, they are establishing new systems and routines. Sometimes the direction they provide to their colleagues is not as precise as it could be. Governors and senior leaders should ensure that an effective programme of support enables new leaders to become highly impactful in their roles.  In some lessons, teachers do not adapt their teaching based on the information they gather when checking pupils’ understanding. This either slows pupils’ progress through the curriculum or allows misconceptions to remain uncorrected. Leaders should ensure that teachers routinely modify their teaching based on the checks they make on pupils’ understanding.

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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. 17 and 18 May 2023

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2012.

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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. 17 and 18 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10241878 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 3 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher began in her post in September 2022. A number of other senior and middle leaders have started in their roles since this date.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with members of the governing body.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher. The inspector also met with other senior and middle leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding, early years, personal development, behaviour and SEND.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 17 and 18 May 2023

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 A range of documentation regarding the support pupils with SEND receive was reviewed by the inspector. The inspector looked at the quality of the provision for pupils with SEND in lessons.  The inspector met with the designated lead for safeguarding. They checked records of actions taken by leaders to keep pupils safe. Inspectors scrutinised the single central record of recruitment checks.  A wide range of pupils and staff talked with the inspector, formally and informally, about the safeguarding culture in school over the course of the inspection.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans.  A range of information regarding behaviour and attendance was reviewed by the inspector. They observed the behaviour of pupils at social times.  The views of parents, pupils and staff who responded to Ofsted’s surveys were considered.

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Inspection team

Thomas Wraith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 May 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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