Warley Road Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Warley Road Primary Academy Warley Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX1 3TG

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Outcome

Warley Road Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend Warley Road Primary Academy. They look forward to the exciting challenges that leaders plan for them. Leaders and staff make learning interesting and fun. As a result, pupils enjoy learning. They are keen to do their best in lessons and in the wider curriculum for personal development.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. The school values of ‘respect, resilience, responsibility and reflection’, known as the ‘4Rs’, are at the heart of school life. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other and to adults. Behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes is positive and purposeful. Bullying is rare. Leaders deal with any incidents quickly and effectively. Staff help pupils to take responsibility for their own behaviour. This helps pupils to feel safe in school. They know an adult will help if things go wrong.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide a wide range of high-quality experiences to widen pupils’ horizons. These cover art, music and physical activity. Every pupil takes part. Pupils feel a real sense of achievement when they complete each activity in their ‘i-challenge’ booklets. Challenges include mountain biking, climbing, hiking, canoeing and raft building. Pupils enjoy taking part in performances of music, poetry and drama. The school swimming pool is well used. Pupils start their swimming lessons in Year 1.

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

Leaders have given careful thought to the content of the curriculum. It is broad and ambitious for all pupils. This includes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils learn about their own locality and the wider world. For example, they learn about the history and famous people of ‘Toffee Town’. Pupils are fascinated by, and proud of, their local history and heritage. Teachers provide clear explanations for pupils. They ask questions that encourage pupils to think more deeply. Teachers show pupils how to do things step by step. This gives pupils confidence in getting to grips with new learning. 7 and 8 June 2023

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In most subjects, leaders have organised the knowledge that they want pupils to learn into small steps. This includes the specific vocabulary that runs through each subject. This helps pupils to build up their knowledge and understanding over time. In a small number of subjects, such as history, this work is at an earlier stage of development. Although pupils remember recent learning well in these subjects, they do not easily recall learning from previous years or link it to their current learning. Leaders have identified this and are strengthening curriculums further to help pupils make links to what they have learned before.

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Pupils with SEND receive effective support. Individual learning programmes are well matched to pupils’ needs. Teachers adapt activities and use resources well to help pupils with SEND to learn the curriculum. Leaders make sure that pupils with SEND are able to take part in everything the school has to offer.

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Leaders ensure that there is a strong focus on language development from the start of the early years. Many children benefit from starting school at two years old. Most children start with below-expected levels of language development. Staff provide the experiences and support that children need to catch up. Children in the early years hear and join in with stories, songs and rhymes every day. This helps them to be ready to learn to read when they start Reception. Staff in the early years and key stage 1 are skilled in teaching the new phonics scheme. As a result, children get off to a good start in reading. Pupils who are new to English or who have fallen behind get help to catch up quickly.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. Pupils appreciate the wide range of activities that leaders provide for them. Some pupils explained that these have improved their confidence, social skills and learning. Pupils have many opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Every class learns a poem every term. Pupils perform these at poetry recitals for the school and their families. Pupils in Year 6 are looking forward to visiting Ambleside. Some of them explained that this area was Wordsworth’s inspiration for his poem, ‘Daffodils’. The annual art exhibition gives pupils the chance to share their artwork. All pupils learn to play a musical instrument. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. They understand the importance of respecting difference. Pupil leadership is encouraged. Year 6 pupils set an example for younger pupils of how to follow the ‘4 Rs’. They wear their Year 6 jumpers with pride.

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Leaders make sure that staff receive high-quality training. Leaders have introduced strategies to improve efficiency and consistency. These strategies have had a positive impact on pupils’ learning and staff workload. Staff are included in decision-making. They feel that everyone is a valued member of the Warley Road team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding across school. They provide regular training for all staff about a wide range of safeguarding issues. These include issues that are pertinent to the local area. Staff identify and report concerns about pupil safety promptly. Leaders seek the help of outside agencies where this is necessary. They 7 and 8 June 2023

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are relentless in following up concerns. They make sure that pupils get the help they need. Appropriate checks are made to make sure that staff are suitable to work with children.

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Leaders have provided an extensive programme of visitors and assemblies. Themes include road safety, mental health, appropriate boundaries and online safety. This programme helps pupils to learn how to keep safe in different situations. Leaders provide useful fact sheets for parents and carers about online safety. These contain information about age limits for different social media apps and online games.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum for a small number of foundation subjects is not broken down into small steps. It does not include the subject-specific vocabulary that is pertinent across the content of each subject. As a result, in a small number of subjects, pupils do not easily remember knowledge or make links with prior learning. Leaders should continue their work to develop and refine these curriculum 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, Warley Road Primary School, to be good in November 2017.

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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. 7 and 8 June 2023

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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. 7 and 8 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268526 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.warleyroad.calderdale.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Warley Road Primary Academy is a larger-than-average-sized primary school. It became part of the Impact Education Multi Academy Trust in March 2019.  The school has nursery provision for children from 2 years of age.  The school runs a breakfast club for pupils.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector had several meetings with the headteacher during the inspection.  A meeting was held with members of the local governing body and the chief executive officer and chair of trustees of Impact Education Multi Academy Trust.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject 7 and 8 June 2023

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the school day, including during lesson visits and at lunchtime.  Pupils talked to the inspector, formally and informally, about their learning, their views on behaviour and the wider experiences they receive at school. The inspector also considered responses received to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  Safeguarding documentation and records for behaviour and attendance were considered.  The inspector spoke with a number of parents in the playground, reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses, and considered two letters and a phone call from parents.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Janet Keefe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 June 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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