Shibden Head Primary Academy

Inspection of Shibden Head Primary Academy Hainsworth Moor Grove, Queensbury, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD13 2ND

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 13 and 14 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders at Shibden Head Primary Academy want pupils to ‘be the best that they can be’. As a result of the provision that leaders have created at the school, pupils are aiming to be their best. Pupils live out the school’s expectations by ensuring that they are safe, respectful and responsible.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are excellent relationships between staff, pupils and families. Staff take the time to get to know pupils well. Bullying is extremely rare. Pupils know that they can talk to staff about any worries that they may have. The school is calm and orderly. In almost all lessons pupils behave well and display positive attitudes towards their learning. Pupils spoke to say that they feel happy, safe and secure.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. This is evident from their high levels of attendance and punctuality. Leaders work with families to ensure that any barriers to attendance are identified, understood and, where possible, removed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At the heart of the school is a vibrant curriculum that leaders are proud of. Memorable moments throughout the curriculum help pupils remember their learning. For example, Year 4 pupils talk with great depth about the features of rivers having visited and followed the course of a nearby river.

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better?

Leaders are rightly proud of the curriculum that they have developed. Ambitious curriculum plans set out the knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn. Teachers use the school’s ‘pedagogical principles’ to design their lessons. These provide pupils with opportunities to recall and build on what they have learned before. This helps pupils to remember new things. As a result, pupils achieve well. They talk in depth about what they have learned across the curriculum. Year 2 pupils, for example, build on their previous experiences of colour mixing. They apply this knowledge to their current learning about colour tones.

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better?

The curriculum is usually well delivered. However, there are some inconsistencies between different subjects and classes. For example, some subjects, such as religious education, are not as embedded as others, such as art. Leaders’ oversight of how well the curriculum is being delivered is also not as well established in some subject areas. Leaders are working to ensure that the delivery of all subjects is of equal quality across the curriculum.

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better?

Leaders prioritise developing pupils’ love of reading. Pupils enjoy having stories read to them. They also enjoy selecting books from the well-stocked library. Pupils talk with passion about their favourite books and authors. Learning is so memorable that some pupils confidently quote lines from the stories that they have read. Leaders have implemented a new programme for the teaching of phonics. Staff teach the programme well. However, occasionally in lessons, the noise from other phonics activities creates distractions. This limits the effectiveness of the teaching for some 13 and 14 June 2023

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pupils. Teachers ensure that pupils read books that match the sounds that they are learning. Pupils who need extra support get the help they need to become confident readers.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. These pupils study the same topics as their peers. Leaders know the needs of pupils with SEND well and ensure teachers meet these needs. Adaptations may include working with an extra adult or having learning broken down into smaller steps.

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Children in the early years have a positive start to their education. Learning and behaviour routines are well established. These support the children to become confident and independent learners. Adults have warm and supportive interactions with the children. Leaders and teachers place a clear focus on early language and mathematics. Children enjoy selecting activities and remain engaged in their learning. Children take part in teacher-led activities such as learning about odd and even numbers.

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Leaders are passionate about pupils’ personal development. They make sure pupils have access to opportunities that develop them spiritually, morally, socially and culturally. This includes a range of visits and visitors to enrich learning. Pupils also take part in events such as an arts festival. These provide a real-life context for their work. Leaders ensure that the personal, social and health education curriculum gives pupils an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships.

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The recently appointed headteacher has brought renewed vision, energy and drive to the school. Staff and the community hold her in high regard. Teachers value the commitment that the leaders have to reducing their workload and ensuring their well- being.

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Trustees and local governors know the school well. In partnership, they hold each other and school leaders to account. They are all aligned around a vision of excellence. In some key areas of school life, they are making this a reality.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure all staff are aware that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and is a priority across the school. They make the necessary checks on adults who work with pupils. Staff receive appropriate and regular safeguarding training. This means that they have the knowledge and skills to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff place emphasis on the importance of the relationship between home and school. Leaders ensure that when they need it, pupils and families get the right support at the right time.

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Safeguarding

Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe. Pupils are knowledgeable about topics such as online safety and healthy relationships. 13 and 14 June 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum. The majority of the curriculum subjects are well embedded. The teaching of the curriculum in some subjects does not match the quality of the more developed subject areas. Because of this, pupils’ experience of the intended curriculum varies between classes and year groups. Leaders should ensure that their checks on the curriculum provide stronger oversight of the content choices and lesson design that teachers make.  Not all children are learning phonics as effectively as they could due to some distractions in the learning environment. This means that some pupils require additional intervention in order to keep up with age-related reading expectations. Leaders should review how they are implementing their programme into daily classroom teaching to ensure that learning conditions are at optimum.

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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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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School details

Website www.shibdenheadprimaryacademy.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 and 11 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Focus Academy Trust.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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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 met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject and other leaders from the school.  Members of the local governing body, trustees, the trust’s chief executive officer and education director met with the inspectors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading and phonics, mathematics, English, religious education, geography and art. For each deep dive, 13 and 14 June 2023

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inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety were evaluated during lessons and social times. Inspectors spoke to pupils, teachers and leaders about their views on behaviour.  Senior leaders met inspectors to discuss recruitment and safeguarding records. Inspectors reviewed the school’s single central record of the checks undertaken on adults who work with pupils in the school.  Inspectors scrutinised documents related to safeguarding and spoke to the schools’ designated safeguarding lead. They spoke to staff and pupils about their safeguarding knowledge.  Inspectors met groups of pupils. Inspectors also reviewed Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and survey responses from staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Lee Wilson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mel Garlick Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 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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