Field Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of Field Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School Albion Street, Batley, West Yorkshire WF17 5AH

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Inspection dates: 19 and 21 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Hilary Towers-Islam. This school is part of Batley multi-academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Samantha Vickers, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Siraj Mayet.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Field Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 19 to 21 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Field Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School is a place where pupils feel welcome and valued. Staff warmly greet pupils and their families every morning. Pupils trust staff to help them with any worries they may have. This makes pupils feel safe and supported.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to try their best. Pupils work hard to meet these expectations. As a result, pupils achieve well in most areas of the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In the classroom and throughout the school, pupils behave well. During breaktimes and lunchtimes, they enjoy spending time with friends. They get along well with each other. Pupils treat each other and staff with high levels of respect. Any bullying incidents are effectively addressed by the staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School leaders nurture strong relationships with the broader school community. Parents and carers appreciate the opportunities provided by leaders to visit the school and learn how to support their children at home.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils access a range of activities that broaden their experience and increase their self-confidence. The gardening club is particularly popular. In this club, pupils take care of community vegetable plots. They take pride in their contribution to the local area.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Pupils study a broad range of subjects. In most subjects, leaders have successfully organised the curriculum so that pupils build on what they already know and can do. Pupils build the vocabulary that they need for future learning.

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better?

Teachers are well trained to teach the curriculum effectively. They present new information clearly and they choose activities that help pupils to learn. Assessment is used appropriately to check on pupils’ understanding. This allows teachers to give pupils extra help and address any misconceptions quickly. This helps pupils, including those with SEND, to learn well in most subjects.

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better?

In a few subjects, the curriculum is still at an early stage of development. In these subjects, teachers do not have clear direction of what to teach and when. Leaders do not check the implementation of the curriculum in some subjects well enough. This means that pupils do not learn important information as well as they should. In addition, in some areas, the early years curriculum does not fully prepare pupils for their subsequent learning in key stage one.

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better?

Leaders prioritise teaching pupils to read. In the Reception class, children begin learning phonics. Leaders ensure that there is a consistent approach to the teaching 19 to 21 September 2023

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of early reading. Pupils read books containing the sounds they have learned. This supports them to become fluent and confident readers. Teachers identify struggling readers and provide extra help. Teachers share many different books with pupils. Pupils like reading on their own at school and at home. Older pupils talk in depth about their favourite books and authors.

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Leaders have implemented appropriate strategies for identifying and assessing pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND receive the support they need to achieve well. Parents and carers of pupils with SEND are positive about the support that their children receive.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and they listen carefully in lessons. Children in the early years settle into school well. This is because staff make sure that the learning environment is calm and well organised.

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The approach that leaders take to support pupils to become citizens of the future is exemplary. Pupils learn about different families and faiths. They show a strong awareness and understanding of different beliefs and cultures. Leaders further broaden pupils’ experiences by inviting a wide range of visitors to the school, including children from other schools and local sporting heroes. Leaders equip pupils well to make a positive contribution to society. For example, pupils support the community to help to tackle loneliness.

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Staff said that leaders provide strong support for their workload and well-being. They enjoy working at this school. Trustees and governors know the school well and provide effective support and challenge. They have a clear and ambitious vision for the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not mapped out the specific knowledge they want pupils to learn. This hinders pupils from learning all that they should. The school should take further action to support teachers to teach important knowledge and skills and to check that this has happened.  In some areas, the early years curriculum does not map out with sufficient clarity the knowledge and skills that children will need to learn in order to support some aspects of their future learning at key stage one. Leaders should enhance the early years curriculum so that it is further aligned to what children need to know to support their future learning. 19 to 21 September 2023

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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’ is used to mean pupils with SEND; pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19 to 21 September 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Field Lane Junior, Infant and Nursery School converted to become an academy school in December 2018. When its predecessor school, Field Lane Junior, Infant and Nursery School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school is part of the Batley multi-academy trust.  Leaders do not make use of any alternative providers.  The members of the board of trustees oversee a breakfast club 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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 19 to 21 September 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 met with the headteacher, the chief executive officer of the multi- academy trust, other leaders, staff, members of the local governing body and members of the trust board.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector also listened to some pupils read.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors talked with pupils in meetings and around the school at breaktimes and lunchtimes.

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 Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. Inspectors also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  Inspectors looked at the documentation provided by leaders, including the school improvement plan, school self-evaluation and a range of documentation relating to pupils’ attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. They looked at a range of documentation and spoke to leaders and staff. Inspectors also spoke to pupils about whether they feel safe in school.

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Inspection team

Collette Mather, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Heaton Ofsted Inspector 19 to 21 September 2023

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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