Netherhall Learning Campus Junior School

Inspection of Netherhall Learning Campus Junior School Rawthorpe Lane, Rawthorpe, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD5 9NT

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 19 and 20 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Netherhall Junior School is a diverse and welcoming community. Pupils are celebrated as individuals. It is a friendly school, where pupils are happy and know that staff care for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct. Rewards are used to celebrate positive choices made by pupils. Those who consistently set a good example to others are recognised. When low-level disruption occurs, staff deal with it. This leads to a calm environment. Pupils believe that the systems in school are fair.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ learning extends beyond their academic work. They talk with maturity about different relationships. Pupils understand diversity and speak with confidence about ‘embracing who you are’. This learning is woven through their school life. Pupils read books about different families and join in with Paralympian sports. Visits from outside agencies such as the police are used to support the curriculum. This educates pupils about local risks and dangers, such as gang culture.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk about their lived experience of different faiths. They explain the use of spaces for some pupils to pray during the day. Pupils understand their responsibility to keep themselves safe, including online. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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better?

Pupils learn well across a broad range of subjects. In many subjects, teachers have identified the key knowledge that pupils need to learn. This knowledge builds over time. For example, in physical education, pupils initially learn basic skills, such as running and jumping. Pupils then build and connect this knowledge when they progress to invasion and evasion strategies. The curriculum is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff pre-teach some topics and activities to support their learning. This focus on getting the foundations of learning in place is also seen in mathematics. Extra daily practice with key facts, such as times tables, is improving pupils’ mathematical knowledge. However, in some subjects, the key knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember is not clearly identified. In these subjects, teaching activities are not consistently relevant,

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better?

and pupils do not remember the most important knowledge.

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better?

The school enables pupils to progress well through the curriculum. In 2022, pupils in Year 6 did not achieve as well as current pupils due to the disruption caused by the pandemic. Leaders have acted to improve the curriculum and its teaching for pupils in reading and mathematics. As a result, pupils are learning more and achieving better outcomes than was previously the case. 19 and 20 September 2023

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Teaching pupils to read is a whole-school focus. The school has prioritised training and support for all staff. In a short space of time, this has become a strength of the school. Pupils use their phonic knowledge to read books that contain sounds they know. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the wide knowledge they gain from the books they read. They enjoy daily story time and visits to the school library. Pupils speak with pride about gaining a reward from the book vending machine. On some occasions, the teaching of phonics does not start as swiftly as it could.

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The school develops pupils’ social skills and sense of responsibility by giving pupils a range of roles to carry out. School councillors talk about actions taken to improve school safety at home time. The school supports pupils to attend visits, after-school clubs and residentials. These are well attended by all pupils. However, a small number of pupils have lower attendance than their peers. They miss out on some of these opportunities. The school is working with these children and their families to improve their attendance. A breakfast club supports families, especially those new to the country. The school community programme provides the extended support that families need.

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Governors have a broad range of experiences. They work together with leaders to identify strengths and priorities. Governors visit school regularly to stay informed. Staff, including those new to teaching, feel supported with their workload and well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

◼ In some subjects, the school has not identified the important knowledge that pupils need to learn over time. The school should work with teachers to identify the most important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember.

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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. 19 and 20 September 2023

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (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 and 20 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Principal of the federation Michael Kent

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

◼ The school is part of the Netherhall Learning Campus. It is in a federation with three other schools. ◼ The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is well above the national average. ◼ The school has a higher proportion of pupils with SEND who have an education, health and care plan than the national average. ◼ The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average. ◼ The school does not currently use any alternative provision. 19 and 20 September 2023

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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. ◼ This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. ◼ Inspectors met with a wide range of staff, including the principal of the federation, head of school, designated safeguarding lead, special educational needs and disabilities coordinator and subject leaders. Inspectors also met with governors including the chair and the local authority school improvement partner. ◼ To evaluate the curriculum, inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning

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Information about this inspection

and looked at samples of pupils’ work. ◼ Inspectors spoke to pupils both formally and informally, including single-sex groups of pupils and pupils who had received a fixed-term exclusion. ◼ Inspectors took account of the views of staff and parents through surveys, including Ofsted Parent View, and spoke to some parents as they picked up their children from school. ◼ To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Lesley Sullivan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindsay Lomas Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 September 2023

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