Park Road Junior Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Park Road Junior Infant and Nursery School Park Road, Batley, West Yorkshire WF17 5LP

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Outcome

Park Road Junior Infant and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this happy and caring school. They are friendly, polite and keen to talk about what they like about their school. They talk about the school being respectful. They show respect for each other and for staff. Older pupils reflect maturely on the diverse community that the school serves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well. At social times, there is a lovely atmosphere as pupils interact with each other. Pupils engage enthusiastically with their lessons, responding well to the interesting work and varied activities that teachers provide for them. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils. Pupils speak positively about the extra-curricular clubs, which include baking, gymnastics and music. They relish the leadership roles that they are asked to perform such as school councillors, prefects, sports leaders and well-being champions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are very positive about the school. The overwhelming majority of those spoken to by the inspector said that the school communicates with them well. All of the parents who filled out the survey would recommend the school. One parent wrote, ‘A lovely school with a friendly staff who understand children and their needs.’

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

The school is ambitious for all its pupils. There is a wide-ranging curriculum. It has been designed to reflect the diverse community that the school serves and to give pupils the knowledge and skills they need to progress. However, there is still work to do in developing some subjects. Leaders are aware that there needs to be greater clarity in identifying precisely what pupils will know. Teachers can then use this information to check that pupils build their knowledge in the subject.

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

Reading is a priority for the school. The school has recently invested in enhanced staff training. Staff are very positive about the support they receive so they are confident in their ability to teach pupils to read. However, there are still minor inconsistencies in their 11 and 12 October 2023

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practice. Pupils are taught phonics through a carefully sequenced programme, which starts in early years. There are opportunities for pupils to access extra support and programmes for older pupils who are still having difficulties with their reading or who speak English as an additional language. The books that early readers practise with match their knowledge of letters and the sounds they represent. Older pupils speak positively about reading and can name favourite authors whose work they enjoy.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well provided for. Most are able to access, with support, the same work as their peers. For instance, in mathematics in Year 3, pupils use blocks to support their understanding of three-digit numbers. When necessary, a bespoke programme is created.

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Pupils enjoy mathematics, often saying it is a favourite subject. Teachers explain things well and expect pupils to be able to justify their answers. They use a range of techniques to record pupils’ work so that they can check their understanding. Older pupils have good knowledge of their multiplication tables. The curriculum for mathematics starts in the early years. Children in Nursery can already count to four and children in Reception learn about patterns. In early years, children learn a wide-ranging curriculum that prepares them for the subjects they will learn as they move up through the school.

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Several subjects are delivered through a thematic approach. This means that there are helpful links created. Pupils often read text in their reading lessons, which gives them information about the work they will do in another subject. Pupils understand what subject they are learning within a theme such as history. Year 5 and 6 are working on the Victorian period and can talk confidently about the life and achievements of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. However, there are some gaps in their knowledge when questioned about earlier work. Teachers provide a wide range of activities, and pupils engage and respond positively to them. These activities not only help pupils learn, but also help them develop positive attitudes.

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The personal development of pupils is a priority for the school. There is a strong personal, social and health education curriculum. Pupils are able to talk about what they have learned and the experiences they have had. The school ensures that the curriculum is enriched by trips. For instance, to support their work on Victorian times, Year 5 and 6 pupils will be visiting a coal mining museum.

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The school’s emphasis on pupils’ personal development supports the exceptionally good behaviour of pupils. Good behaviour is based on the excellent relationships between staff and pupils and on clear routines that are consistently used by staff. Children in the early years are already well used to these.

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Staff are proud to work at the school and feel part of a team. They support the vision of senior leaders, whose commitment and dedication are unflinching. The governing body knows the school well and provide support and challenge to the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 11 and 12 October 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some topics, teachers are not sufficiently clear about what the key knowledge is that pupils must learn. This means that pupils do not always learn what they need to in order to build their knowledge over time. The school must ensure that all topics have the key knowledge identified and that teachers check that pupils have gained the knowledge that they need.

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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 school to be good in April 2018.

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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’ 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). 11 and 12 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 April 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and other members of staff. The inspector met with those responsible for governance, including the chair of the governing body and five other governors.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at breaktimes and at lunchtimes.

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He gathered pupils’ views from both formal and informal discussions.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plan.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the school’s single central record of recruitment checks; 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.  The inspector met with parents and carers. He took account of the responses to Ofsted’s parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Andrew Cummings, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 October 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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