Lees Primary School

Inspection of Lees Primary School Haworth Road, Cross Roads, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD22 9DL

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is James Travers. This school is part of Brontë 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, Asa Firth, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sarah Cotton.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Lees Primary 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. 7 and 8 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend this friendly and welcoming school. They wear their smart school uniforms with pride. Pupils confidently share any worries or concerns with their teachers. They describe their teachers as friendly and kind. Pupils feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The trust and school are ambitious for all pupils. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. All staff are committed to helping pupils thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils strive to live up to the school’s values, which include caring, resilience and friendship. They greet visitors with smiles and are quick to hold doors open for adults. In lessons, pupils listen respectfully to their teachers and each other. At breaktimes, pupils play happily together. Staff and pupils agree that the new behaviour policy is having a positive impact.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils take great pride in their leadership roles. For example, the school council members work with leaders to take decisions about the school. Sports captains help staff organise playtime games and activities. Years 5 and 6 pupils are positive role models to children in the early years.

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better?

The school has organised a broad, balanced curriculum that pupils enjoy. Leaders at all levels have ensured that this curriculum is organised in logical steps, starting from the early years. In most subjects, the school has considered in detail the most important knowledge that pupils should learn. For example, in geography, the curriculum sets out with precision the mapping skills that pupils should learn in each year group. In a small number of subjects, leaders have not set out in sufficient detail the knowledge pupils need to learn and remember.

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better?

Across the curriculum, teachers ensure that pupils revisit their previous learning regularly so that it is secure. For example, in mathematics, pupils practise and learn important number facts, such as times tables. Through regular checks, teachers identify where pupils need more support to help them remember important knowledge.

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better?

The school has placed reading at the heart of the curriculum. From Nursery, teachers share a wide range of high-quality, engaging books with their classes. Children start learning phonics from the beginning of Reception. If pupils struggle with their reading, staff are quick to provide carefully planned, expert support to help them catch up. Staff match reading books closely to pupils’ reading expertise. Pupils, including those with SEND, develop as fluent, confident readers. They value reading and read for pleasure. 7 and 8 November 2023

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The school provides a range of expertise and support to identify the needs of pupils with SEND quickly. Detailed learning plans help teachers ensure that they meet the needs of all pupils with SEND. Staff adapt learning materials effectively to help these pupils to learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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Children in the early years develop a secure understanding of the school’s routines. They move around the bright, well-resourced classrooms safely and calmly. They play and explore cooperatively. Across the school, most pupils try their best and behave well in lessons. This means that everyone can get on with their learning. The school provides appropriate expert help for pupils who need additional support to behave well.

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The school curriculum provides pupils with opportunities to develop personally as well as academically. For example, residential trips for older pupils help them develop their resilience and confidence. Pupils gain a secure understanding of the fundamental British values. They learn to appreciate differences, such as gender and ethnicity. Pupils visit different places of worship, such as churches, temples and mosques. The school ensures that pupils know about safe and respectful relationships. These opportunities help pupils to develop as well-rounded citizens who are prepared well for their next steps.

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The school provides some extra-curricular clubs, including sport, sewing and choir. Trips and visits help to enhance learning. The school’s plans to extend this wider curriculum offer are not fully realised. This means that pupils do not have a breadth of opportunities to develop their skills and talents beyond the academic curriculum.

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Staff have a positive view of the school. They appreciate the opportunity to work collaboratively with each other and other professionals in the trust. The school ensures that staff have regular opportunities to develop professionally, such as external training and working with more experienced colleagues.

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Most parents and carers share this positive view of the school. They recognise improvements that leaders have made. However, some parents said that they have limited information about what their children are learning. They would appreciate more opportunities to be involved in school life.

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Leaders, including trustees and governors, ensure that most pupils attend school regularly and on time. Where this is not the case, leaders take action to bring about improvement. Governors are regular visitors to the school. This means that they know the school well. They provide a careful balance of challenge and support to leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 November 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, such as science, the school has not identified the knowledge that pupils need to know in enough detail. This means that teachers are sometimes unsure about precisely what they should teach and when. The school should further refine the curriculum in these subjects so that teachers understand what essential knowledge pupils should learn.  The school has not fully developed the range of extra-curricular clubs and activities available to pupils. This means that pupils have limited opportunities to develop their talents and interests. The school should enhance the extra- curricular offer so that pupils are able to enjoy a wide range of experiences beyond the academic curriculum.  There are limited opportunities for parents to engage with the school. This means that some parents have insufficient knowledge about their children’s learning. Leaders should develop focused and purposeful opportunities to provide parents

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

with the information they need to support their child’s learning at home.

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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 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). 7 and 8 November 2023

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CEO of the trust

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Lees Primary School converted to become an academy in July 2016. When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school is part of Brontë Academy Trust.  The school uses no alternative provision.  The school provides a before- and after-school club.

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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. 7 and 8 November 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ workbooks in some other subjects.  The inspectors spoke with pupils about school life, including behaviour.  The inspectors held meetings with a range of staff, including senior leaders, subject leaders and the school’s special educational needs coordinator.

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 The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer, trustees and members of the governing body.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View. They spoke with parents at the start of the school day. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff. There were no responses to the online questionnaire for pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  The inspectors spoke with a range of staff to discuss the support leaders provide.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Stevens, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Shameem Hussain Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 November 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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