Low Moor CofE Primary School

Inspection of Low Moor CofE Primary School Park House Road, Low Moor, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD12 0NN

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Inspection dates: 31 October and 1 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, 11 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. The school received an ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Act on 10 October 2018. 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. 31 October and 1 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils describe their school as peaceful, happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ attitudes to learning are universally positive. They are enthusiastic to share what they are learning in class. Leaders teach the school’s expectations of conduct and character through the nine attributes of ‘the fruits of the spirit.’ These attributes are reinforced through assemblies, collective worship and staff interactions with pupils. Pupils show kindness and goodness in the way they work and play with others. As a result, behaviour across the school, both in lessons and free time, is excellent.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in the older year groups take their responsibility as role models for the younger children seriously. They undertake their leadership roles with diligence and enthusiasm, making an active contribution to school life. This helps to create a family feel across the school in which pupils are kind to each other, regardless of difference.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Reading is a key focus at Low Moor. Pupils read widely and often. They are keen to share what they have been reading recently. Leaders make sure that pupils whose reading falls behind are quickly helped to catch up and keep up with their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to achieve their best. They ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the extra help they need. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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better?

The school has created an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Staff provide appropriate adaptations to learning activities to enable all pupils to access the curriculum and succeed. Staff think carefully about what to teach and when. This means that, in most subjects, pupils can talk about what they have learned over time. This is particularly strong in English and mathematics.

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better?

Leaders have reviewed the wider curriculum to provide a stronger focus on subjects other than English and mathematics. These recent changes have better identified the building blocks of new knowledge that pupils need. However, in some subjects the school has not developed effective ways to help pupils to remember this new knowledge over time.

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better?

In contrast, the curriculum in the early years is consistently strong. Staff work well with parents and local daycare settings to prepare children for Reception. The early years curriculum is carefully sequenced, expertly taught and well embedded. This leads to children knowing and remembering more. Planned learning opportunities and staff interactions with children are of an exceptionally high quality. Children access learning activities independently. They sustain their focus and play with 31 October and 1 November 2023

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purpose. Children leave the early years ready for learning in key stage 1 and beyond.

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Leaders have designed an approach to assessment which tells teachers what they need to know about pupils’ learning. They are mindful of teacher workload and have ensured that this is not overly burdensome. Teachers use assessment information well alongside in-class assessment to plan pupils’ next steps in learning.

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Staff use assessment particularly well in phonics lessons. When pupils fall behind, staff provide expert support quickly. The targeted nature and quality of this support means that pupils catch up quickly. Leaders provide additional support for those pupils whose phonics knowledge is less secure.

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Leaders have designed a highly effective approach to the teaching of reading. All staff are expertly trained and pupils regularly read books to adults that match the sounds pupils know. This helps pupils to become fluent readers.

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Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary. This is reflected in how hard they work and how well they behave in school. Most parents are supportive of the school. They ensure their children attend school regularly. Parents particularly value the pastoral support which the school provides both to pupils and families. This proactive support helps to keep the school’s attendance levels above the national averages.

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Pupils enjoy their learning and value the range of opportunities that leaders provide to develop their talents and interests. Pupils experience a range of new activities, such as visits from sports stars and skating on an ice rink set up in the school hall.

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Governors take an active role in the school and know it well. They are supportive of leaders and share their passion and drive for the school to excel. However, governors do not challenge leaders on how they evaluate standards in the school consistently well. This means that leaders’ evaluation of some aspects of the school, including the curriculum, lacks precision.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, the school does not provide regular opportunities for pupils to review and embed their subject knowledge. This hinders pupils’ ability to deepen their subject understanding. The school should devise a consistent approach to help pupils learn this content securely to ensure that pupils know and remember more over time. 31 October and 1 November 2023

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 Governors do not probe the information they receive on school performance well enough. This means they do not have a sufficiently accurate picture of some areas. The school should develop stronger systems to ensure that governors are able to better check the quality of the school’s work.

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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). 31 October and 1 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There is a daily breakfast and after-school club at the school.  The school do not currently use any alternative provision.  The school is a voluntary controlled Church of England school, within the diocese of Leeds.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) 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.

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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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 31 October and 1 November 2023

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English, design and technology and geography. 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.

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 Inspectors also met with curriculum leaders and conducted a joint review of pupils’ work in history and art. They also spoke to pupils about their learning in these subjects.

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 The inspectors heard pupils read to a familiar adult and visited a sample of reading intervention sessions.

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 The inspectors observed and spoke with pupils at lunchtime, in the dining hall and outside. The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. They also spoke with several groups of pupils about behaviour.

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 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 which puts pupils’ interests first.

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 Inspectors spoke with a range of staff across school during the inspection and took account of the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.

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 The inspectors spoke to parents at the start and end of both school days. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses, in addition to written submissions to Ofsted and the school.

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 Inspectors visited the on-site breakfast and after-school club.

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 Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documents, including leaders’ improvement plans, local authority quality assurance reports and the information contained on the school’s website.

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and members of the governing body.

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Inspection team

Alex Reed, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Amanda Devaney Ofsted Inspector 31 October and 1 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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