St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior, Infant and Early Years School

Inspection of St Peter’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior, Infant and Early Years School Fieldhead Lane, Birstall, Batley, West Yorkshire WF17 9HN

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 November 2023

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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 Previous inspection grade Good Early Years School 28 and 29 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for what pupils should learn and experience. These expectations are realised. Pupils feel safe in the school and they are happy. If they have any concerns or worries, they know they can go to a trusted adult and that they will be supported.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Positive relationships are at the centre of the school’s work. Adults provide excellent role models for pupils. Staff build a caring ethos of school through strong pastoral support and day-to-day interactions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well. If behaviour falls below these expectations, adults help pupils to reflect so that they can make better choices moving forward. Pupils say that bullying rarely happens, but that if it does, adults always sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Opportunities are woven into all curriculum areas to broaden pupils’ learning experiences. These include visits to a wildlife park. The school ensures that learning is given clear purpose and builds pupils’ awareness of careers. For example, a cartographer visited the school to talk about how this role links to what pupils learn in geography.

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better?

Leaders have accessed curriculum training from external experts. They have used this to create a curriculum that is well sequenced and purposeful. Pupils get the opportunity to make links in their learning. They reflect on prior learning and have discussions related to what they learn. This supports pupils to embed their understanding. Adults review pupils’ understanding and identify any gaps. They use this to revisit any learning if needed.

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better?

The curriculum is inclusive. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The school adapts teaching to develop the understanding of pupils with SEND alongside their peers.

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better?

The curriculum is still being refined by leaders. In some wider curriculum subjects, such as history, the school has included a large amount of information it wants pupils to learn. While the school has begun to address this, some pupils find it difficult to remember some of the most important knowledge amongst the wide range of information that they access.

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better?

The school prioritises reading. Adults deliver sessions which support pupils to be able to quickly read independently. Pupils take home books that are well matched to their ability. This allows pupils to practise and develop their confidence and comprehension. If pupils fall behind in their reading, they are quickly identified through regular assessments. These pupils are able to access additional sessions, Early Years School 28 and 29 November 2023

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which allow them to practise and revisit anything they found tricky. These sessions are effective and pupils quickly get back on track.

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Adults in early years prioritise the development of children’s communication and language skills. This is supported effectively through adults’ frequent use of prompts and key questions. Their skilful interactions successfully extend children’s understanding. Adults provide plenty of opportunities for children to practise and rehearse their learning. However, some activities, such as when children learn independently, are not planned as precisely as they could be.

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Pupils get additional opportunities to practise and learn different sports and musical instruments. The school choir has performed at a local nursing home. Pupils are happy with the range of clubs on offer. These provide a valuable opportunity for them to further develop their talents and interests.

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There are many opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles in the school. These include school council, eco-council and well-being warriors. In addition, pupils contribute to the local community by raising funds and working to improve the local area, such as through traffic and parking improvements. These opportunities develop pupils’ character and understanding of citizenship. They value these roles and understand how their actions can have a positive effect on others and their community.

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Pupils are taught to stay safe. They learn about how to protect themselves. This includes internet safety, road safety and bikeability. This is effective and pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and offline.

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Governors are aware of their responsibilities and are fulfilling them effectively. They hold regular meetings, visit the school, and meet with pupils and staff. They use this information to ensure that they can challenge and support leaders so that the school continues to identify how it can be improved even further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, independent learning opportunities in early years are not tightly focused on what children need to learn next. As a result, some children are not consistently learning as much as they could be. The school should ensure that independent learning activities are consistently well considered to further develop children’s understanding.  The school has not clearly mapped out the important knowledge that it wants pupils to learn in some wider curriculum subjects. As a result, some pupils do not Early Years School 28 and 29 November 2023

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build their learning as effectively as they could. The school needs to prioritise the important information it wants pupils to learn so that pupils can build and develop their understanding over time in all subjects.

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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). Early Years School 28 and 29 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.stpetersschoolbirstall.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  As the school is designated as having a religious character, it is inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The most recent section 48 inspection of this school was in April 2019. The school’s next religious character inspection will be within eight school years of this date.

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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.

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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. Early Years School 28 and 29 November 2023

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and other staff.  The lead inspector held meetings with a local authority representative, a diocese representative and governors.  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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, listened to pupils’ read, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff, and parents and carers. This included any free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Andrew Yeomans, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Tracy Turner Ofsted Inspector Early Years School 28 and 29 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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