Lady Elizabeth Hastings CofE Primary School

Inspection of Lady Elizabeth Hastings Church of England Primary School Green Lane, Ledston, Castleford, West Yorkshire WF10 2BD

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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 6 and 7 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. Some travel from a distance by school bus and are eager to learn when they arrive. There is a warmth of welcome that is appreciated by pupils and their parents and carers. Staff model commitment, care and resilience in their work. This encourages every pupil to do the same.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe at school. They describe how behaviour has improved over the past 18 months. They know that the school has high expectations for behaviour. There is little or no bullying or name-calling. If it happens, pupils trust adults to deal with it immediately and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils enjoy taking on roles of responsibility. Pupils understand the importance of service and duty to others. Not all the roles are glamorous, but all require dedication and commitment. Year 6 pupils talk about the importance of being Reception buddies. Children in Reception look up to their buddy as a friend and leader.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has the highest ambition for every pupil, regardless of ability or background. Leaders work hard to enrich pupils’ education with meaningful experiences. Pupils talk enthusiastically about these experiences, whether it is a visit from an Ancient Greek historian or an after-school disco.

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better?

Children make a good start to their education in early years. The school provides many opportunities for children to explore and develop their independence. Adults recognise the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s development. They focus on children’s talking and listening, as well as their physical development. Children enjoy accessing the outdoor area, displaying courage in their climbing and balancing. Adults interact with children well to help develop their understanding.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading from the start. Well-trained adults teach phonics accurately. Most reading books closely match the sounds that pupils know. Adults provide effective support for pupils who find reading difficult. This helps them to catch up and keep up.

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better?

Mathematics is strong across the school. This is because leaders have been very clear about what is to be taught and how. This ensures that pupils know more and remember more. For example, in response to thoughtful questioning by their teacher, Year 4 pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), expertly explained their division calculations.

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better?

Pupils’ subject knowledge is stronger in some subjects than in others. In physical education (PE), teachers follow plans that are precise about what pupils must know. This ensures that pupils build on what they have already learned. They develop the skills they need to be talented sports players. In science, it is less clear what pupils 6 and 7 February 2024

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need to learn. This makes it hard for teachers to check what pupils understand and to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. It also impacts on leaders’ ability to check on the quality and impact of the curriculum. In such circumstances, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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The school is ambitious for pupils with SEND. Leaders make sure that individual learning plans are in place and are reviewed regularly. Leaders work closely with other agencies to support pupils who find school difficult. At times, leaders struggle to secure the external support that pupils need. Despite leaders’ best efforts, this can often take longer than expected.

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Pupils behave well inside and outside the classroom. There is minimal low-level disruption to lessons. From Reception onwards, pupils have good attitudes towards learning. They work and play cooperatively with each other. Older pupils talk about how they respect each other regardless of their background. Pupils’ attendance is consistently above the national average. There is minimal persistent absence.

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Pupils are taught how to stay safe in the virtual as well as the real world. They know how to protect their identities online and what to do if they are unsure about what they see or hear. Pupils learn about fundamental British values, such as democracy and freedom of speech. They celebrate cultural and religious diversity, for example by visiting places of worship and learning about the slave trade triangle during a term-long African history project.

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Leaders and governors have successfully led the school through a period of change. They have an accurate picture of what the school does well. They have a clear plan for the continued improvement of the school. The school communicates regularly and often with parents. Leaders regularly seek the views of parents and pupils when making decisions that may affect the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some areas of the curriculum are less strong than others. This is because sometimes, subject leaders are not as knowledgeable in their curriculum areas as they need to be. This means that they do not always understand the quality of implementation in their subject. The school should ensure that subject leaders have the training and expertise to monitor the quality and delivery of their subject across the school.  In some subjects, the school has not agreed what subject content pupils must learn and remember. This means that teachers cannot be sure whether pupils have the knowledge they need for the next piece of learning. The school needs to 6 and 7 February 2024

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ensure that teachers understand the most important subject knowledge required in each year group, so that they can identify and address any gaps in pupils’ understanding.

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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). 6 and 7 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 November 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been changes in leadership since the previous inspection, including of the headteacher and the chair of the governing body.  The school does not use any form of alternative provision.  Lady Elizabeth Hastings Primary School is a Church of England school that was last inspected for its religious character under section 48 of Education Act 2005 on 11 October 2019.

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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 had 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. 6 and 7 February 2024

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 During the inspection, the inspectors met with the headteacher, other school leaders and school governors. Inspectors also spoke with representatives of the local authority and the Diocese of York.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and PE. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; reviewed documents; 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

Stephen McMullan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicola Witham Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 February 2024

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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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