Armley Park Primary School

Inspection of Armley Park Primary School Salisbury Terrace, Armley, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS12 2AY

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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 Emily Caine. This school is part of Owlcotes Multi 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 (CEO), Lesley West, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Judith Norfolk. 23 and 24 April 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Armley Park School is a place of hope, aspiration and care. Pupils and families enjoy unwavering support from the school. The school goes beyond the ‘extra mile’ to remove barriers to education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lessons are engaging and stimulating and allow the pupils to learn in a comfortable environment. The school has a diverse curriculum. Leaders and staff know the pupils well. The school is proud of the progress pupils make over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children talk with interest about the careers they want to follow. The school encourages all to be the best they can be while at the school and also in their adult life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff welcome the children into early years each morning. A smile and chat with parents set the day off to a positive start. The provision for early years is well thought out and provides pupils with a strong start to their time at Armley Park.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in school is calm. Expectations are high for all pupils. Pupils know and like the clarity in the expectations staff have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Activities beyond the classroom are carefully considered by leaders. They complement the taught curriculum, such as the pupils performing Shakespeare on stage in a theatre company in Leeds.

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better?

A curriculum for all pupils is in place at Armley Park. The school has taken time to develop a well-considered, broad set of subjects for the pupils to learn. Staff enjoy teaching. They make learning accessible to pupils in lessons. In science, pupils learn key facts. They also have the opportunity to see science in action, for example conducting investigations which involves seeing how animals change over time, from caterpillars to butterflies.

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better?

The school invests time and effort into helping pupils read. All staff have regular phonics training. As a result, when a child needs support to learn to read it is forthcoming. Some pupils who speak English as an additional language join the school from another country in their older years. The school acts swiftly to support pupils in learning spoken and written English.

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better?

Pupils are proud of the school library. The books that are available to read in school and take home have been chosen carefully. Different authors, genres and a mixture of fiction and non-fiction are part of the collection of books. Pupils’ love of language goes beyond the written word. They perform in plays and enjoy participating in debating competitions with other schools. 23 and 24 April 2024

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The school has strong relationships with pupils and families. The pupils see the school as the centre of the community. A place where they feel listened to. Pupils trust adults to help them with any issues they face. The school engages with wider organisations to support the pupils. Support and counselling sessions help to guide pupils at crucial times.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) enjoy the full curriculum. The school is fully inclusive. The diversity and unique needs of the pupils add to the rich tapestry of the school. Staff value the child. This plays a part in children, particularly those with additional needs, developing self-belief and confidence.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. When a pupil behaves inappropriately, staff take time to explain the consequences of poor behaviour. Staff and pupils own the school’s values. Staff and pupils display many of the school’s values such as respect and care. School attendance is not as high for all pupils as leaders would like. Leaders are in constant communication with families and do on occasion collect pupils from home to help them come into school. The partnerships with home and school are strong.

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Opportunities to develop social and emotional skills beyond the curriculum are wide and diverse. The personal development curriculum is rich. It includes taught lessons, assemblies, community work and focus weeks. In one of the focus weeks, pupils learn about the curriculum with the golden thread of an ‘adventurer’. During the week, if the ‘adventurer’ the class is considering is a caver, the pupils get the chance to go caving. If they are a climber, then the pupils go to the local climbing wall.

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The trust values the school, and in turn, the school values the support from the trust. Trust staff who collaborate with the school know the school, the children and the community. Regular meetings with leaders across all levels both in school and beyond have contributed to strong a support network for the school. The best interests of the pupils are always at the top of the agenda for staff, whether visiting or based in the school permanently.

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Trustees and governors provide support. Senior leaders welcome strategic discussions and robust accountability which governors provide.

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Senior leaders and staff unite in their vision for excellence for all but not at the expense of staff well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 23 and 24 April 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not attend school regularly. This means that they miss valuable learning and social interaction with their peers. This has the potential to limit their progress and development. The school must continue to develop a detailed analysis of absence to inform bespoke support to improve attendance.

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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). 23 and 24 April 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Armley Park Primary School is part of the Owlcotes Multi Academy Trust.  The school does not use any alternate provisions for education.  The proportion of pupils eligible to receive the government’s pupil premium funding is well above average.  The school provides 26 nursery places.

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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 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. 23 and 24 April 2024

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 Inspectors did deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and physical education. They discussed the curriculum design with leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke to pupils and teachers about the curriculum.  The lead inspector met with members of the trust board, including the chair of the trust board, the local governing body and the CEO.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher. They also met with other senior and middle leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding, personal development, attendance and behaviour.  Members of the inspection team looked at a range of documentation regarding the support pupils with SEND receive. Inspectors looked at the quality of the provision for pupils with SEND in lessons.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff and parents were also considered.  Inspectors also considered the views of pupils from meetings with groups of pupils from across the school. Inspectors also spoke to pupils informally about the school.

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Inspection team

Richard Jones, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Frances Turner Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 April 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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