Ark Halfpenny Lane Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Halfpenny Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School Halfpenny Lane, Pontefract, West Yorkshire WF8 4BW

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might be outstanding if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Ian Shuttleworth. This school is part of Pontefract Academies 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), Julian Appleyard OBE, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Phil Jones OBE.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school has very high expectations for pupils’ academic achievement, behaviour and personal development. Pupils achieve exceptionally well here. They are polite and respectful and take pride in their work. Pupils are eager to please. They strive to embody the school’s values, which include ‘be ambitious’ and ‘be Halfpenny’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well. Many say that the school has a ‘zero tolerance approach’ to bullying. Pupils understand the systems that are in place to manage behaviour. They can talk about the incentives and rewards that are available to them. Pupils have a very strong understanding of equality and discrimination and recognise that the school treats everyone equally. Positive relationships exist between adults and pupils. Pupils know that they can speak to a trusted adult if they have worries. They have a secure understanding of how to lead safe, healthy lives.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is keen to provide pupils with a wide set of experiences. There are a range of extra-curricular clubs on offer, such as embroidery club, dodgeball and history club. The school’s passport sets out experiences that pupils must have by the time they leave Year 6. For example, pupils can create a time capsule.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school’s curriculum is highly ambitious for all pupils. Subject leaders from across the trust work together to write curriculum plans that are coherently sequenced. These plans 25 April 2024

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give careful thought to what pupils need to know in preparation for the next stage of their education. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils are a high priority for the school. These pupils receive personalised support to ensure that they access the curriculum in line with their peers whenever possible. Consequently, they achieve well.

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Teachers demonstrate secure subject knowledge. They use consistent lesson structures in all subjects. This contributes to lessons being calm and free from disruption. Each lesson starts with a recap of previous learning before pupils move on to a main task. This is followed by an activity that requires pupils to think at a deeper level. Staff are adept at recognising misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ knowledge. They regularly check pupils’ understanding and use information from assessments to make changes to their teaching. Pupils can talk about their learning in different subjects. For example, pupils in Year 2 can talk about segregation, the discrimination that Rosa Parks suffered and why this was wrong.

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Reading underpins the whole curriculum. The school is successful in ensuring that pupils quickly become competent, fluent readers. In Nursery, there is a sharp focus on language development, and children enjoy listening to stories and rhymes. From their first day in Reception, children begin to learn phonics. As they move through the phonics programme, pupils read books that are carefully matched to their phonics knowledge. Pupils understand the importance of learning to read. If they have any difficulties, the school identifies these quickly and puts timely support in place. The school has introduced the ‘3 Ps’. Pupils learn to read for ‘pleasure, purpose and productivity’. The school uses carefully selected ‘canon’ texts to support learning across all subjects. Pupils enjoy reading. They are enthusiastic about the rewards that they can earn for reading regularly. For example, they can attend the weekly ‘starbooks’ morning where they can have a hot

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chocolate with leaders. They can also win a book from the school’s book vending machine.

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There is a determination in the school, and the wider trust, to prepare pupils for life beyond school. Pupils have recently participated in a careers week. They have opportunities to take on leadership roles, such as classroom ambassadors. During the inspection, children in Reception were excited to be going out to do forest school activities. The school draws on the support of external providers to enhance the wider development offer. For example, York University worked with the school on a healthy eating project. An external agency works with pupils in Years 5 and 6 to help them develop life skills, such as how to open a bank account.

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Those responsible for governance, including executive trust leaders, have a strong, shared vision. They offer support and challenge to the school and understand well the community that the school serves. There is a culture of high expectations among leaders. Staff have opportunities to collaborate with other schools, both in and beyond the trust. They appreciate these opportunities and speak positively about working at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 25 April 2024

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2019.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 25 April 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is new to the school since the last inspection.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  A breakfast club operates daily. This is run by school staff and managed by the board of trustees.

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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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and trust leaders, including the CEO and school improvement leads. They also met with the special 25 April 2024

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educational needs and disabilities coordinator, the director of inclusion and safeguarding for the trust and subject leaders.  Inspectors spoke to those responsible for governance, including members of the school performance review board and trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. Inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors considered how the school caters for pupils’ wider development, including taking a tour of school with a group of pupils.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first .  Inspectors considered the responses made by parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. This included any free-text comments. An inspector also spoke with some parents at the end of the school day. The responses to the staff questionnaire were reviewed.

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Inspection team

Philippa Kermotschuk, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindsay Lomas Ofsted Inspector 25 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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