Joseph Locke Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Joseph Locke Primary School Shaw Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 6JL

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Outcome

Joseph Locke Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this nurturing and inclusive school. Positive relationships between adults and pupils are at the heart of this school community. Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment activities such as football, sewing, games club and cookery. Pupils across the whole school are proactive in their leadership roles. They contribute to important decisions such as deciding on fundraising events and improving playtime activities. Trained pupil first aiders play an important role in taking care of their peers. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They have a mature understanding of important concepts like equality.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know what is expected of them. Behaviour is positive in classrooms and around school. Pupils understand that some of their friends have different needs to themselves and are kind and supportive. Bullying is rare, and pupils feel confident that adults will sort out any problems quickly. Pupils are safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a well-designed, interesting curriculum. Children in the early years get off to a strong start. Routines are quickly established. The school prioritises language development and early reading. This prepares children well for future learning. Pupils achieve well.

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

Leaders are determined that all pupils learn to read. Work begins at the start of early years. Phonics is taught consistently well by trained adults. Staff are skilled at holding pupils’ interest in lessons. Pupils quickly learn to decode and begin to read confidently and accurately. Any gaps in their knowledge are swiftly identified. A range of interventions are used effectively to help pupils to catch up. However, the teaching of reading beyond phonics is not as well thought out. Some pupils, in particular the most able pupils, do not make the progress that they should. The school recognises this is an area for improvement. 5 and 6 June 2024

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The school has designed an ambitious curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils. Art and design is taught well across school. Pupils study a range of artists and techniques. They can appraise their own work and talk about the inspiration they have taken from work by artists such as Frida Kahlo. Pupils’ artwork is of a high standard.

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Across the curriculum, pupils have many opportunities to revisit and build on their prior learning in lessons. Staff quickly identify and address any misunderstandings that pupils may have. Teachers’ enthusiasm is infectious, and pupils are keen to try their best. Learning is enjoyable.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Staff make adaptations for pupils with SEND when required so that they can learn successfully alongside their classmates. Those pupils who need more specialist interventions get the right support. Staff monitor interventions regularly to make sure that pupils with SEND stay on track. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The teaching of mathematics is a strength of the school. Teachers ensure that pupils have a firm understanding of taught mathematical concepts before moving on. Same-day intervention is effective in ensuring that pupils keep up. Pupils understand that an accurate recall of number facts is important. This is so they can then easily apply their knowledge to problem-solving. Pupils are proud of their work in mathematics.

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Children get off to a flying start in the early years. Adults create rich and varied learning opportunities that enable children to learn about the world around them. For example, children were paying close interest to a snail that they had found. They were keen to learn how to care for it.

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The school has made attendance a high priority. Staff work supportively with families to determine the causes of any absence. Strategies put in place to improve attendance are having a positive impact. Most pupils attend school regularly.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ wider development is strong. There are many opportunities for pupils to engage in activities that promote their spiritual, moral, cultural, and social development. The school focuses on developing pupils’ character. Pupils say they feel proud of their achievements when they have performed in front of others or tried something challenging, for example on the residential visits.

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Governors provide effective support and challenge to the school. The school is considerate of staff’s well-being and workload. Staff feel valued and enjoy working at the school. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the care and quality of education their children receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 5 and 6 June 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s reading curriculum beyond phonics is not rigorous enough. As a result, pupils are not making as much progress in reading as they should. The school needs to develop a comprehensive approach to teaching reading beyond phonics to ensure that pupils’ progress in reading fluency and comprehension improves.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2015.

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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). 5 and 6 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Kieron Armstrong

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School details

Headteacher Judith Brock and Gillian Dransfield (Co- Headteachers) Website www.josephlockeprimary.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The proportion of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.  The school offers wraparound breakfast and after-school care.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There are two co-headteachers who share responsibility for the role.

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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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 5 and 6 June 2024

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 Deep dives were carried out in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art and design. 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.  The inspector also looked at pupils’ work in some other curriculum subjects.  The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector spoke to pupils formally and informally about their learning and experiences at school. The inspector also spoke to parents at the school gate.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the school day, including during

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lesson visits and at breaktime. The inspector spoke to groups of pupils about their views on behaviour at the school.  The inspector reviewed the parental responses received through the Ofsted online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses.  The inspector also considered the responses received through Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.  The inspector met with the co-headteachers, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.

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Inspection team

Tracy Duffy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 June 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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