Gomersal St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of Gomersal St Mary’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Shirley Avenue, Gomersal, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire BD19 4NA

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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 Primary School 11 and 12 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. This includes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils achieve well. This is reflected in the school’s published outcomes. Pupils benefit from the nurturing relationships that they have with staff. There is a respectful culture among adults and pupils. Pupils behave well in lessons and at breaktimes. Pupils display positive attitudes to their learning. They are safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a positive impact on the school through leadership roles. These include as eco council members, where pupils weigh the school’s plastic waste. This helps them realise the impact that humans have on the world and the importance of recycling. The school enhances the curriculum through the use of external experts. This includes the local fire service, who teach children about fire safety. Pupils also learn about financial responsibility, including the benefits of saving money.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils, including those with SEND, have access to extra-curricular activities. These include learning a musical instrument and sports clubs. Pupils appreciate these opportunities to develop their talents and interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to care for each other and their community. Pupils engage in charity activities. They raise money for school events and contribute to a local food bank.

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better?

The school has prioritised reading. Adults access appropriate training. This supports them to teach early reading well. Adults regularly check what pupils can read. They use this information to introduce new sounds when pupils are ready to progress. If pupils need to revisit sounds, this is quickly addressed. The school has invested in a range of books from different genres. This motivates pupils to practise their reading. Pupils enjoy reading these books. They are well matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge. As a result, pupils quickly become independent readers.

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better?

The school delivers a curriculum that is clearly sequenced. The activities that pupils complete are carefully considered. There is a calm and purposeful working atmosphere in lessons. Pupils listen well to each other and take turns to speak. Mathematics lessons are structured with purpose. Pupils revisit relevant learning from previous lessons. This supports pupils to make links in their understanding and transfer learning to their long-term memory. However, in some other subjects, this is less consistent. As a result, some pupils do not remember some of what they have been taught.

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better?

The school identifies the specific learning needs of pupils with SEND. The school works collaboratively with parents and external agencies. Learning is tailored appropriately across the curriculum. This enables pupils with SEND to learn successfully alongside their peers. Primary School 11 and 12 June 2024

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There are a range of effective learning activities in the early years. This includes adult-led and independent activities. The school has identified language development as a focus. Adults interact well with children to develop their vocabulary. Adults model new words and support children to use them when explaining their own understanding. The school engages well with parents. This includes regular reading workshops. These help parents to support their children’s reading at home.

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Leaders have high ambitions for what pupils learn and experience. They have made purposeful changes to the curriculum. These changes are having a positive impact. In most subjects, the school carefully checks what pupils learn and remember. This gives subject leaders clear information about where the curriculum is working and where it needs to be changed. However, the school does not have an accurate picture of the curriculum impact across all subjects. In a small number of subjects, the school does not identify and address where the curriculum could be further improved.

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The school is committed to developing pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn about keeping healthy. They know how food and exercise affect the body. Pupils are taught about racism and sexism. They articulate their clear understanding, drawing on examples from the American civil rights movement. Pupils develop an extremely mature understanding around tolerance and accepting difference. The school teaches pupils how to stay safe online. Pupils know what to do if they have any concerns when using the internet.

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Staff are very positive about the help they receive from leaders. They say that the curriculum documents provided by leaders support their workload. Those responsible for governance are committed to the school. They are actively involved. The systems in place are effective and support them to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school does not have a clear picture of the impact of the curriculum. This means that improvements are not as specifically aligned to areas most in need. The school should ensure that it checks how well pupils learn and remember the curriculum for each subject and uses this information to evaluate and improve the curriculum further. n In some subjects, some pupils do not remember enough of what they are taught. As a result, they do not develop the depth of knowledge they could. The school Primary School 11 and 12 June 2024

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should ensure that it considers how it supports pupils to transfer learning to their long-term memory.

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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). Primary School 11 and 12 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 30 April and 1 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a breakfast club.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is a Church of England school, which had its latest section 48 inspection in June 2022.

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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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and other staff. Primary School 11 and 12 June 2024

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 Inspectors held meetings with the governors, a representative of the diocese and a representative of the local authority.  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 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. This included any free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Andrew Yeomans, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sinead Fox Ofsted Inspector Primary School 11 and 12 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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