Earlsheaton Infant School

Inspection of Earlsheaton Infant School Commercial Street, Earlsheaton, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire WF12 8JF

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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 Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 2 and 3 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Earlsheaton Infant School, pupils are polite and considerate. They say that their friends and the adults in school help them to feel safe. The school has taken action to improve the quality of education. They have raised their expectations around what pupils will know and learn in the curriculum. Pupils rise to meet these expectations and achieve well. They are enthusiastic about sharing and discussing their learning experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. These expectations lead to a positive working environment, where low-level disruption is not tolerated. Pupils understand the ‘CARE’ code. This stands for: ‘consideration, affection and respect for everyone and everything’. Pupils take pride in earning rewards for demonstrating these core values. The school nurtures pupils’ well-being. They offer targeted pastoral support to help pupils manage their emotions effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum extends beyond the academic. Pupils take part in activities across the school day, such as healthy living week and sporting events. Pupils broaden their understanding of different cultures and faiths. They do this through the curriculum and with different faith leaders who visit the school. Pupils compare different places of worship and practices. They also learn about festivals and celebrations around the world. This curriculum encourages pupils to talk about diversity and equality.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are involved in collaborative projects with institutions, like the Royal Opera House and Leeds Art Gallery. These experiences, trips, visiting musicians and projects build pupils’ appreciation for the arts and culture.

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better?

During a time of instability in staffing, the school has worked to minimise disruption to pupils’ learning. This instability has led to some concerns and mixed views from parents. There is now a stable staffing structure in place. The improved curriculum means that pupils are ready for their next stage. However, there is further work needed to ensure that the early years curriculum meets the ambitions of the school.

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better?

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. In most subjects, the school has sequenced the curriculum effectively. It builds on the key knowledge that pupils need to learn. For example, in mathematics, when working on fractions, pupils begin with halving shapes, then move on to halving numbers of objects successfully. The use of starter sentences, helps pupils to develop and explain their thinking. Staff address any misunderstandings quickly. They provide extra practise for pupils who need it. In foundation subjects like computing, pupils develop digital literacy and coding skills. They understand key vocabulary and use it accurately. In some foundation subjects, like geography, the school is still developing the curriculum so that pupils build their key knowledge and skills and deepen their understanding effectively over time. 2 and 3 July 2024

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Staff adapt the curriculum so pupils with special educational needs and disabilities can learn with their peers. Pupils with complex needs start the day with ‘sensory circuits’. This helps them begin school positively.

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The school prioritises learning to read. Any pupils at risk of falling behind, receive extra practise. This helps them to remember sounds and read them in words. Pupils learn to read from books that contain the sounds they know. Older pupils have extra reading practise to increase their reading fluency. Pupils engage with the books that staff share with them. They talk about favourite stories. They share facts they learn from non-fiction books across the curriculum. By the end of Year 2, most pupils can read accurately and are developing their fluency. This prepares them well for their next stage of education.

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In the Reception Year, relationships between adults and children are warm and nurturing. However, the early years curriculum is not precisely sequenced. This means that it does not build on what children already know. The curriculum is stronger in early reading, but children do not begin this phonic learning as soon as they start school. This delay means that they are not as ready as they could be for Year 1. In early mathematics, recent developments have introduced a coherent and sequenced curriculum. This is at the early stages of implementation. While some routines are established, some children struggle to follow them. In ‘free choice’ activities, some children struggle to maintain focus and extend their thinking. These children do not have the opportunities to strengthen their resilience, concentration and preparedness for future learning.

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Pupils join in class discussions, assemblies and watch ‘Newsround’. These activities provide opportunities to discuss fundamental British values like the rule of law. Pupils can talk about these values and relate them to examples. Pupils also learn how to keep themselves safe online, for example, when playing games. They have responsibilities throughout the school day, such as being playground helpers. These opportunities help develop pupils’ character.

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Staff enjoy working at this school. They state that leaders are highly considerate of their workload. Members of the governing body are both supportive and hold leaders to account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

During the inspection, the school needed to make some minor additions to the records that they keep on staff, volunteers and governors. These were completed while inspectors were on site. 2 and 3 July 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some foundation subjects are at an earlier stage of development. This means that the key knowledge that pupils need for future learning is variable. The school needs to ensure that each foundation subject identifies key knowledge and is coherently planned and sequenced.  The curriculum in the early years is not coherently planned and sequenced. This means that there is some variation in how well prepared children are for Year 1. The school should urgently develop the curriculum and share this with all staff to ensure it is delivered to a high standard.  In early years, a small number of children struggle to focus and disengage from their learning. This limits the progress they make. The school should ensure that all staff know how to develop the resilience, perseverance and independence of these children, so that they achieve as well as they should.

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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). 2 and 3 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 November 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  There have been changes to the leadership team since the last inspection. New senior leaders took up post in the summer term 2024.  The school does not use a registered alternative education provider.  The school is an associate member of Learning Accord Multi-Academy Trust.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 2 and 3 July 2024

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 The inspectors spoke to the headteacher, members of the leadership team and leaders responsible for safeguarding.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning, listened to pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors also spoke to leaders and looked at work for geography and art and design.  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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  An inspector spoke to parents at the school gate. The inspectors took account of

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the views of parents through surveys, including Ofsted Parent View and views submitted by email.  The lead inspector held separate meetings with representatives of the school’s governing body, including the chair, a representative from the local authority and the chief executive officer from the associate trust.

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Inspection team

Lesley Sullivan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Emily Stevens His Majesty’s Inspector 2 and 3 July 2024

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