High Crags Primary Leadership Academy

Inspection of a good school: High Crags Primary Leadership Academy Crag Road, Shipley, West Yorkshire BD18 2ES

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Outcome

High Crags Primary Leadership Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Helen Ray. This school is part of Star 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, Sir Mufti Hamid Patel CBE, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Kamruddin Kothia OBE DL.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school has high aspirations for its pupils. Staff teach pupils to treat each other with care and kindness. The school’s ambition for its pupils is evident through the curriculum they are taught. Pupils follow clear and consistent routines. They feel and are safe. Relationships in school are strong. Pupils trust adults to help them with any problems. As one pupil said about teachers, ‘If you have a problem, they will be there to help you.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils move around and through the school calmly and with purpose. Pupils who find it difficult to self-regulate their behaviour are skilfully supported by staff who understand their needs well. Pupils develop positive learning behaviours. Staff use consistent strategies in lessons to develop these behaviours. These behaviours give pupils the best chance of being successful in their learning. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified and well supported. Pupils enjoy their learning. They speak confidently about their learning in different subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. The school provides a wide range of extra-curricular activities that pupils benefit from attending.

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

Pupils are taught an ambitious curriculum. Some pupils with SEND in the ‘Resource-Led Provision’ (RLP) receive a more individualised approach to the curriculum and how it is delivered. Subject leaders ensure that pupils are taught what they need to know in an order that builds their knowledge over time. The knowledge, vocabulary and subject- specific skills that pupils are to be taught are carefully mapped out at each stage of learning. The school has ensured that the provision in the early years supports children to 19 and 20 June 2024

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be successful in their future learning. For example, in Nursery children learn about different representations of the number five and how these help them to add and subtract. In lessons, staff use consistent teaching strategies to deliver the curriculum. For example, each lesson begins with a ‘do now activity’ that helps pupils to recall the knowledge from previous lessons. This knowledge helps them to understand their new learning. Pupils explain their learning expertly. For example, Year 6 pupils talk confidently about what made the Mayan empire unique. The school’s published outcomes in 2023 do not reflect the standard of education that pupils are receiving currently.

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The early reading curriculum helps pupils to build their phonics knowledge sequentially over time. Leaders regularly check how well pupils are being taught to read. Staff attend phonics training frequently. Pupils are given books to read that are well matched to the sounds that they have been taught. Younger pupils who need help with reading are quickly identified and supported. The support for some older pupils is not as closely targeted to their needs as it could be. Pupils enjoy and benefit from many activities and experiences that promote reading. They access a wide range of books from different genres and authors.

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The school gives careful consideration to pupils’ broader development. Subject leaders have carefully thought about how educational visits and visitors enhance and enrich pupils’ experiences beyond the classroom. For example, pupils from Years 3 and 4 describe how their recent trip to Saltaire helped them to understand their learning in history. The school provides a variety of pupil leadership opportunities, such as library elves, and geography and maths ambassadors. Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND access these opportunities. Pupils understand how different groups in society should be treated equally. Pupils’ experience of the world of work is enhanced by visitors, including some from the nursing and justice professions. Pupils’ future aspirations are developed well through these opportunities.

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Staff are well supported. The school takes account of the pressures on staff. It provides the support staff need to carry out their jobs effectively. Leaders at all levels share a collective vision for how well pupils should achieve. The school has developed some aspects of the curriculum after reflecting on the 2023 published outcomes. Governors and trust leaders have a clear understanding of how the school is performing and where it should develop further. The school is aware that some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. The school has clear systems for identifying and supporting pupils and families where this is the case. This work is making a difference.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not always know where there are gaps in some pupils’ reading knowledge in key stage 2. This means that teaching is not always matched closely to 19 and 20 June 2024

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pupils’ needs. The school should ensure that it identifies and addresses the gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge.

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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 April 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 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). 19 and 20 June 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is one of 33 schools in the Star Academies multi-academy trust.  The early years provision includes eight two-year-olds.  This is an above-average sized primary school.  The school has an RLP for a small number of pupils with speech, language and communication needs.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 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.  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. 19 and 20 June 2024

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, early reading and history. For each deep dive, the inspector 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 evaluated responses from parents to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. He spoke with some parents dropping their children off at school. The inspector also evaluated the responses that staff and pupils made to Ofsted’s online surveys.  The inspector spoke to members of the school’s executive team, including the chief executive officer, the regional director and the executive director of education.

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Inspection team

Liam Colclough, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 20 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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