Saltergate Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Saltergate Infant School Newby Crescent, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 2TT

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Outcome

Saltergate Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of Saltergate Infant School. They welcome visitors warmly. They are keen to talk about what they enjoy about their school. Pupils feel safe. They know they can speak to adults in school if they have any worries. Leaders are astutely aware of the wider issues affecting the local community. With this in mind, the personal development offer for pupils ensures they know how to keep themselves and others safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A positive behaviour policy is in place. This supports the different needs of the pupils who attend the school. The golden rules are age-appropriate and set the expectations. Pupils know and talk about these. They want to try their very best in all they do. Pupils learn in a calm and purposeful way. At playtimes, pupils enjoy the benefit of a well-planned outdoor space, with a range of activities on offer. They play well together and know that adults are on hand if they need them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has improved attendance by taking appropriate and effective action when pupils’ attendance begins to decline. However, too many pupils still arrive late to school. They miss important learning each morning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for its pupils. Improvements made to the curriculum are starting to have a positive impact on pupils’ achievement.

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

The school has reflected on the 2023 published pupil outcomes for phonics and has prioritised the improvement of the early reading curriculum. Adults who teach the phonics programme do so consistently well. In addition to daily phonics lessons, pupils benefit from ‘phonics blast’ sessions. Adults identify gaps in pupils’ understanding swiftly. The achievement of pupils is improving. Pupils develop a love for reading. Pupils say teachers are good at telling stories. This inspires them to want to become good readers themselves. 16 and 17 July 2024

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Recently, the school has made changes to the mathematics curriculum to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of all pupils. ‘Monday Maths’ ensures pupils have regular opportunities to learn wider knowledge in mathematics, such as shape and measures, which is revisited each week. Across the rest of the week, pupils learn the key facts, which they apply when solving problems. Teachers deliver the lesson content clearly. Pupils know what they are learning and why. Every lesson starts with a ‘knowledge check’ to help pupils consolidate their mathematical knowledge. Pupils can talk about their learning in mathematics and use the correct vocabulary.

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The school’s wider curriculum is well planned to build knowledge progressively from the early years to Year 2. In music, the curriculum starts in pre-school (Discovery Learning), where children have opportunities to explore musical instruments, move to music and sing. In Years 1 and 2, through a carefully constructed approach, pupils learn to read music and play instruments. Pupils speak confidently about what they have learned. They use the correct terminology and context when talking about tempo, pitch, dynamics and rhythm.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified. Staff work with outside professionals as well as parents to start to build the right support for pupils at the school. However, some pupils with SEND would benefit from further adaptations in order to access the curriculum more effectively.

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Discovery Learning is the school’s early years provision for children aged two to four years. Children are nurtured within this provision. They learn the expected behaviours of school life. Children know and follow routines exceptionally well, which helps them to develop their independence and confidence. Even the youngest children take risks, for example when exploring the climbing equipment outside.

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Pupils’ personal development is prioritised as well as their academic progress. Pupils take on many responsibilities. They are proud to be subject ambassadors and school councillors. Pupils have the opportunity to pursue their interests in clubs such as choir, craft and the ‘razmatazz’ club. These clubs are purposefully designed so that pupils not only develop knowledge and skills, but also grow in self-confidence and have the opportunity to perform to others.

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Close working with the federated junior school means that staff benefit from shared subject expertise. Staff appreciate leaders’ consideration of their workload and well-being. They value actions put in place in response to their feedback. Governors are committed to the school and the community. They support and challenge leaders to continue to enact improvements to the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 16 and 17 July 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils with SEND do not receive the adaptations that they need to access an ambitious curriculum. Their learning is not always closely matched to their needs. The school should build on existing adaptations for these pupils, reflecting on what it is that will help them to learn and make progress in accordance with their individual needs.  Persistent absence at the school is too high for too many pupils, including some who are more disadvantaged. Too many pupils arrive late to school. This means that these pupils are missing out on too much of their vital education. The school should continue its work with families to secure better rates of attendance by ensuring pupils arrive on time every day.

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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 January 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. 16 and 17 July 2024

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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). 16 and 17 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of a federation with Saltergate Junior School. The headteacher oversees both schools.  The school has a Nursery provision for children from age two. This provision is called Discovery Learning.  There is a breakfast club and after-school clubs for pupils who attend the school. An external company runs this provision.  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.  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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. She also met with the chair of the governing body and one other governor. 16 and 17 July 2024

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 The inspector met with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed a selection of pupils reading to members of staff. Other pupils were heard reading their work during lessons.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: checked the school’s single central record; spoke to senior leaders about safeguarding procedures; took account of the views of 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 met with groups of pupils to talk about their learning and life in school.

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 The inspector also met with parents at the end of the school day.  The inspector considered a range of documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation and improvement plans. The inspector checked records of attendance and behaviour.  The inspector also observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtime and talked to them about behaviour, bullying and welfare.  The inspector reviewed responses to Ofsted Parent View and to the staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Sarah Gordon, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 16 and 17 July 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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