Myrtle Park Primary

Inspection of Myrtle Park Primary Ash Terrace, Bingley, West Yorkshire BD16 1HB

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 16 and 17 July 2024

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Myrtle Park Primary is a happy and caring school where most pupils behave well, attend well and have positive attitudes towards learning. Pupils show respectful and tolerant attitudes towards each other.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a wider curriculum, beyond reading and mathematics, which is underdeveloped. Some subject leaders lack appropriate training to design and implement the curriculum well. Pupils develop gaps in their knowledge over time due to these inconsistencies. The importance of pupils reading for pleasure is gaining a higher profile at the school. Pupils enjoy additional opportunities to read during the school day. By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve well in reading. However, younger pupils, who are finding learning to read difficult, are not consistently receiving the additional support that they need.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is rare. If it does happen, most pupils, parents and carers are confident that staff will sort out any issues. There is a strong focus on supporting pupils’ emotional needs. Pupils can visit the school’s nurture room. Here, they are well supported by the school’s nurture leader. There are structures in place for pupils to let staff know if they have any worries or concerns. This includes a peg system and ‘worry monsters’.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the wide range of activities that the school offers. These include sporting competitions, forest school and musical opportunities. Many of these help pupils to develop their team-building skills.

p.2

better?

The school’s curriculum is more developed in some subjects compared with others. For instance, in mathematics, the curriculum is well sequenced. Staff have received subject-specific mathematics training. Although there are still some inconsistencies in the implementation of the school’s mathematics curriculum, pupils achieve well in mathematics by the end of Year 6.

p.2

better?

In the foundation subjects, and science, the curriculum is not clear about the most important knowledge that pupils should know and remember. Subject leaders have not received the training they need to design the curriculum well. The curriculum is inconsistently implemented. Staff do not sufficiently check that pupils can remember what they have been taught. Sometimes pupils are taught misconceptions. Pupils find it difficult to remember what they have been taught. There are gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills as a result.

p.2

better?

The school achieves lower than the national average outcomes in phonics. As a result, the school has rightly prioritised the teaching of phonics. This is improving. Staff are well trained in the school’s phonics programme. Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds that they know. However, pupils who struggle to read 16 and 17 July 2024

p.2

3

are not receiving enough additional support to enable them to catch up quickly with their peers.

p.3

3

Children in Reception benefit from an ambitious curriculum. Children demonstrate positive attention skills. There is an engaging and nurturing environment in the early years. Children are well prepared for Year 1.

p.3

3

The school is improving provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In the early years, staff have a good understanding of the needs of pupils with SEND. The school is working to improve targets on pupils’ SEND support plans.

p.3

3

Pupils understand the school’s behaviour policy well. Pupils are polite and courteous, and most behave well. Pupils take pride in the presentation of their work. In the early years, routines are well established. Children play cooperatively with each other. They are settled and happy.

p.3

3

Pupils attend well. Pupils’ attendance is above the national average. The school works with families to address any issues around absence or punctuality. Governors challenge leaders effectively to continually improve attendance.

p.3

3

The school has a comprehensive personal, social and health education programme. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe outside of school. For instance, they learn about road safety, keeping safe online and the dangers of vaping. However, older pupils do not understand some of the other risks they may face outside of school. For example, they lack knowledge about the dangers of radicalisation, extremism and county lines gangs. Some staff are also not clear about the risks that pupils may face outside of school.

p.3

3

Pupils have a strong understanding of the importance of fundamental British values. Older pupils enjoy being playground buddies for younger pupils. They would like to take on more leadership responsibilities within school.

p.3

3

Many parents who responded to Ofsted’s survey hold positive views about the school. However, some parents are unhappy with the quality of education and some aspects of the school’s communication. The school is aware of this. They are improving communication with parents.

p.3

3

After a period of instability, turbulence and a decline in standards, leadership has been strengthened. The school is now stabilised and improving. Governors provide robust challenge and support to leaders. Staff morale has increased significantly. Staff are proud to work at the school.

p.3

Safeguarding

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

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils who are not keeping up with the school’s phonics programme are not consistently receiving the additional support they need. This means they are not catching up with their peers quickly enough. The school should ensure that these pupils receive the timely and targeted support they need to catch up swiftly.  In the foundation subjects, and in science, the school has not identified the precise knowledge and skills that pupils must learn. Alongside this, teachers do not use assessment consistently well to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Pupils have gaps in their knowledge as a result. The school should ensure that the curriculum, in every subject, identifies the essential disciplinary and subject knowledge that pupils need to learn and that teachers regularly check the knowledge that pupils remember over time.  The school has not provided the foundation subject leaders with the training they

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

need to lead their subjects consistently well. This means that some areas of the school’s curriculum are in the early stages of development and other areas are not implemented as well as they could be. The school should ensure that foundation subject leaders receive the subject-specific training they need to develop the school’s curriculum further and provide support and guidance to staff.  Pupils, and some staff, do not understand all the risks that pupils may face outside of school. This means that pupils are not as well prepared as they should be to manage these risks. The school should ensure that pupils, and staff, understand all the potential risks that pupils may face in the local and wider communities.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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 16 and 17 July 2024

p.4

5

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

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.6

School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.6

Information about this school

 There is a new headteacher since the previous inspection. The new headteacher was seconded to the school as head of school in September 2022. He was appointed as the school’s substantive headteacher in April 2024.  There is a new deputy headteacher and chair of the governing body since the previous inspection.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.  The school does not make use of any alternative education provision.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club for pupils.

p.6

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 16 and 17 July 2024

p.6

7

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of the 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history, mathematics, and design and technology. 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. Inspectors also checked the curriculum in some other subjects, visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

p.7

7

considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered a range of documentation, including leaders’ evaluation of the school, the school’s behaviour, bullying and attendance analysis and logs, the school improvement plan and minutes of governing body meetings.  An inspector visited the school’s breakfast club.  Inspectors observed pupils during social times and held formal and informal discussions with groups of pupils.  The lead inspector met with the chair and vice-chair of the school’s governing body and one other governor.  The lead inspector met with the school’s local authority representative.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator and other staff.  Inspectors considered the views of staff and parents who responded to Ofsted’s

p.7

7

surveys. The lead inspector also spoke to some parents as they were collecting their children from school. Inspectors also considered an email communication from a parent.

p.7

Inspection team

Michele Costello, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.7

Inspection team

Shameem Hussain Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 July 2024

p.7

8

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.

p.8

8

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

8

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

8

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

8

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8