Newton Hill Community School

Inspection of a good school: Newton Hill Community School Leeds Road, Newton Hill, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF1 2HR

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Outcome

Newton Hill Community School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Newton Hill Community School is a school where pupils value the importance of kindness and tolerance. Staff build a culture where pupils continually show respect towards others. Pupils support each other and help those who are new to their school. Older pupils are positive role models. Visitors are warmly welcomed. Adults build a supportive environment where pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils. Pupils achieve well. They know the school’s ‘5 Golden Rules’ and follow these consistently well. Pupils behave well around school. They have impeccable manners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides many opportunities to enhance the curriculum. Pupils experience visits from the police, the fire service and children’s charities. They attend residential trips, and visit a farm and a castle. Staff enable pupils to learn outdoors. Pupils work with authors and a local museum. These activities are linked to the school curriculum, making learning relevant and purposeful. Pupils attend a range of clubs at lunchtimes and after school. They are rightly proud of achieving the platinum level in a government-led sports awards scheme.

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

The school has carefully identified the knowledge and skills that pupils should learn over time from the early years to Year 6. Staff model and explain new ideas well. They enable pupils to apply this learning in lessons. In art, pupils learn about artists and sculptors from all over the world. They study a wide range of styles. They develop a wide range of skills and techniques. The school builds knowledge. Pupils know how prior learning helps them with new content. For example, in mathematics, Year 4 pupils could recall how previous learning on 2-D shapes helped them to learn about symmetry.

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

The school helps pupils to read well. Children begin learning to read as soon as they start school. The phonics scheme is used consistently well by all staff. The school regularly 16 and 17 July 2024

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checks how well pupils are progressing with their reading. Pupils who need extra support with reading benefit from timely and appropriate support. Older pupils are passionate about reading. They talk confidently about their reading choices. The school holds workshops to help parents and carers to know how to support their children with reading. Pupils read regularly to adults. They also listen to adults read to them daily. This coherent approach to reading is reflected in pupils’ achievements at the end of key stage 2.

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Pupils learn well in mathematics. They are engaged in lessons and talk confidently about the subject. Pupils enjoy a challenge and work together to solve problems. Staff give pupils many opportunities to revisit previous learning. Teachers frequently check pupils’ learning and address any gaps in their understanding. The school engages with external networks to keep subject knowledge up to date. In the early years, pupils begin to develop a clear understanding of number. This prepares them well for Year 1.

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Pupils with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND) are well supported in lessons. Staff adapt lessons so that all pupils access the curriculum well. Additional resources are provided for pupils who need them. Pupils, including those with SEND, become independent quickly. Staff are adept at supporting those who need it. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils’ behaviour is calm and positive around school. They want to learn. Staff care about pupils and help them to succeed. Pupils attend school well. The school has worked tirelessly to remove any barriers to attendance. The school ensures families have external support to help them during challenging times.

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Pupils are taught how to become kind and caring citizens. They know about fundamental British values. They link these to the ‘5 Golden Rules’ and demonstrate how to be kind and tolerant people. Pupils have some opportunities to become leaders in school. They become school councillors and sports leaders. Pupils would like more opportunities to learn leadership skills. They would like to develop a greater sense of wider responsibility in school. Leaders have started to identify opportunities to enhance the leadership roles available to pupils.

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Staff are happy and proud to work at this school. Their workload and well-being are considered by leaders. Governors support the school well. They have a range of skills that allow them to understand the school and support its development. Governors are well informed about the school curriculum.

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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)

 In some areas, the personal development programme could be enhanced to further develop pupils’ character, particularly their leadership skills. Pupils would value greater opportunities in this area. The school should carry out further work to enhance the many strengths of the personal development programme by enabling more pupils to develop their character in this area.

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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 May 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 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

Website www.newtonhill.wakefield.sch.uk/website/

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There is a before- and after-school club for pupils who attend this school.

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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, school staff, pupils, and members of the local governing body, including the chair.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a known adult. 16 and 17 July 2024

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 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.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school. In addition, the inspector met with pupils formally and informally to hear their views.  The inspector considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. She also looked at responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Helen Haunch, lead inspector Ofsted 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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