Hendal Primary School

Inspection of Hendal Primary School Hendal Lane, Kettlethorpe, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF2 7QW

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 19 and 20 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an engaging and nurturing place to learn. Pupils glow with pride when they talk about their school and the work that they have done. The school’s values of ‘belong’, ‘aspire’ and ‘achieve’ underpin the approach of the staff and positive attitudes of the pupils. Pupils are unfailingly polite and respectful. Excellent relationships with teachers ensure that pupils feel safe. Pupils are greeted with a warm smile and arrive expecting to learn and enjoy their day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is highly ambitious for every pupil. Pupils thrive in the supportive and caring environment. They learn effectively and study a broad curriculum with enthusiasm. Pupils love to read and appreciate the many opportunities to do so. In the early years, children enjoy exciting days of learning and discovery. They benefit from high expectations and well-established routines.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in school. Pupils are thoughtful and kind towards each other. They are confident and independent. Behaviour is exemplary in lessons, where pupils focus and work with determination. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about their many leadership roles and their contribution to the school and wider community. Older pupils take their position as role models for younger children seriously.

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

In some subjects, the curriculum is detailed and very well sequenced. Teachers use this effectively. In lessons, pupils revisit prior learning and they talk confidently about their learning and remember important knowledge. In other subjects, however, the ambition of the curriculum is not yet realised. Pupils’ progress through these subject curriculums slows as teachers are unclear about the steps in learning that pupils need to make. Teacher checks are used in lessons to ensure that all pupils learn effectively. However, teacher checks at the end of a sequence of lessons are not always focused on expected learning. In some subjects, therefore, teachers are unable to clearly establish what pupils have learned over time and where any gaps remain.

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

A rigorous and effective approach to teaching phonics ensures that pupils learn sounds quickly. Staff are well trained and highly skilled. Teaching is precise. Staff check which sounds pupils know. Pupils confidently read books matched to the sounds that they are learning and practise writing the sounds and words that they know. Where needed, extra support is delivered with expertise so that pupils can keep up with the phonics programme.

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

Older pupils know that reading is an important life skill. They read confidently, taking note of punctuation and using expression. Pupils discuss characters and plot with understanding. They enjoy hearing adults read and appreciate the wide range of books available to them.

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

The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are securely identified and very well met. Staff work hard to ensure that barriers to learning are 19 and 20 November 2024

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reduced. They know and understand pupils’ individual targets. As a result, they make thoughtful adaptations so that learning is successful.

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Children in the early years become confident, curious learners. They enjoy excellent relationships with the adults. A sharp focus on communication and language skills means that children learn from every activity. Adults set up the engaging indoor and outdoor environments to promote learning and independence. Sometimes, learning is not as successful as it could be because the curriculum does not always identify clearly enough the expected steps in learning. Personal, social and emotional development is strong. This helps to prepare children in the Reception Year for key stage 1.

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The whole school environment promotes positive behaviour. Pupils manage their behaviour well because they understand what excellent behaviour is. They are highly respectful towards each other and the adults in school. Bullying is rare and pupils are confident that, if it does happen, adults in school will sort it out quickly. The school is working hard to improve overall attendance and reduce the rate of persistent absence. However, the impact of this is still to be seen. Some pupils miss out on important learning and the wider opportunities offered by the school.

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Personal development underpins school life. Pupils learn to be safe and talk with maturity about their digital footprint. They model tolerance and respect and understand equality. Pupils talk with confidence about different faiths and cultures and the characteristics of people in school and society. They discuss ideas like democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law knowledgeably. Pupils contribute to the wider community, for example by engaging in sustainability projects with local businesses. Pupils value access to a wide range of clubs and activities. Well-planned visits, visitors and enrichment activities help pupils experience the world beyond the school. They are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern, diverse Britain.

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The school considers the well-being and workload of staff, who value the support that they receive. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent reflected the views of many when they said, ‘Hendal is a special school, with staff who care deeply about the children. They go above and beyond to support the children and their families, and my child is extremely happy at the school.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the curriculum is not focused on the essential knowledge and skills that pupils need in order to remember cumulatively over time. As a result, learning in some subjects is not as successful as in others. The school should ensure that the curriculum in all subjects focuses on the most important knowledge and skills that 19 and 20 November 2024

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pupils need to remember and use. Leaders, at all levels, should check that these are being implemented and ensure that teacher checks are closely aligned to the intended curriculum.

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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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 March 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a breakfast and after-school club.  The school has nursery provision for three-year-old children.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 19 and 20 November 2024

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 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 met with the headteacher and other members of staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the board of governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors met with the leader for behaviour and attendance, the leader for pupil premium, the leader for personal, social and health education and the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading and phonics, mathematics, art and design, physical education and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, conducted joint lesson visits with leaders, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning

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and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with the leader for early years and carried out lesson visits to the Nursery and Reception classes.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, around school and at playtime and lunchtime.  Inspectors met with pupils to talk about behaviour and personal development.  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.

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 Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff and pupils, and Ofsted’s Parent View. These included comments received via the free-text facility. Inspectors also talked to some parents at the start and end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Chris Jennings, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David Taylor Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 November 2024

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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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