Newlands Primary School

Inspection of Newlands Primary School Wakefield Road, Normanton, West Yorkshire WF6 1BB

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 11 and 12 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this school. Staff are committed to supporting the well-being of pupils. Pupils benefit from caring and supportive relationships with staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambitions for pupils at this school, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There is a high proportion of pupils with education and health care plans. These pupils are supported well, including within the school’s specialist resource provision for pupils with communication needs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have a clear vision for implementing a high-quality education for pupils. However, pupils do not achieve as well as they should in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. The school has begun to make improvements to the curriculum. However, in some subjects the school has not done enough to ensure that pupils are well supported to learn and remember the most important knowledge. Children in the early years develop positive attitudes to their learning. However, the school’s early years curriculum does not contain the necessary detail to prepare children for key stage 1 well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They follow the school’s expectations set out in ‘The Newlands Way’. This helps pupils to cooperate, work hard and be respectful to others. Pupils understand the importance of equality and they celebrate diversity. They enjoy the opportunities they have to discuss these issues in school.

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

The curriculum is being reviewed and strengthened. Where this is working well, what the school wants pupils to know and remember is well considered. In mathematics, for example, the curriculum is carefully structured. Important knowledge is clearly identified and learning builds over time. Pupils enjoy mathematics and are beginning to develop a secure knowledge of the subject. In some subjects, curriculum design is at an earlier stage. The school has not yet precisely identified the important knowledge they want all pupils to learn or the order in which this needs to be taught.

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

The implementation of the curriculum is not consistently effective across the school. Where practice is strong, staff have a strong subject knowledge and clear focus on what they want pupils to learn when. However, in some lessons, teachers select learning activities that do not support pupils to learn the intended curriculum well.

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

The school prioritises pupils learning to read. There is a well-planned early reading phonics curriculum in place. Staff have received effective support from the local English hub. The teaching of early reading is strong. Pupils receive additional support if they need it. Pupils develop confidence and fluency across key stage 1. The school has also introduced a programme to improve fluency and comprehension across key stage 2. This initiative has yet to show a significant impact on published outcomes in Year 6.

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

Pupils’ writing skills are not developed well. In the early years, a significant proportion of children do not develop secure early writing skills. Over time, this leads to some pupils 11 and 12 February 2025

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developing poor writing habits, particularly with spelling, punctuation and handwriting. Pupils are expected to compose longer pieces of writing before they have the language knowledge and writing skills they need to do this successfully.

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Children in the early years are well cared for. They develop positive attitudes to their learning and are supported to understand important expectations and routines. However, the curriculum in the early years is not clearly defined and sequenced. Activities and resources, both indoors and outdoors, are not well matched to children’s learning needs. As a result, some children are not prepared for key stage 1 as well as they should be.

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Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is thoughtful and precise. Pupils’ needs are identified quickly. The school makes use of staff expertise as well as external support, where needed. This means that in subjects where the curriculum is more carefully planned and delivered, pupils with SEND receive every opportunity to achieve well. However, in other subjects, the weaknesses in the school’s curriculum also impact on the learning offer for pupils with SEND.

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Pupils are taught how to stay physically and mentally healthy, and how to stay safe. online. The school provides a number of extra-curricular clubs, trips and activities for pupils. The school provides extensive support to families to overcome barriers to regular attendance. However, despite the work of the school, a small proportion of pupils still do not attend school regularly enough. These pupils miss essential learning. Improving the attendance of these pupils remains a priority for the school and leaders continue to work on this tirelessly.

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The school is working in a context that provides significant challenge. It continues to experience the ongoing negative impact of the pandemic. There has been some instability in school leadership and staffing. The local authority has provided additional leadership capacity and significant support with school improvement.

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Newly appointed governors monitor the school’s work effectively. They offer support and challenge to leaders and are committed to improving the quality of education for all pupils. Staff are very proud to work at the school. They are positive about the changes to improve the school and feel supported to develop their practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some of the subject curriculums do not clearly identify the most important knowledge pupils should learn over time. There is variability in how well the curriculum is 11 and 12 February 2025

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implemented. As a result, pupils do not consistently learn as well as they should in all subjects. The school should ensure that the revised curriculum clearly identifies the important knowledge pupils will learn over time. Leaders must ensure that staff are supported to implement the curriculum consistently well to enable all pupils to know and remember more over time.  The English curriculum does not clearly set out how writing should be taught, from the early years onwards. As a result, some pupils are not able to write with accuracy or fluency. The school should ensure that the curriculum clearly identifies the basic knowledge and skills children need in the early years and how this should be built upon progressively, so that pupils are able to write independently with confidence and fluency over time.  The school’s approach to improving attendance is not successful for a small group of pupils. These pupils are absent too often. They miss valuable learning and enrichment

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opportunities. The school should continue to work closely with these pupils and their families to remove barriers to attendance.  The early years curriculum does not identify and order the precise knowledge and skills that children need to learn during their time in the early years. Learning opportunities and activity choices are not as effective as they should be. As a result, some children are not prepared well for Year 1. The school should ensure that the early years curriculum is carefully sequenced to build learning from children’s early starting points and implemented effectively, so that children are well prepared for key stage 1 and beyond.

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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). 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 Newlands Primary Communication Resource is an adapted mainstream integrated resource for 26 pupils from Reception to Year 6 who have an education, health and care plan. The resource aims to meet the needs of those children with social communication needs.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast club.

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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. 11 and 12 February 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a 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 met with the acting headteacher, curriculum leaders, members of the governing body and representatives from Wakefield local authority about the school’s progress and actions since the last inspection.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, geography and religious education. 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 a sample of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.

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 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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Inspection team

Tracy Duffy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Butler Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 February 2025

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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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