Idle CofE Primary School

Inspection of Idle CofE Primary School Boothroyd Drive, Idle, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD10 8LU

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 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 Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since February 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 28 and 29 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Idle Primary is a caring and supportive school. Pupils know that there is always someone that they can talk to if they are worried. They appreciate the chance to resolve problems together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is calm and positive. As soon as they start, pupils are taught to be ready, respectful and safe. A small number of pupils who need extra help in managing their behaviour are very well supported. Values such as inclusion, community, pride and resilience are threaded through everything the school does. As a result, pupils develop an awareness of their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils’ achievements. However, some aspects of the quality of education do not allow all pupils to reach their academic potential. The school has taken necessary action to improve the curriculum in the last three years. However, inconsistencies in the curriculum mean that, in some subjects, pupils are not able to build knowledge progressively over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a variety of extra-curricular opportunities, including sport, music and cooking. The school provides leadership opportunities for pupils. For example, pupils can be play leaders, school councillors, reading buddies and worship leaders. These roles encourage pupils to make positive contributions to the school community.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has changed significantly. Current leaders, with support from the local authority and the diocese, have introduced many changes that are starting to improve the quality of education. However, many changes are new or not fully embedded.

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

The school prioritises reading. Pupils are introduced to an array of high-quality books from the moment they start at the school. Many go on to learn to love reading. The school’s phonics programme is well established, with regular checks and support for those needing extra help. The school has recently implemented a new approach to help with comprehension and reading fluency. There is evidence that this is beginning to support pupils to become confident in the more complex elements of reading.

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

The school curriculum is ambitious for all pupils and reflects the school’s values. From the early years onwards, it is intended to engage pupils and encourage them to be inquisitive, independent learners. In some subjects, such as mathematics and physical education (PE), planning is specific and detailed. However, in some subjects, the precise knowledge that pupils need is not clearly set out. This makes it difficult for teachers to check what pupils already know and to ensure learning is sequenced appropriately. For several subjects, the curriculum is very new. As a result, some staff do not have the subject knowledge they need. This limits their ability to make appropriate adaptations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), particularly when there are gaps in learning. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Provision in the early years is varied. The school has taken swift action to address where weaknesses have been identified. However, as in other parts of the school, the essential knowledge that children need to know in some areas of the curriculum is not clear enough or sufficiently well sequenced to ensure that all children learn what they need to be ready for Year 1.

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The school is working hard to be inclusive. Pupils with SEND are identified increasingly well and support is put in place more effectively. This is recognised by some parents and carers.

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The school manages behaviour and attendance effectively. Most pupils attend and behave well. The school provides strong support for vulnerable pupils and their families.

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The school prioritises personal development appropriately. Pupils learn about important values, such as democracy, tolerance and equality. They demonstrate an understanding of positive relationships and how to keep themselves safe. They take pride in whole-school activities, such as charity fundraising.

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The school’s work to engage with parents and staff has had variable success. Recent and regular changes in the last few years have affected some peoples’ perceptions of the school. Leaders look to understand and address the pressures on staff. This is improving well-being. The school has recently taken steps to communicate with parents more effectively. This is beginning to have a positive impact.

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Over time, governors have not acted swiftly enough to identify and address issues within the school. However, with the support of the local authority and the diocese, the governing body has significantly improved its capacity to support and challenge school leaders effectively. This is beginning to make a difference. Collectively, leaders share an ambition to improve the quality of education. However, due to the amount of change, of late, there remains a lack of clarity about the roles and responsibilities of different leaders.

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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, and in the early years, the precise knowledge that pupils should learn is not identified consistently. As a result, teachers are unclear about what they should be teaching and when in these areas. The school must ensure it identifies the 28 and 29 January 2025

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most important knowledge and concepts that pupils need to learn clearly and consistently, so that the implementation of the curriculum can be more effective.  In some subjects, and particularly where the curriculum has been more recently implemented, the subject knowledge of teachers and leaders is not strong. As a result, teachers find it difficult to adapt lessons, to check how well pupils are learning and to address any gaps in knowledge before moving on to more complex tasks. The school needs to ensure that staff have the subject knowledge they need to teach the breadth of the curriculum consistently.  The school’s work to engage with parents effectively has had variable success. Consequently, some parents are worried about the changes that have taken place in school and the impact on their children. The school should continue to improve its engagement with parents so that there is clarity about what is happening, why and

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when.  Due to recent changes at the school, leaders’ work has not yet had the intended impact in school. There is some remaining confusion about who is responsible for what and how impact will be checked. The school should further clarify the roles so that leaders, including governors, are clear about what they are responsible for and how their actions will be checked in relation to improving the school’s quality of education.

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Co-chairs of governing body Pete Sayers and Nicola Roth

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 February 2014

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Information about this school

 The school has doubled in size since the last inspection and now has two classes in every year group.  The school appointed a new headteacher in January 2022.  The leadership of the governing body has changed since the last inspection.  The school currently makes use of one registered alternative provider.  As the school is designated as Church of England, it is inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The school was last inspected in January 2019. Inspections are usually every six years, however, the timescales for reinspection have been extended because of COVID-19.

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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 28 and 29 January 2025

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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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, the headteacher and other leaders from the school.  Inspectors met with representatives of the governing body, the local authority school adviser and an adviser from the Diocese of Leeds.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design, history and PE. 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 discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class, around the school and during social times. They held discussions with leaders about behaviour and attendance.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors spoke with groups of staff and pupils to gain their views about the school.

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Inspection team

Gill McCleave, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lynda Florence Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 January 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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