Parkwood Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Parkwood Primary School Parkwood Street, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD21 4QH

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Outcome

Parkwood Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Thomas Finch. This school is part of Northern Star Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Jenn Plews, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Murphy. There is also an executive headteacher, Geoff Morrison, who is responsible for this school and one other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parkwood Primary School aspires to ‘give children a great start to learning by providing a school community where everyone is happy and eager to learn’. This aspiration is being met for the vast majority of pupils. Pupils are learning effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in lessons and at social times is calm and purposeful. Pupils get along well with their classmates and with pupils from other year groups. Pupils respect, and embrace, the differences between them. They enjoy attending school. They feel safe. They trust adults to help them sort out any concerns they have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from purposeful lessons. They enjoy their learning. Personal development is a strength of the school. Through lessons, assemblies with guest speakers and a wide range of trips and experiences, pupils gain an impressive depth of understanding about the world around them and their place in the world. The ‘Fantastic 50’ is designed to give pupils a range of experiences that build their resilience, help them overcome fears and build their confidence. 20 and21 May 2025

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

From the very start of nursery, the school has designed clear curriculums to support pupils to become strong readers and writers. Phonics provision is carefully matched to pupils’ needs. Well-trained staff deliver phonics lessons effectively. Pupils achieve well in the national phonics screening test. Those who need phonics teaching beyond year 1 receive it effectively.

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

Leaders have identified that reading frequently is key to supporting pupils to become fluent readers. Many pupils get additional opportunities to read to an adult in school. However, when they do, the support they receive is variable.

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

Pupils study a carefully chosen and ambitious range of texts. Teachers use consistent approaches to developing understanding of texts. Pupils are able to discuss the books they are reading. For example, pupils in year 6 were able to discuss which character they felt was most to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet and justify their views. They were respectful of the views of others and engaged in lively debate. This strong oral explanation is matched by appropriate written work for many pupils.

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

The school has introduced a new mathematics programme. It is getting support from the trust to ensure that staff are fully trained in how to implement the scheme appropriately. Teachers check prior knowledge and explain new learning well. Pupils are able to use and apply newly learned mathematics successfully. However, pupils do not get enough opportunities to practise new learning over time. As a result, some pupils are unable to recall and use that mathematics accurately just a few weeks later.

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

Processes for identifying appropriate strategies for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have been refined over time. Plans are increasingly specific to the needs of individual pupils. Leaders work closely with individual teachers to turn those plans into actual steps in the classroom. Where subject curriculums have been in place longer, support for pupils with SEND is more effective.

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

Some pupils with SEND are supported in ‘The Woods’ provision. The curriculum has a focus on developing pupils communication with adults and peers, and on understanding their own emotions and feelings, alongside subject learning. Some pupils who access this provision spend part of their school in classes with their peers, where they are increasingly able to interact appropriately with others.

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

Improving behaviour has been a key priority for leaders. They introduced clear expectations, and systems, to support positive behaviour. Pupils, staff and parents all feel behaviour has significantly improved over the last 12 months. Teachers apply the behaviour policy effectively. In the early years, adults emphasise taking turns and being kind. This helps children learn appropriate behaviour. Behaviour around school is calm. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other. Bullying is rare. If it does happen, pupils are confident it will be dealt with well. 20 and21 May 2025

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There is a culture across school where pupils feel able to talk openly about any worries they may have and know that others will not judge but will try to help. The school supports other schools to develop this culture through a local healthy minds programme.

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The trust board and executive leaders know the school well. They quickly identify where improvements are needed and provide the support that school leaders need to ensure that provision in the school is effective. Leaders are aware that the current strengths seen during this inspection are not reflected in the most recent published outcomes of national tests. Staff and parents recognise that effective work has taken place to improve the quality of the school’s provision. They speak highly of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils have insufficient opportunities to revisit and practise things they have learned previously in mathematics. As a result, some pupils cannot recall and accurately use the mathematics they have studied. The school should ensure that key learning is clearly identified and that pupils get sufficient opportunities to practise this crucial learning over time so that pupils become fluent in its use.  The school identifies those pupils who are at the earlier stages of reading. However, some pupils do not read on a regular basis to an adult in school. When they do, there is a lack of consistency as to how adults support pupils with their reading. As a result, these pupils are learning to read more slowly than their classmates. The school should ensure that pupils who are at the earlier stages of reading read frequently to adults and that they receive consistently high-level support.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 20 and21 May 2025

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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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This is the first ungraded inspection since we the school to be good/outstanding for overall effectiveness in March 2020.

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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). 20 and21 May 2025

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School details

Headteacher Thomas Finch (headteacher) Geoff Morrison (Executive headteacher) Website www.parkwood.bradford.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 March 2020

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Information about this school

 At the time of the inspection, Thomas Finch was the acting headteacher. He has subsequently been appointed to that role on a substantive basis.  The school operates additionally resourced provision for pupils with SEND, The Woods. This provision is for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and/or speech, language and communication needs. Currently, 19 pupils are registered in this provision.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with education, health and care plans is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.  The school makes no use of alternative provision. 20 and21 May 2025

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Information about this inspection

 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher, the acting head of school and a range of other leaders in school.  The inspector held meetings with members of the trust, including the CEO, director of school improvement and the director of safeguarding.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector visited The Woods provision and spoke to staff.  The inspector spoke to trustees and members of the interim executive board.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector considered the views of parents through Ofsted’s parent survey, spoke to parents at the end of the school day and considered written communication received from parents.  The inspector spoke to groups of pupils formally, and informally, throughout the inspection and considered the views they shared through the pupil survey.  The inspector considered the views of staff shared in the staff survey alongside having discussions with staff.  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.

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Inspection team

Steve Wren, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 20 and21 May 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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