Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School Westgate, Elland, West Yorkshire HX5 0BB

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Good Nursery School 24 and 25 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this warm and nurturing school. They value the positive relationships they have with their peers and staff. The school places pupils’ needs at the heart of all its work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious that every pupil should achieve well. It has high expectations of pupils. However, these expectations are not consistently met. A significant number of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are not academically prepared for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

An atmosphere of calm purposefulness pervades the school. Pupils have excellent manners. They greet visitors with cheerful politeness. They respectfully hold doors for each other and for adults. Pupils’ experience of school is that it is a happy place to learn, play and develop. From the moment they join school in early years, they respond well to high expectations for their behaviour. Well-established routines contribute to pupils’ sensible and orderly behaviour throughout school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very well prepared to be active and positive members of society. They exhibit strong values of tolerance and inclusivity. The school provides them with opportunities to undertake leadership roles, such as school councillors and ‘Phunky Food’ ambassadors. In these roles, pupils contribute positively to the life of the school and promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles.

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

The school is responding with increasing purpose to weak outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 2 in recent years. Improvements to the curriculum, such as a revised approach to the teaching of writing, are beginning to have a positive impact. Similar improvements to the mathematics curriculum can be seen in pupils’ work. However, these improvements are not consistently embedded. Older pupils have not had the time to fully benefit from the changes that have been made. On occasions, activities that pupils undertake do not allow them to learn the curriculum in sufficient depth. In addition, they do not have the regular opportunities they need to reinforce and remember the curriculum.

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

The school has designed and introduced a broad and ambitious curriculum. Pupils follow a clear sequence of learning that begins with a strong start in early years. For example, the school provides multiple opportunities for children in early years to develop physically, such as creating large structures outdoors using equipment, such as crates and tyres. Such activities help children transition to physical education in key stage 1 and beyond.

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

Reading is given a high priority. Younger pupils and children in early years learn the sounds that letters make in structured phonics sessions. Staff regularly check pupils’ progress through the phonics curriculum. Any pupils who fall behind are quickly identified and supported. The support pupils receive helps them keep up with their peers. The Nursery School 24 and 25 June 2025

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achievements of younger pupils in early reading are not reflected in the outcomes of older pupils in key stage 2.

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The school identifies pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. It ensures these pupils receive the support that they need. In early years, children with SEND benefit from carefully adapted activities. Expert support for pupils with SEND ensures that these pupils achieve well.

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Children in the early years get off to a strong start to their education. There is an effective focus on developing children’s communication and language. Adults ensure that every interaction they have with children contributes to learning. Children show concentration and resilience in a range of well-designed activities. They respond positively to well established routines.

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In lessons, pupils are highly motivated and keen to contribute. They are motivated to receive rewards for positive attitudes and behaviour. The school remains relentless in its efforts to continue to ensure pupils have high attendance. This has led to improvements in pupils’ attendance.

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Pupils understand different world religions. They respect the beliefs and traditions of other cultures. Pupils have an awareness of local, national and global issues through regular assemblies and discussions of relevant news stories. Where possible, the school plans memorable enhancements to the curriculum. For example, pupils learn about the history of crime and punishment through a visit from a mobile police museum. Older pupils widen their experience beyond school through an off-site residential visit.

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Governors share the commitment of other leaders. However, they have not focused sufficiently on pupils’ academic outcomes. Additionally, plans for improvement have not been monitored with rigour. Governors are mindful of leaders’ well-being and workload. Staff enjoy working at the school. They feel valued and cared for within a supportive professional environment.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, governors’ oversight of academic performance has not been as sharply focused as it could be. Outcomes for pupils are not improving quickly enough, particularly those that are disadvantaged. Those responsible for governance should ensure that the school improvement strategy is more clearly defined, more tightly monitored and driven with greater urgency towards improving outcomes for all groups of pupils. Nursery School 24 and 25 June 2025

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 There are inconsistencies in how effective teaching is in helping pupils to know and remember content. On occasions, some activities do not enable pupils to remember and apply important knowledge as well they could. Such inconsistencies are reflected in the low outcomes in national assessments in key stage 2 in recent years. The school should ensure that teaching results in pupils consistently learning and remembering the content of the 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). Nursery School 24 and 25 June 2025

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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 runs a breakfast club.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school is designated as having a religious character. It is part of the Diocese of Leeds. It was inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in December 2021. The school’s next section 48 inspection is due within eight years of its previous section 48 inspection.

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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. Nursery School 24 and 25 June 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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders. They also met with representatives of the governing body, the local authority and the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, design technology and physical 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 samples of pupils’ work.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, the pupils’ survey and the staff survey. An inspector also spoke to parents at the end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Dughall McCormick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Alix Lubomski Ofsted Inspector Nursery School 24 and 25 June 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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