Lidget Green Academy

Lidget Green Primary School

Address: Birks Fold, Lidget Green, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 2QN Unique reference number (URN): 150016

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Early years Strong standard

The early years provision gets children off to the best possible start in their learning. Children in the early years thrive. They respond well to the established routines, both in Nursery and Reception. There are warm, friendly relationships between staff and children. These underpin the consistently high-quality interactions between them. Children behave towards one another and towards adults with politeness and respect.

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Early years Strong standard

The curriculum builds children's vocabulary, knowledge and skills quickly and effectively. Staff implement this curriculum consistently well. Children are universally engaged in enjoying their learning. They quickly learn the wider skills that they need to be able to access the curriculum as they progress into Year 1. From the moment that they arrive at the school, children learn to read through phonics. This is delivered skilfully and effectively by all adults in the setting. Leaders have ensured that children's personal, social and emotional development is equally prioritised. This helps children to become happy, confident and resilient learners.

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Early years Strong standard

Staff identify children's starting points through comprehensive systems of assessment. Where there are gaps in children's understanding, these are addressed swiftly and well. Consequently, all children, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve consistently well.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders analyse attendance data closely to identify patterns and trends. They have implemented a range of effective strategies to improve pupils' attendance in recent years. Pupils understand the importance of good attendance. Although the attendance of all pupils remains below the national average, these strategies have increased attendance and reduced the number of pupils who are persistently absent from school significantly. The attendance of pupils who are disadvantaged and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is close to the national average for these groups over time.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have an informed understanding of behaviour across the school. They have high expectations for the way that pupils should conduct themselves. Leaders have implemented a very effective relationship-focused behaviour system across the school in recent years. This focuses on helping pupils to understand and learn positive behaviours. Pupils value the way in which staff support them to regulate their behaviour when they are struggling to do so. Pupils generally behave respectfully and with kindness towards one another. Discrimination, harassment and abuse are not tolerated. Incidents of low-level disruption to learning and bullying are rare. If they do occur, they are dealt with quickly and effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have made a significant number of changes to the curriculum in recent years. These are well considered and have improved the quality of provision, notably in reading, writing and mathematics. The curriculum is ambitious and generally well sequenced. It supports pupils to build their knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics over time. Leaders have established effective systems to support pupils to apply this knowledge in interesting ways and across different subjects, such as through the 'Proud to be from Bradford' project, which includes pupils from all year groups.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is generally taught well. Teachers know pupils' starting points in learning and they build on these appropriately. Staff typically adapt their teaching in a way that supports pupils who face barriers to their learning to be able to access the curriculum. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have established effective quality assurance systems, which ensure that they have a well-informed understanding of the quality of teaching and the curriculum across the school. Where there are gaps in pupils' learning or skills, leaders have put in place relevant interventions to address these gaps. Fewer of these interventions are needed for younger pupils who have benefited from the improved provision since joining the school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. They have established an effective culture of inclusion across the school. Pupils' needs are identified accurately and quickly. Leaders work closely with parents and other agencies, including the virtual school for looked-after children, to ensure that pupils' individual needs are met. This is particularly effective for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders regularly review the impact of strategies to support the needs of pupils who face barriers to their learning. Where necessary, these strategies are adapted appropriately.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school's specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities was established at the start of this academic year. Pupils are typically well supported by this provision, both pastorally and academically. Some of these pupils are more fully integrated into the wider life of the school than others. Leaders recognise the need to develop this further over time.

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Inclusion Expected standard

There are many pupils in the school who speak English as an additional language. Leaders have established effective systems to support these pupils to access learning alongside their peers. These include computer translation programs and support from staff who can communicate with pupils in their first language.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school's pupil premium strategy is evidence based and identifies strategies to support disadvantaged pupils to overcome barriers to their learning. Staff generally implement these approaches effectively. The impact of this is especially evident in the learning of younger pupils at the school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are role models of high expectations. They understand the school's strengths and areas for development accurately and well. Leaders have made significant and effective changes to the culture and provision across the school. These changes are underpinned by the school's values of inclusion, nurture and respect. There is a common purpose to put pupils first and to enhance their life chances, including those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face other barriers to learning or wellbeing. Leaders have identified and prioritised appropriate actions to achieve this goal.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees share this moral purpose. They meet all of their statutory responsibilities fully. They recognise that the school is on a journey of improvement and they offer leaders challenge and support in equal measure. Leaders are outward-looking. They engage with a wide range of other schools and external agencies. They also benefit from a range of support from the within the trust.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have established a rigorous system of quality assurance across the school. This feeds directly into the evidence-based professional learning programme. It builds the expertise of staff effectively and well.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have established a range of systems to support staff workload and wellbeing. Many staff recognise this positively, but some feel that these systems could support them more effectively. Most staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders engage with parents proactively and widely. Parents are very positive about the support and the education that the school provides for their children.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal, social and health education programme is mapped comprehensively and appropriately across the school. Leaders have implemented this programme in an engaging way, through the medium of stories. Pupils speak positively about this. It helps all pupils to understand the fundamental British values, including the importance of respecting people who are different. Pupils are generally able to recall and explain what they have learned across these areas.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils learn about healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe, both online and offline. Local safeguarding risks are addressed specifically within the taught programme. These are supported by visits from external agencies, such as the police.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

There is an extensive range of pastoral support for pupils across the school. This includes support for pupils' mental health, both through school staff and external agencies. Leaders have also established a nurture group, which meets each morning and which supports more vulnerable pupils to be able to attend school and to access the curriculum more confidently.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

There are a wide range of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests through clubs and extra-curricular activities. These include a book club, phonics club, a school choir, drama club and multi-sport clubs. Many pupils take up these opportunities. Leaders have established proactive systems to encourage pupils who are disadvantaged

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Needs attention

and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to participate more widely in these activities.

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Needs attention

Pupils also benefit from a range of trips and visits during their time at the school. These include visits to local faith centres, geographical areas of interest and museums, as well as a residential trip for pupils in Year 6. These opportunities enrich and develop pupils' cultural understanding of the local area and the wider world.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils' achievement in national tests and assessments at the end of key stage 2 is significantly below the national average for all pupils and for disadvantaged pupils. This means that some pupils are not as well prepared for their next steps in education as they need to be. Leaders recognise this, and the improvements that they have made to the curriculum and teaching are impacting more positively on the achievement of current pupils at the school.

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Achievement Needs attention

While some older pupils still have gaps in their knowledge and skills, the improvements to the curriculum mean that younger pupils generally secure the foundational knowledge that they need to achieve well across the curriculum. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is reflected in higher levels of achievement in the Year 4 multiplication tables check and the Year 1 phonics screening check.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils at Lidget Green Primary School are happy, confident and safe. They have warm, positive relationships with staff and they enjoy coming to school. Bullying rarely happens. When it does, pupils know that staff will deal with it quickly and well.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils behave with respect and kindness, both towards one another and towards adults. They respond well to the positive rewards system across the school and the way in which staff model good behaviour to them. Classrooms are calm, positive environments where pupils enjoy their learning. This is particularly evident in the early years. Pupils also enjoy the wide range of structured activities which are available to them during social times. Most pupils attend school regularly and they know it is important to do so.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Over time, pupils' achievement has not been as good as it should have been. Changes to the curriculum and teaching mean that pupils are now achieving better than they did in the past. Pupils can explain how their learning builds their knowledge. They enjoy reading and do so with confidence. They like the way that activities in lessons help them to understand the world around them, such as the 'Proud to be from Bradford' project, which all pupils complete at the start of each year. Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities which enrich their learning. These include visits to a local farm and learning practical skills within the on-site forest school. There are also several pupil leadership opportunities across the school, such as house captains, the school council and play leaders. Pupils are proud to be in these roles and speak positively about the way in which they influence the life of the school.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that improvements to the curriculum and teaching are realised in pupils' achievement across the full curriculum and in outcomes in national tests and assessments. Leaders should continue to drive strategies to improve attendance to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly. Leaders should further develop the impact of strategies to support the workload and wellbeing of all staff.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Pennine Academies Yorkshire, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Michael Thorp, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Deirdre Bailey.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team during the inspection. Inspectors also met with teaching and support staff. The lead inspector held meetings with members of the trust board and with the CEO.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with several groups of pupils, as well as having discussions with pupils in lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school includes a specially resourced provision for 23 pupils with speech, language and communication needs and autism.

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About this inspection

The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Team inspectors:

Alison Ashworth, Ofsted Inspector Nick Coates, Ofsted Inspector Alixena Lubomski, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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What does this mean?

The type of Special Educational Needs provision provided at the school (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2023/24 (final) 57% 61% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 70% 74% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 66% 72% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 74% 73% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 46% 46% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 66% 62% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 54% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 63% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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