Salterhebble Junior and Infant School

Salterhebble Junior and Infant School Inspection report

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107490 Unique Reference Number Calderdale Local Authority 287827 Inspection number 12 July 2007 Inspection date Linden Phillips HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 169 School

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The local authority Appropriate authority Mrs Helen Gatenby Headteacher 7 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection Stafford Square School address Halifax West Yorkshire HX3 0AU

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01422 252004 Telephone number 01422 254150 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 12 July 2007 Inspection date 287827 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Salterhebble Infant and Junior School includes 170 children aged 4 to 11 years and is smaller than most primary schools and serves a generally economically advantaged area of Halifax. Attainment on entry is broadly above average but includes the full range of ability. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. Around a quarter of the children are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The school has gained the Healthy Schools award, Activemark, Investors in People status, Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark and the ICT Mark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, 12 July 2007

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Grade: 2

Salterhebble Infant and Junior School is a good school where staff work hard to create a welcoming environment in which children thrive. There is much that is outstanding in the school's provision to promote the personal development of its pupils which can be seen in their confidence and enjoyment of school. Pupils' well-being is ensured by thoughtful approaches to health and fitness together with an appreciation of how to stay safe. Pupils respond well although a few children are not fully aware of how their play affects others. Teaching is good so children make good progress overall. Progress in the Reception class is supported well and regularly assessed. Attainment at both key stages is above average. Achievement, that is how well pupils make progress from their starting points, is good but the pace of progress is not consistent. The school lacks a common system for monitoring progress across the whole school.

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Grade: 2

Changes to the curriculum are not sufficiently focused on raising attainment. The school's evaluation of its strengths and areas for improvement is good and is leading to planned improvements in curriculum integration and in the assessment of pupils' progress. The school maintains strong partnerships with secondary schools and in the 'excellence cluster' where schools work together to support each other. The children gain broad experience of their world from visits out of school and benefit from working in school with many visitors with expertise to share, including about road safety, drama, sports and the local community. The school sends out a weekly newsletter which is well received. Most parents are very supportive of the school and are very pleased with their children's enjoyment, personal development and their academic progress. The school tries hard to respond to parental concerns, but could still

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Grade: 2

improve communication. The thoughtful and aspirational approach of the headteacher has provided good guidance and a sound basis from which to move on. Staff and governors demonstrate good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that communication with parents responds to their concerns.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Monitor how pupils use the play area to ensure that children are aware of each other's well-being. ■ Develop and implement its planned system for monitoring individual progress across classes and key stages. ■ Complete the improvements to the curriculum so that it is more clearly focused on raising attainment.

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Grade: 2

Attainment is above average at both key stages and all groups of pupils achieve well overall. Pupils make good progress while in the Reception class because the teacher employs very clear planning to ensure that all pupils benefit from a wide experience of learning activities. Teachers in Years 1 and 2 work closely together. They monitor progress carefully so that when children do not seem to be moving on as they should, they are quickly given the necessary support. At the end of Key Stage 1 almost all pupils have made good progress and attainment is above the national average. Pupils continue to make progress during Key Stage 2 and their test results 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, 12 July 2007 are also above average. Achievement in mathematics is particularly good. The school's analysis of the 2007 results shows that most pupils have met or exceeded their targets. However, some,

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Grade: 2

particularly higher attaining pupils, are capable of achieving more. Although pupils are making progress at Key Stage 2, the school is not clear that it is consistent or as rapid as it could be. The school recognises this as an issue and is refining its assessment and monitoring to give more focused support.

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Grade: 1

The excellent work of the whole staff ensures that pupils are very happy to come to school, and they say so very confidently. This is reflected in their good and above average attendance. Children's spiritual and moral development is developed well in lessons, assemblies and class discussions. They are polite and helpful to each other, and to adults. Younger children sing and clap together with great gusto and the school enables those with particular talent to take their singing skills to a high level. All pupils in Years 4 and 5 are learning to play a musical instrument. Pupils are enjoying learning modern foreign languages. The number and quality of activities undertaken by pupils both within and outside the school are outstanding. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their residential trips and the pleasure they have found watching visiting dramatic groups. The school reflects the diverse cultures of the children of Halifax in its

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Grade: 1

celebrations, displays, and in the curriculum. Pupils are part of a pilot in video conferencing and are becoming adept in making digital recordings of their views and findings and making them available to other schools, via a managed internet connection, as podcasts. This wide variety of experience helps children prepare for their future lives. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for a healthy lifestyle and it works. Pupils use the water fountains in every classroom; they eat healthily and choose fruit for snacks. All pupils take part in two hours of physical education (PE) each week and many are enthusiastic about the out-of-school sporting activities. Huddersfield Town Football Club visit the school weekly and both girls and boys expect to take part in football training. Many parents support the school's 'walking bus'. In classes, staff enable and support group discussions, and so pupils listen to each other with

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Grade: 1

respect and interest. They are able to use others' ideas to reformulate their own thoughts. The school council encourages children to take a part in school life, and the many charitable activities allow pupils to contribute to the wider community. Behaviour is good. At times pupils show an excellent appreciation for the needs of others. Pupils are all in agreement that there is almost no bullying and that they have made good friends. The 'worry box' picks up problems and pupils are confident that they will be dealt with. Pupils spoken with in class, at lunch and in the playground say that Salterhebble is a very friendly and safe place to be, and the majority of parents agree. The school has given thought to ensuring interesting activities at lunch and play time. However, the behaviour of a few pupils, when not directly supervised, does not take full account of how their exuberance might affect others. A few parents expressed concerns and the school needs to ensure that all pupils

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Grade: 1

appreciate how to share playground space in a fair and kind way. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, 12 July 2007

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Grade: 2

The school judges its teaching as good and the inspection observations support that. There is imaginative and engaging teaching which elicits interested responses from pupils. Teachers are supported by trained support staff who have very specific roles in developing learning. Activities inside and outside the classroom are designed to allow pupils to listen, talk, experiment and think, so that their reading and writing is clearly focused. Pupils are keen to say how they enjoy lessons because they are fully involved and really learn new skills. Good teaching ensures that pupils make progress in their lessons. The school has recognised that writing skills could be improved for many pupils and that some still need support in becoming confident and fluent in their speech.

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Grade: 2

The well-balanced curriculum includes many opportunities for excitement and creativity. A desire to see each child achieve well does not let testing take priority over the development of sustained and independent learning. The school works in partnership with a local specialist sports college and all classes benefit from two hours of PE per week which include games, dance, swimming and athletics. All pupils in Years 4 and 5 benefit from musical tuition. Teachers are skilful in the use of the interactive whiteboards in each classroom to display and illustrate work. Classes in Key Stage 2 are organised in mixed year groups; teachers are experienced in meeting the needs of individual pupils, although some parents are uncertain about how well the system works. The school has undertaken a curriculum audit to inform staff discussion about improvements. Initial plans are being developed. Aspects of pupils' learning need to be

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Grade: 2

better integrated within subjects so that the curriculum is better aimed at improving attainment.

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Grade: 2

Salterhebble is an inclusive and welcoming school. Pupils are well cared for and supported on arrival and parents report that their children settle well. Year 6 pupils are helped to prepare for secondary school; for example, by following the transition work agreed between local primary and secondary schools. A nurture group gives additional support for those who need it. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are given good support and achieve in line with all pupils. Teachers know their pupils well and give extra help where it is needed. Although pupils do make progress at Key Stage 2, there is insufficient precise guidance to ensure that all achieve the best levels possible. Planning is in place to improve pupils' awareness of what they need to do to improve. Arrangements for child protection, health and safety and the safeguarding of pupils are in place. Policies and procedures have been amended in the light of parental comments. Comments

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Grade: 2

to the inspection indicated that some parents would welcome further communication about their particular concerns. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, 12 July 2007

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Grade: 2

The current headteacher has set a clear direction for the school in providing a rounded and stimulating education for all pupils. She works with key stage managers and subject leaders to ensure that the management of day-to-day organisation, as well as long term planning, are both good. Performance is monitored satisfactorily, but there is unhelpful variation in how progress is recorded. The school lacks a common system of pupil profiling across the school to help staff, pupils and parents understand patterns of progress. The vast majority of parents are very positive about the school. The leadership has taken care to consider parental views when making changes, however a few parents do not feel that communication in response to their particular concerns has been sufficient. The governing body gives good support and has a clear view of its priorities as the school welcomes a new leadership team and new headteacher in January. Good provision and consequent achievement mean that

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Grade: 2

the school provides good value for money. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, 12 July 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, 12 July 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, 12 July 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, 12 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, Halifax, HX3 0AU. Thank you all very much for welcoming me into your school at the end of last term. You were all ready to start your summer holidays but you were able to show me how much you were enjoying being in school. You had welcomed many other visitors that week and I expect that you were as willing to tell them about your good school, as you were to me. You told me that you liked your teachers and that they made your time at school interesting and exciting. You and your parents make sure that most of you come to school regularly and on time. You liked the sporting activities and were looking forward to Huddersfield Football Club coming to work with you the next day. I very much enjoyed hearing your singing - in assembly and when you were practising for your concert. You enjoy all the clubs and out-of-school activities. I've asked that the school makes good links between all your activities

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and subjects so that you continue to improve your understanding and skills. You are kind and considerate to each other, although some of you could be more thoughtful of others when you are in the playground, and I've asked your teachers to remind you about that. While you are at Salterhebble you are learning well and producing good work. Some of you could improve so that you achieve even higher standards. I've also asked your teachers to make sure that they talk with you and your parents about how much you have learned since you started school and what things you need to do next, so that you reach the best level of work you can by the time you leave. I agree that Salterhebble is a good school. You will soon have a new headteacher and I wish you all success in making Salterhebble even better. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, 12 July 2007

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