Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School

Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School Inspection report

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107608 Unique Reference Number Kirklees Local Authority 287867 Inspection number 13 °14 June 2007 Inspection dates Peter Jones 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 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 256 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs P Child Chair Mrs Carole Page Headteacher 28 May 2002 Date of previous school inspection Leeds Road School address Shaw Cross Dewsbury West Yorkshire WF12 7HP

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01924 325319 Telephone number 01924 325320 Fax number

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3 °7 Age group 13 °14 June 2007 Inspection dates 287867 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a school of average size serving a mixed residential area. Since the last inspection in 2002, the school has begun to admit a growing number of pupils from challenging social and economic backgrounds. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is low and the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. The school has Gold Healthy Schools status and holds the ActiveMark.

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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: Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 June 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has some outstanding features including the exceptional provision for care, guidance and support which contributes extremely strongly to pupils' excellent personal development. The school in its mission statement aspires to be a community 'working together, valuing and nurturing children'. This aim is impressively realised in many areas of the school's daily life. Great importance is attached to working together, and pupils are encouraged to discuss ideas and to listen to each other's opinions. Pupils are respected and are given a strong sense of their own worth in lessons and assemblies. Throughout their time at Shaw Cross all pupils are outstandingly well nurtured and this results in happy, confident pupils who work hard. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school's work and many are effusive in their praise and gratitude. Parents say they would 'take great pride in recommending

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Grade: 2

this school to anyone' and how they 'wish their children's whole school life could be at Shaw Cross.' Attendance is consistently good and pupils enjoy coming to school and taking part in the very wide range of activities it provides. Behaviour is excellent in all areas of the school and pupils say the extremely rare instances of bullying are dealt with effectively. All aspects of health and safety are outstanding, and pupils state they feel secure and well protected. Physical exercise and healthy eating are promoted strongly and pupils are very aware of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. The school's work to promote healthy eating has been recognised by the Gold Healthy School award. Pupils make very effective contributions to the community through fund-raising for a variety of charities. The very young age of many pupils does not deter their enthusiasm for taking on responsibilities as monitors or school councillors. Their suggestions

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Grade: 2

for school improvement are taken seriously and they helped design the superbly equipped playground. The school is successful in providing its pupils with the skills and abilities they will need in the future. However, the outdated state of much of the school's information and communication technology (ICT) resources acts as a barrier to pupils reaching their full potential in this and other subjects. The quality of teaching and learning is good and a major factor in pupils' good progress and good achievement and the above average standards they attain by the end of Year 2. Through adapting its curriculum and its teaching and learning styles well, the school is successfully addressing the ways in which it meets the needs of its increasingly diverse range of pupils. It provides intensive support from its own resources and harnesses the expertise available from within the local authority most effectively. The provision in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and

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Grade: 2

Reception) is good. The youngest pupils benefit from very well-resourced classrooms and play areas and stimulating learning experiences. They make good progress as a result. The quality of the academic guidance the school provides for its pupils is very good. Their work is conscientiously marked and gives pupils clear advice on how they can improve their work as well as praise and encouragement. This greatly assists their progress. Leadership and management are good overall and outstanding in the way that they ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities to achieve as well as they can. The headteacher and her deputy headteacher provide the vision, energy and skill needed to improve the school's performance. They are very well supported by a hard working and dedicated team of staff. The governing body is exceptional in the way it carries out its duties and in the strong bonds it has forged with the school. This partnership has resulted in excellent self-evaluation of the school's

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Grade: 2

work and performance. It also has a clear and detailed view of its future development. The 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 June 2007 school's sustained good performance over the last five years means it provides good value for money and has good capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that ICT resources are improved and used effectively so that all pupils can make even better progress.

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Grade: 2

Children enter the Nursery with skills and abilities that are broadly in line with national expectations. As a result of the good teaching they receive, they make good progress and reach above average standards by the end of Year 2. Although standards in 2006 were broadly average, this represented good progress given these pupils' starting points. The increasing numbers of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive skilled and focused support and also make good progress. Achievement in ICT is good overall, but progress is hindered by the lack of up-to-date resources in this area.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils are given many opportunities to experience the wonders of nature through visits or by exploring the resources around school. Assemblies promote tolerance and understanding, celebrate success and give pupils the chance to pray or engage in quiet reflection. Pupils enjoy school, feel safe and clearly get on well together. The friendship bench in the playground, where shy and vulnerable pupils can make new friends, is an example of the way that pupils are taught to show kindness and consideration for each other. In the Nursery, they are taught to use 'kind hands'. They quickly develop a sense of right and wrong and learn how to understand their feelings. Pupils are taught about a variety of world cultures and religions. The visits they undertake and the many visitors into school expand their experience and knowledge of music, art and drama.

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Grade: 2

The staff know their pupils very well and establish good working relationships with them. Lessons are lively and exciting and as a result, pupils are well motivated, work hard, and develop good independent working skills from an early age. In the Foundation Stage, children progress well, particularly in their language and social skills, thanks to the expert and highly focused teaching they receive. The school builds on this good start effectively in Key Stage 1. Pupils are taught to share and cooperate well, such as through the use of talk partners. The school gives speaking and listening a high priority and staff are very good role models for their pupils. As a result, they are articulate and confident learners. Pupils of all ages are happy to offer opinions in lessons or to speak up in assemblies. Staff also ensure that pupils of all abilities are fully included in all aspects of the work. They set work that meets the needs of individual pupils

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Grade: 2

well and employ a variety of learning styles so all pupils are engaged in lessons as a result. Occasionally, some teaching is too slow and this limits pupils' enjoyment and their rate of 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 June 2007 progress. The team of skilled teaching assistants offer very good support to pupils, particularly those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and they progress as well as their classmates.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is of good quality. It strongly underpins pupils' excellent personal development. There is a strong focus on enjoyment and achievement that produces happy learners. There are many enrichment activities before and after school in sport, music and in Spanish. The school holds the Activemark in recognition of its work in physical exercise and sport. The weekly independent learning day provides all pupils with a choice from a menu of activities. As a result, they enthusiastically pursue their own interests and develop research skills and a love of learning. The school makes imaginative use of the locality and the school site. Pupils are taught outside as much as possible and develop an awareness of and respect for the environment. They have great opportunities to play and express themselves in the extremely well equipped playgrounds. The school's cross-curricular approach to the teaching of English, mathematics and ICT is well

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Grade: 2

planned and structured. It helps makes the curriculum interesting and accessible to pupils of all abilities.

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Grade: 1

Pupils thrive within this warm, welcoming and caring school. All staff have a very high level of commitment to promoting the health and safety of the pupils. Every pupil knows who they can turn to for help and comfort should they need them. The very close links with the local community have formed over many generations. Many parents and carers attended the school themselves and hold it in high esteem and strongly support its values. The school in turn greatly appreciates their respect and affection and uses them in its highly effective programmes of personal development. The gains pupils make in their self- esteem and confidence are excellent examples of home and school working together. The outstanding links with parents and carers and outside agencies ensure that individual needs are extremely well met. Parents greatly appreciate the extended care available to their children before and after school. Child protection

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Grade: 1

and health and safety procedures are firmly in place and meet the latest local and national guidelines. Pupils are given very good academic guidance on how to improve their work. Staff talk to them, discuss their targets and mark work thoroughly. Tracking systems to assess pupils' progress are very effective and the school reacts quickly to provide individual pupils with the support they need. This helps all pupils to achieve well.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and her deputy headteacher lead by example and promote a strong team approach to school improvement. As a result, morale is high and staff are keen to improve their skills and expertise through an effective programme of professional development. The school copes well with the challenges it faces in effectively managing its resources. It has greatly improved the school site and its resources, although much of its ICT equipment is now outdated. The school is aware of the need to adapt its strategies to meet the changing needs of its pupils. It is becoming more effective in assessing the impact of its work in this area but is aware there is more to be done. The school's strategic planning reflects its priorities of raising standards 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 June 2007 and achievement and improving the learning experience of every pupil. Governance is excellent

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Grade: 2

providing support and challenge and carefully checking the school's performance. The dedicated members of the governing body are unstinting in their efforts to help the school improve all areas of its work. They provide help and advice to the school from an informed point of view, as seen in the recent project working with staff to improve literacy. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 June 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: Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 June 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 1 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 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 1 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?

1 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: Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 June 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: Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, Dewsbury, WF12 7HP I would like to thank you for your help when we inspected your school. We really enjoyed our visit because everyone was so friendly and helpful. You go to a good school and you learn well and make good progress in your lessons. We were very impressed with your excellent behaviour. You told us how proud you are of your school. We liked the way so many of you want to help by doing jobs in the dining room and around school. Your school council works hard to make school better and has helped to design your super playground. You enjoy school and like to take part in the clubs and activities after school. We know how much the older pupils enjoyed their visit to Fairburn Ings, even though the Year 2 pupils did get very wet! The staff care about you very much and want you to get as much as you can from school. They work very hard to make Shaw Cross better and better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We know that you all want to improve even more so we have suggested something that will help. You do well in ICT, but we would like your school to provide you with more modern computer equipment. This will help you to do even better. You can help by working hard and making the most of the time you are given to use the new equipment. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 June 2007

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