Clough Head Junior and Infant School

Clough Head Junior and Infant School Inspection report

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107643 Unique Reference Number Kirklees Local Authority 309456 Inspection number 7 May 2008 Inspection date Roger Gill 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 5 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 46 School The governing body Appropriate authority Dr Mark Davies Chair Mr Brian Fawcett Headteacher 21 June 2004 Date of previous school inspection Bolster Moor Road School address Golcar Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD7 4NW 01484 222217 Telephone number 0 Fax number

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5-11 Age group 7 May 2008 Inspection date 309456 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 Additional Inspector. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: pupils' achievement; how assessment is used to plan new work and to advise pupils about improvements needed; and how the curriculum is extended and enriched. Evidence was gathered from the school's judgements about attainment on entry, test results, teachers' records, observations of teaching, scrutiny of pupils' current work and discussions with the headteacher, staff, pupils and governors. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self- evaluation, were not justified and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a very small school situated in a relatively remote area outside Huddersfield. Most pupils come from the immediate locality, but a sizeable minority travels from further afield. Since January 2008, Clough Head has become paired, as part of a Federation {established under School Governance (Collaboration) (England) Regulations 2003}, with Wellhouse Primary School, which is about a mile away. The schools share the same headteacher but have different governing bodies. The headteacher is leaving in July 2008, but a headteacher designate is already in post. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage; those that are not speak English well. The proportion of pupils who are eligible for a free school meal is below average. About an average number of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school is an Investor in People and has been awarded the Activemark, Artsmark and Healthy School awards.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Clough Head Junior and Infant School, 7 May 2008

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Grade: 2

Clough Head is a good school, which has maintained, and in some cases, improved its provision while meeting the challenges of federation. The headteacher, ably assisted by the governors, has been efficient and effective in the demanding task of managing two schools. Parents state that the school is as good as ever. They describe it as having a 'caring family atmosphere where children are able to shine'. This sentiment is wholly supported by inspection findings. Personal development is good. As they get older, pupils develop into well-rounded and articulate young people owing to the very good individual care they receive and the high expectations placed on them. They all appreciate the benefits of a small school in helping them to form good relationships and share experiences. It is a little early for the federation to have had an effect on pupils' personal development. Nevertheless, pupils already collaborate with some other schools of a similar size, for example,

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Grade: 2

in mounting an arts festival, every two years, at a local theatre. This and good links with local secondary schools help to broaden horizons, increase confidence and make pupils' outward looking. Standards fluctuate year on year because of the small number of pupils involved and the different make up of each year group. For example, in 2006 standards were exceptionally high and a year later they were about average. Nevertheless, in both cases pupils achieved well. Currently, all pupils in Year 6 are reaching the nationally expected levels and a good proportion is exceeding them. This represents good achievement. The number of pupils reaching above average levels in mathematics and science is greater than those in reading and writing. The school has recognised this relative imbalance and has put in place some plans to tackle it. For example, pupils' skills in comprehension are being honed and expectations of the quality of

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Grade: 2

pupils' writing are being raised. However, these have not yet had a powerful enough effect and English remains an area for development, particularly for those pupils capable of above average standards. Standards are also above average by the end of Year 2. The placing of the majority of Year 2 pupils in the Year 3/4 class for literacy and numeracy has proved advantageous: it gives them a boost of confidence and something to aim for when they see the older pupils doing well. Pupils enjoy school because good teaching provides them with engaging, hands-on activities that extends their thinking. This is why science results at the end of Year 6 are regularly slightly better than those in other subjects. Pupils love experimenting, discussing and forming new ideas based on their findings. Their knowledge about keeping healthy and safe is good as demonstrated in their thirst for physical activities such as orienteering, tag rugby, dance and

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Grade: 2

swimming. The curriculum capitalises on local links with churches nearby to the benefit of pupils' spiritual, social and moral development. Beyond that, there are many interesting things for pupils to do that promote discussion about Britain's culture, both past and present. For example, pupils find out at first-hand about Islam and Sikhism, and visit a local museum to carry out research about the Duke of Wellington's Regiment. The school recently canvassed pupils' opinions and discovered that, despite the generally positive return, a significant minority thought that they needed harder work and more advice about how to improve their work. The inspection supports their view. It is only the oldest pupils in Years 5 and 6 who have a strong grasp on how well they are doing, what targets they should be aiming at and how they might reach them. Teachers employ a good system of assessment, 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Clough Head Junior and Infant School, 7 May 2008

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Grade: 2

but their effective use of any information produced is uneven across the school. For example, some younger pupils find it hard to read what their teachers have put in their marking. Even when the message is apparent, some pupils are not clear about what to do next. The headteacher leads by good example in teaching and relationships. Pupils value the fact that the headteacher and staff know them so well. The school keeps an annual record of good work for each pupil and when they leave at the end of Year 6 there are often seven books to take home. Pupils are proud of these books, which form a testimony to the good progress they have made. The results of good leadership and management, including that provided by governors, are seen in the pupils' good personal development, effective teaching, the interesting curriculum and the good quality of care provided. The good capacity to improve and good value

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Grade: 2

for money are reinforced by the smooth transition in leadership taking place.

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Grade: 3

Children's attainment on entry to the Foundation Stage is typical for their age. They make satisfactory progress and most end their year in Reception reaching the nationally expected levels. Leadership and management have had a satisfactory effect to date. Since the last inspection, the school has tried hard to develop provision for play both inside and outside the classroom. The limited space available has made it difficult, but there are now satisfactory resources used to sound advantage. Reception children share the classroom with Year 1 and Year 2 pupils for much of the time, which makes it hard for the youngest children to choose when they do things and manage equipment for themselves. Nevertheless, teaching is becoming more adept at planning appropriately for the different ages involved. Moreover, teaching assistants play a useful role in securing satisfactory learning. Opportunities for outside play

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Grade: 3

have been enhanced and a small covered area allows more frequent use. The children's lack of scope in initiating their own learning and the fact that some activities do not provide enough challenge are reasons why the Foundation Stage is currently satisfactory rather than good. However, this area of school has improved well and good progress is being made in addressing remaining issues.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the proportion of pupils reaching the higher level in the Year 6 national tests in English to match those in mathematics and science. ■ Ensure that all pupils understand their targets well and can judge the progress they are making towards them. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Clough Head Junior and Infant School, 7 May 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Clough Head Junior and Infant School, 7 May 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Clough Head Junior and Infant School, 7 May 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Clough Head Junior and Infant School, 7 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Clough Head Junior and Infant School, Huddersfield, HD7 4NW Thank you for your help when I inspected your school. I thoroughly enjoyed the inspection because everyone was so friendly. You go to a good school, which is at an exciting stage in its history: pairing up with Wellhouse School and having the same headteacher for both schools. I know that you enjoy yourselves a lot because the pupils at my lunch table told me so. I also saw your enjoyment in lessons and around the school. I was most impressed by the confident way in which you approach things such as befriending younger children, deciding things on the school council and selling fruit at break times. The wide variety of extra things for you to do, such as creating silk paintings, which are then displayed at a local church, to having sessions in Tae Kwon prompt some parents to say that, 'Memories of your school days will stay with

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you forever.' I think they are right. Certainly, the older pupils in Years 5 and 6 that I spoke to about their work are proud of their efforts and of how well they have done. You told me that you are taught well which really helps you to learn, and I agree. I know everyone wants to do even better and I have asked your school to do two things to help. These will fit in well with all the other things that you and the adults want to do. Teachers need to make sure that pupils who can reach higher standards get a chance to do this, particularly in reading and writing. Secondly, they need to make sure that you all understand what is written in their marking, what your next steps are in learning and how you can improve your work. You can all help the school do better by trying hard with your comprehension work, learning more words, writing better sentences and improving your punctuation. Do not forget to listen

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to and take notice of your teachers' advice, when it comes your way, about how to improve your work. 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Clough Head Junior and Infant School, 7 May 2008

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