Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School

Following my visit to the school on 8 May 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in July 2015 This school continues to be good.

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since you became the headteacher in 2017, your vision and ambition have created an aspirational learning environment with high expectations of pupils and staff. You work effectively to ensure that pupils have a wide range of learning ex...periences that increase pupils' knowledge and their enjoyment in learning.

The school is well organised with a good range of resources in classrooms and outdoors. Senior and middle leaders work together effectively as a team and demonstrate a strong capacity for improvement. Staff and governors are committed to the school's vision to enable pupils to do their best, promote their pride in learning and challenge the community to succeed.

The governing body has recruited staff effectively. It holds leaders to account for proposed spending well. The school works actively with parents and the wider community to promote aspirations for what pupils can achieve in their future working lives.

Dedicated staff work closely with parents to promote pupils' well-being. Parents enjoy the regular school drama productions. The last inspection report asked you to improve teaching so that pupils made more rapid progress.

Your improvements to the teaching of reading and mathematics have resulted in good progress by pupils, including by disadvantaged pupils. In 2018, attainment at the end of key stage 2 was above the national average in reading and mathematics, as measured by the overall scaled score. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who reached the expected standard, or above, in reading, writing and mathematics was the same as all pupils nationally.

The progress of disadvantaged pupils in reading was better than other pupils nationally for the last two years. In 2018, in mathematics, disadvantaged pupils made better progress than disadvantaged pupils nationally and the most able pupils made strong progress. Pupils have not made as much progress in writing.

In 2018, attainment was lower than in reading and mathematics at both key stages 1 and 2. You have changed your approach to the teaching of writing and this has begun to increase pupils' skills and independence in drafting and revising their writing. New class texts, and the effective use of examples to show pupils how to write, are enabling pupils to extend their vocabulary and develop their use of grammar.

Improving outcomes in writing is rightly a school priority. The last inspection report also asked the school to improve attendance. Staff promote good attendance effectively through weekly raffles, prize draws and rewards for high attendance.

Attendance targets are high profile in assemblies and on the school website. Staff regularly inform pupils about their individual attendance. Careful checking of pupils' attendance and a sharp focus on those who do not attend so well has led to improved attendance in the current year, particularly in Reception.

The school uses a wide range of visits, meetings and letters to parents to ensure that they encourage their children to attend school as regularly as possible. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose.

Recruitment checks meet requirements. The safeguarding policy and staff training are up-to-date. Staff are alert to safeguarding concerns that arise.

When staff report concerns, safeguarding leaders consider them promptly. The systematic recording of concerns ensures that safeguarding leaders have a clear overview of emerging issues and of individual cases. Key staff have secure and quick access to information.

Comprehensive case files methodically record events and review actions taken. Staff work effectively with parents to explore concerns and overcome difficulties. Strong relationships with local agencies enable the school to work effectively to meet the needs of pupils and their families.

The safeguarding link governor meets regularly with you to review safeguarding issues and the action taken. The positive school culture, well-organised systems and caring ethos promote the safety of pupils effectively. Inspection findings ? Your coherent and well-established range of strategies for reading contribute to the good progress that pupils make in reading.

The school's reading culture promotes a love of reading. Pupils take a lead role in managing the well-resourced school library. Classroom libraries and regular visits to the local library develop the habit of reading and the enjoyment of reading.

Pupils receive regular individual support for their reading from staff, older pupils and members of the community. Teachers' regular checks on individual pupil's reading ensure that they spot any emerging issues. Competitions and awards for reading motivates pupils to read more books.

Improved teaching of reading ensures that pupils develop skills in comprehension and understanding of vocabulary. ? Leaders have acted effectively to improve the teaching of phonics in the early years and key stage 1. New resources and a thorough training programme have increased the knowledge and skill of staff at all levels.

The implementation and monitoring of this new programme have improved Year 1 pupils' knowledge of letters and sounds and the accuracy of their writing. ? In mathematics, teachers are using assessment well to identify when a pupil does not understand. This leads to extra support on the same day to overcome the difficulty.

Regular reviews of pupils' progress with senior leaders support teachers to improve the progress of pupils who fall behind. Staff group pupils flexibly within and between classes to promote reasoning and problem-solving at different levels. Staff regularly identify when most-able pupils can move on more quickly.

Teachers provide extra challenges for pupils of different abilities. These strategies contribute to pupils' good progress in mathematics. ? Outdoor learning and collaborative work in the classroom promote positive attitudes to mathematics.

Extra teaching after school and in the holidays supports the progress of Year 6 pupils, including those at risk of not achieving as well as they could. ? The new leader of the early years has developed the learning environment well to promote children's learning and well-being. Training and the use of external advice and support are providing staff with a wider range of strategies and resources to develop children's literacy and numeracy skills and their fine and gross motor skills.

Weakness in the development of children's speech and language, and in their social interaction, limits the progress of some children, especially boys. The special educational needs coordinator and early years leader have acted effectively to improve provision to meet this need. Making sure that children who are behind in their speech and language develop stronger skills in communication, language and literacy is an important next step.

• Lunchtime clubs for pupils with poorer behaviour have reduced the incidents of sanctions for poor behaviour. Structured, independent play has promoted these pupils' social skills and improved their relationships. ? The curriculum provides good opportunities for pupils to enrich their experience and promote their personal and social development.

Pupils extend their knowledge and experience through regular cultural visits. They increase their self-confidence by taking part in drama performances. They develop practical skills through outdoor learning.

Pupils improve their physical health and well-being thorough a wide range of sport and physical activity. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? the implementation of strategies to improve the teaching of writing results in improved progress and attainment at key stages 1 and 2 ? children in the early years who are behind in their speech and language develop stronger skills in communication, language and literacy. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Wakefield.

This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Bernard Campbell Her Majesty's Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you, senior and middle leaders, four members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and a group of pupils who brought their reading books. I jointly observed teaching with you and I discussed pupils' work with subject leaders.

I checked the school website and examined a range of documents, including the school's self-evaluation, school plans, safeguarding records and attendance information. I took account of 21 responses from parents to the Ofsted online questionnaire, including 13 written responses. I also considered 25 responses to the Ofsted online staff survey.