East Bierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for pupils to achieve well. They have made some improvements to the curriculum, but these are not currently embedded. Pupils now find learning interesting.

However, there is more to do to ensure that teachers deliver the curriculum effectively, so pupils learn successfully.

Historically, leaders ensured that pupils had opportunities to have leadership roles. Pupils are proud of these roles and their impact.

However, currently some of these opportunities are not in place. While leaders ensure that there is a curriculum to support pupils' personal development, this is not planned sufficiently to develop pupils' talents and interest...s across a range of areas.

Pupils feel safe in school.

Bullying is rare. Pupils say they would tell a teacher if they had concerns or worries. They know adults will act swiftly to help them.

Leaders have identified systems to promote good behaviour in the school. They ensure that rewards and sanctions are clearly understood by pupils. Pupils say that this helps to promote some positive behaviour.

However, not all pupils meet leaders' expectations for behaviour. In some lessons, pupils are not engaged in their learning and disrupt others. This behaviour is not always dealt with effectively because the systems are not currently being implemented consistently.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The headteacher has placed a sharp focus on early reading. Teachers read to pupils daily. Books are chosen with a particular purpose, for example to support learning across the curriculum.

Pupils are keen to talk about the books that have been read to them. When pupils find reading hard, they have extra reading sessions. These are effective and clearly address what the pupils need to learn to catch up.

Teachers of early reading use a consistent approach to teach phonics in early years and key stage 1. Leaders ensure that the books pupils read are enjoyable. However, leaders are not monitoring what is taught in phonics lessons.

Consequently, they are not aware that some lessons do not support pupils' development as much as they could. This is because some adults do not clearly pronounce the sounds that letters make.

Leaders have made changes to the curriculum in most subjects.

Lessons are now fun and interesting. However, the curriculum does not clearly identify the key learning leaders want pupils to know and remember. Consequently, many lessons are disjointed.

This does not support pupils to build on their learning. In some subjects, such as history and art, there is not a consistent approach to establish what pupils already know and understand. Furthermore, leaders do not consistently monitor the effectiveness of the curriculum.

As a result, they are not able to identify where further improvements are needed.Leaders have worked hard to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers are beginning to make some adaptations to support pupils to learn effectively.

However, these adaptations are not always sufficient to help pupils to fully engage with or understand the learning. As a result, pupils with SEND do not learn as much as they could.

In the early years, adults build positive relationships with children.

Children experience a wide range of activities linked to events in the school calendar. However, while learning is fun, adults do not ensure that these activities support children to build on learning over time. As a result, children are not as ready for Year 1 as they could be.

Pupils and staff show an understanding of the behaviour policy, but it is not yet adhered to or applied consistently across the school. Sometimes pupils' lack of engagement can prevent them from learning. At other times, noise levels in lessons make it very difficult for some pupils to concentrate and learn.

Furthermore, leaders have not established a consistent approach to record behaviour incidents. This prevents them from knowing where behaviour issues arise and consequently from addressing them.

Pupils have a good understanding of British values.

They show respect for others and understanding of difference and diversity. Leaders plan opportunities to enrich pupils' experience during the school day. However, these do not go beyond the core curriculum content.

While some year groups learn the ukelele and clarinet, many pupils do not get chance to develop their talents and interests. Pupils say they would like opportunity to try new challenges, such as competing against other schools in sports competitions.

Governors understand their role is to support and challenge leaders.

However, currently they do not check that the information leaders provide is accurate. As a result, often governors do not ask the important questions needed to help leaders to improve the school further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff receive training so they can identify any safeguarding concerns. Systems are in place for recording and reporting any concerns regarding pupils' welfare. Leaders work with outside agencies to ensure that pupils and families get support if it is needed.

However, this work is not always recorded with as much detail as it should be. Leaders do not effectively monitor the systems that are in place to record concerns. As a result, while pupils are not put at risk, leaders are not able to ensure that practice is as effective as it could be.

Pupils know how to stay safe online and what to do if they have concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some leaders do not have an accurate oversight of their area of responsibility. This means that some improvements are not monitored or checked to see if they are having a positive impact.

Leaders should ensure that systems are put in place to monitor if their ambitious vision for the school is being realised in practice. ? The behaviour policy is not implemented effectively. It is not adhered to or applied consistently across the school.

As a result, some pupils do not behave in line with leaders' expectations. Leaders should ensure that all staff implement the behaviour policy consistently, so that pupils' behaviour improves. ? The curriculum for many subjects, including the early years, is not designed to build knowledge over time.

This is because important subject knowledge has not been clearly identified. Consequently, all pupils, including those with SEND, are not learning, and remembering, important knowledge. Leaders should ensure that they clearly define the key knowledge they want pupils to learn, so that lessons support pupils to develop new understanding and make links in their learning.

• Leaders have not ensured that pupils have sufficient opportunity to experience enrichment activities. Therefore, pupils do not have chance to discover or develop new talents or interests. Leaders should identify ways to support pupils' personal development more effectively.

• Governors are not ensuring that the information they receive is accurate and gives them the information they need to fulfil their responsibilities. This means that they are not sufficiently informed to challenge and support the school leaders. Governors need to establish suitable procedures to quality assure information so that they can hold leaders to account and support the further development of the school.