Farsley Westroyd Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils' behaviour is superb. Throughout the school, pupils' attitudes to learning and manners are a stand-out feature. Pupils nearly always say 'please' and 'thank you', hold open doors for their friends and successfully live up to their teachers' high expectations.

Pupils say there is no bullying. The school's own information confirms this.

Teachers are supported extremely well by effective and committed learning support assistants.

Together, they engage with pupils throughout the school day to build relationships and do their very best for every pupil in their care. There is a real bond between staff and pupils in the school.

During the past couple... of years, as the first set of key stage 2 pupils moved up through the school, leaders worked hard to make sure that the new curriculum helped older pupils to know more.

This has been a success as most pupils achieve well, especially in reading and mathematics.

Staff do all they can to ensure that pupils are looked after and safe. Pupils trust their teachers completely.

Pupils learn about road and bike safety. They have a solid understanding of what to do if they are worried or concerned.

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

The headteacher and deputy headteacher lead the school very well.

They are backed by governors who have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school. The headteacher leads from the front, for example when organising the change from an infant school to a primary school, which started in 2015. During this time, despite the many challenges, the quality of education pupils received improved significantly.

More recently, the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school has more than halved. Leaders' documents to improve the school are thorough. However, they do not link together as well as they could.

This means that, sometimes, leaders are working on too many things at once. New leaders have joined the school recently. They are enthusiastic and experts in the subjects they lead.

There is a real chance that the school can improve even further.

Pupils develop a wide range of vocabulary. Many pupils can hold lengthy discussions about a topic or subject while using really impressive language.

This is because reading is such an important part of school life. Children in the early years get off to a flying start. Nearly all Year 1 pupils reach the expected reading standard for their age.

The few pupils who do not are helped to catch up quickly. Staff select the right books for pupils to read. Pupils look forward to story time with their teachers.

However, some pupils do not fully appreciate the range of books available to them or know well the different styles of writing. As a result, some pupils do not make links between what they read and the development of their own writing. Usually, staff give pupils enough time when reading to use the skills that they have learned to break down and build up unfamiliar words.

Pupils are confident and 'have a go'. When they are not, their friends or older pupils instinctively step in to help them. This is just another example of the excellent relationships on show throughout the school.

Curriculum plans in reading, writing and mathematics are really strong. Leaders have been successful in designing clear schemes of work that help pupils achieve well. Pupils can speak about what they did and when they did it from a long time ago.

This is because teachers in English and mathematics deliberately recap what pupils have learned over and over again. Pupils say that this, their tests and many class discussions help them to remember important content. Foundation subjects, such as geography and art, are a little bit further behind.

Plans in these subjects, and others, do not link together as well or identify the most important topics that pupils should learn inside-out. Although improving, pupils do not achieve as highly in these subjects as they do in English and mathematics.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make a positive contribution to school life and do really well.

This is because these pupils and their learning needs are well known to staff. One parent spoke for many others when she said: 'The care my child [with SEND] has experienced has been excellent. The staff go above and beyond.'

All pupils attend 'life challenges' such as climbing, bouldering and overnight residential visits. Pupils speak enthusiastically about how this has helped them to overcome fears.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff work closely with pupils and families, as well as external professionals, to ensure that all pupils are supported and are as safe as possible.

All staff, including mid-day supervisors, caretakers and office staff know what to do if a pupil reports something to them. Record-keeping is strong.

As one member of staff said, 'we are told to record everything as we might just be the missing piece of the jigsaw'. More importantly, safeguarding leaders respond quickly to pupils' concerns. Pupils say they feel safe and that staff sort things out quickly.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The school's curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherently planned and sequenced in some subjects. However, it is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken to plan next year's curriculum and train staff in how to deliver it that they are in the process of bringing this about. Leaders must now ensure that the curriculum in the foundation subjects are improved further so that pupils learn and revisit the most important content regularly in a deliberate and sequential manner.

. The reading culture across the school is really positive. Pupils enjoy reading and achieve well.

They say story time is one of the best parts of the day for them. Currently, whole-class reading texts are selected or voted on depending on the interests of pupils or teachers. Leaders know that, for some pupils, exposure to a range of literature and genres could be improved.

To counter this, leaders should select and use a range of ambitious whole-class texts that serve to broaden pupils' horizons in terms of literature while helping them to observe and become engrossed in a wider range of literary styles. . Currently, the school development plan (SDP) and self-evaluation serve as two separate documents.

Consequently, the SDP includes a range of actions that aim to address the areas for improvement that have, in some cases, already been achieved. Furthermore, it does not include in sufficient detail the weaknesses identified by leaders in their own recent self-evaluation. Leaders should ensure that the process of self-evaluation fully informs leaders' more recent school development plans.