Silsden Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk with excitement about their new school building.

They recognise the new opportunities it brings for them. They like to access the new resources and work in different learning areas around the school. The breakfast club helps pupils to start their day in a positive way.

Leaders ensure that all staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Six 'golden rules' make sure that everyone works together. Pupils know the school rules well.

They are polite, respectful, and caring towards each other. Everyone smiles as they greet one another. They are eager to take part in lessons and share their ideas.

The school is calm and orderly. Pupils say... they feel safe at school. They are confident about speaking to an adult if they have any concerns.

They say that bullying is not an issue. Pupils are confident that adults listen to their concerns and they know any problems are quickly resolved.

Newly introduced clubs, including computer coding and chess, are available at lunchtime.

Pupils enjoy the new outdoor fitness equipment. They told inspectors how it helps them to develop their physical and mental health. Silsden Primary School is an inclusive school.

Leaders ensure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have the opportunities to experience residential visits and other activities such as swimming and trips to the theatre.

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

In subjects such as mathematics, the curriculum is carefully planned. Pupils' new learning builds on what they already know.

Teachers use assessment well to find out what pupils have learned and deal with misunderstandings as they arise. As a result, pupils quickly understand new ideas and apply them to their work. Pupils say they enjoy mathematics.

In history, pupils remember the topics they have studied and talk about influential people such as Florence Nightingale. However, in science, learning is not well sequenced. As a result, pupils cannot make links between what they know already and what they are learning.

In the early years, children learn how to become independent. Children have time in the day to choose from a range of activities. They show great enjoyment when taking part in activities such as phonics and listening to stories.

Leaders have plans to develop the outside areas to link the learning with indoor activities, to ensure children attempt a greater range of activities across the provision.

Leaders ensure that reading is a high priority. Staff have received the training they need to deliver leaders' chosen phonics programme.

They are experts in helping pupils to read. The books that pupils read are well matched to the sounds that they know. This helps them to become confident and fluent readers.

Teachers use assessments well to identify the sounds that pupils do not know. Leaders provide extra help for pupils when they struggle.

In the early years, children have plenty of opportunities to listen to adults share books and stories with them.

Leaders have ensured that parents know how to support their child at home with phonics and writing. Parents told inspectors that they welcome the information they get. Parents feel this is a real strength of the school.

Leaders ensure staff receive regular training so that they can identify and support pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. They have individual targets linked to their learning, which are well written and matched to their needs.

Leaders recognise they need more rigorous checks on the effectiveness of the approaches they use to support pupils with SEND.

Leaders and teachers have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils show pride in their work.

There are warm and caring relationships between teachers and pupils. The school has a strong culture of honesty and openness.

Teachers encourage pupils to think about others.

In assemblies, they have been considering how refugees feel about leaving their homes. They talk about current events in world news. They are aware of the importance of equality.

However, pupils' understanding of diversity is weaker. Pupils do not understand the many different types of families, ethnicities, and cultures in modern Britain.

Pupils experience new things and develop their talents.

All pupils learn how to play a musical instrument provided by the school. Leaders have recently introduced a democratically elected school council. At the time of the inspection, pupils had started to plan the activities they wanted to do to raise funds for Red Nose Day.

Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. They praised the work of teachers when their children were learning remotely due to the pandemic. They said, 'learning did not stop.'

Parents find the information they receive from leaders, useful.

Staff say leaders are mindful of their well-being and workload. They are proud to belong to Silsden Primary School and feel valued.

They enjoy working as a team.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders, including governors have ensured their policy and practice is aligned to the current safeguarding guidance.

There are robust procedures in place for ensuring adults who work with pupils have been thoroughly checked. Governors and staff have received the training they need to recognise when a pupil may be at risk. Leaders maintain records well.

Leaders are meticulous in following up when extra support is needed for pupils to be safe.All pupils are taught how to stay safe online. They know to tell an adult if they notice something is wrong.

Adults take swift action to ensure pupils are safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In science, the curriculum is not well developed. The curriculum does not build with enough precision on what pupils already know.

As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Their understanding of scientific concepts is insecure. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum in science is well ordered so that pupils remember more of what they have been taught.

• In some instances, pupils with SEND are over supported and strategies do not always match what pupils can do independently. This prevents pupils from building on what they already know and can do. Leaders need to ensure that the strategies they use to support pupils with SEND accurately reflect pupils' needs, to support them in their next steps in learning.

• Pupils do not remember the different cultures and family structures they have been introduced to. Leaders should ensure that the approach to teaching this aspect of the curriculum is reviewed so that pupils are clear on the many different cultures and ethnicities that exist and of the many different family structures in modern Britain. ? In the early years, the inside and outside learning environment do not reflect the themes sufficiently and activities are not linked.

Although vocabulary is in place and on display, it is not interactive or meaningful to children. This results in opportunities for children to strengthen vocabulary being missed. Leaders need to ensure that staff proactively support communication and language in activities both indoors and outside.