Southroyd Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Southroyd Primary and Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong sense of community and belonging at Southroyd Primary and Nursery School. Pupils thrive in the beautiful school learning environments, inside and outdoors.

Staff know each pupil very well and take good care of them. As a result, pupils are happy and safe.

The school provides a broad and ambitious curriculum.

Pupils enjoy learning. They say that teachers make lessons interesting and fun. Pupils achieve well in their formal learning and social development.

They acquire the s...kills and knowledge they need to become successful, happy and well-rounded citizens of the future.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Staff treat every pupil with respect and kindness.

Pupils respond by being friendly, respectful and kind to each other, staff and visitors. Pupils show high levels of resilience and independence in learning. They are proud to show what they know and can do.

The school provides many opportunities for pupils to develop new talents and interests and to take on responsibilities. There is a wide range of lunchtime and after-school clubs. These include ukulele, choir, sewing, gardening, forest school, chess and a range of sports.

Pupils can take on roles such as clean-up crew, kitchen crew, sports leader or pupil council member.

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

The curriculum builds pupils' knowledge and skills from the early years to Year 6. Meaningful links across subjects help to deepen pupils' understanding.

Educational visits and visitors to school help to make learning memorable for pupils. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and present information clearly. They use high-quality resources to support learning.

Pre-topic tasks help pupils to devise their own questions. This gives them ownership of their learning. Pupils rise to teachers' high expectations and achieve well across the curriculum.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in all the school has to offer. The school identifies when a pupil may need extra help. Pupils thrive in the exceptionally inclusive environments.

Pupils with SEND enjoy school and achieve well.

The Nursery and Reception classes provide a great start to learning. The early years curriculum is carefully planned to meet the needs of children at different stages of development.

Children have a wonderful time exploring and practising what they have learned.

Reading is a high priority for the school. Pupils in every class enjoy being read to every day.

The school library and class reading areas are well stocked with a range of books by diverse authors. Author visits and reading events help to get pupils excited about reading.

Staff teach the phonics scheme to a high standard.

Reading books are carefully organised to match the sounds pupils learn. This helps pupils to develop fluency and confidence in reading. Pupils who need it, receive the help they need to catch up.

Some pupils, who are at the early stages of learning to write, are given work that is too challenging for them. Staff have not ensured that these pupils have grasped the basics of handwriting and sentence structure before giving them more complicated tasks

Pupils learn about people with protected characteristics and fundamental British values. They sing their British values school song with great enthusiasm.

Their excellent behaviour demonstrates how they try to follow these values every day in school. Pupils have a mature understanding of diversity and equality. They feel strongly that it is wrong to discriminate or be unkind because of difference.

Pupil leadership is a valued aspect of school life. School councillors play an important role in school. They help with staff recruitment, developing policies and meeting the school chef and the site manager to discuss improvements.

Sports leaders lead games and activities at lunchtimes, the clean-up crew are responsible for litter picking and looking after the school grounds and the kitchen crew help at lunchtime.

Leaders and governors have a strong and clear vision for the school. They are outward-looking and work with other schools to share best practice.

Teachers benefit from high-quality training. They have opportunities to collaborate with colleagues from other schools and agencies. The school engages meaningfully with stakeholders and the community.

This is appreciated by parents and carers. Staff appreciate the consideration that leaders have for their well-being and work-life balance.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils, who are at the early stages of learning to write, are given work that is too challenging for them. This results in pupils who have not grasped the basics of writing struggling with tasks they do not have the skills and knowledge to complete. The school should ensure that it provides pupils with appropriate teaching and catch-up support to secure basic writing skills so that they will be able to complete more complex written tasks with success.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2015.