Wakefield Flanshaw Junior and Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Flanshaw are happy and safe.

They are proud to attend the school.

The headteacher and deputy headteacher are new to the role this year. They have quickly identified areas for improvement.

Since the poor outcomes achieved by pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2023, leaders have begun to make changes to improve the quality of education. These changes are beginning to make a difference, for example in reading. However, in some subjects, pupils do not achieve well enough.

Leaders have high expectations for pupils' behaviour and attitudes. Pupils are polite and friendly. Respectful relationships between pupils and adults are consistent througho...ut school.

Classrooms are calm and orderly, and pupils play together happily at breaktimes. Bullying is rare and any problems are swiftly addressed.

The personal development of pupils is a priority at Flanshaw.

Pupil leaders, such as the junior leadership team, carry out their roles with pride. The school ensures that pupils benefit from a wide range of activities to develop their interests and build character. Activities include kickboxing and sewing clubs, and pupils also have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument.

Pupils enjoy local trips and look forward to the residential visit where they get to try new and challenging activities.

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

Children in early years are inspired by the high-quality provision, both indoors and outside. Adults support learning with great enthusiasm and skill.

They use questions to stimulate purposeful discussion and enhance learning. Children demonstrate independence and cooperation, helping each other to dress in boots and waterproof suits to play in the mud. Effective phonics teaching prepares children well for future learning.

Children quickly learn the phonics that they need to read words. Any children who are struggling are given help to catch up. This also applies to any older pupils who require support with the early stages of reading.

Pupils do not achieve as well in other parts of English. In 2023, outcomes for pupils in reading and especially writing were much lower than the national average. Some pupils are not secure in basic skills such as forming letters correctly.

Some pupils cannot read longer texts fluently. Leaders have begun to review the curriculum for English to ensure that pupils are supported to become fluent readers and that the basic skills of writing are taught effectively from early years.

The school has recently begun a review of the wider curriculum.

The curriculum is broad and ambitious for all pupils. However, the curriculums for subjects such as history and geography do not precisely identify and sequence the key knowledge that pupils should learn over time. Assessment is not used effectively to check for understanding.

This means that teaching sometimes does not address gaps in learning and activity choices are sometimes not well matched to the learning required. This means that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not achieve as well as they should.

The school has clear processes to support the identification of pupils with SEND.

The school is tenacious in making sure that pupils with SEND get the help they need. There is effective support for pupils with SEND, including in the early years, enabling them to learn the same curriculum as their peers.

There is a broad personal development programme.

Pupils learn how to stay safe, including when they are online. They know how to stay healthy. Pupils display tolerance and understanding towards those from different cultures and faiths.

They speak confidently about the importance of equality. Pupils learn about a range of different religions. This important knowledge helps them to be well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Some staff and governors are new to their leadership roles. All leaders are deeply committed to ensuring the best possible outcomes for pupils. They have identified priorities for improvement and have detailed improvement plans in place.

However, leaders have prioritised their efforts on measures to address gaps in learning by leading booster sessions and interventions. This has been to the detriment of important curriculum development to secure systemic and sustainable improvements that would benefit all pupils.

Staff enjoy working at the school.

Leaders are caring and considerate of staff well-being and workload. The school develops effective relationships with parents and carers. Parents are invited to events in school such as workshops to support their child's reading.

Parents appreciate the strong pastoral support the school offers to them, their children and the wider community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• School has not identified and prioritised the most important actions needed to bring about systemic and sustainable improvement.

Many decisions and actions taken are short-term measures to address specific issues. This means that the most important priorities go unaddressed. The school should ensure that it focuses on the most important actions that will bring about systemic and sustained improvements.

• The precise knowledge pupils need to know and remember is not clearly identified and sequenced in all subjects. Pupils do not remember their learning well and have gaps in their knowledge. School should ensure that there is a coherently planned and sequenced curriculum in place.

The school does not routinely check the knowledge and understanding of pupils. Sometimes, learning activities do not match the knowledge pupils need to learn and teaching does not consistently identify and address gaps in pupils' learning. The school should ensure that adults regularly check what pupils have learned to ensure that activities are effective, and that any gaps in pupils' knowledge are quickly identified and addressed.