Co-op Academy Smithies Moor

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an inadequate school Leaders and managers do not have a clear plan of how to bring about the improvements needed in the quality of teaching and learning across the school.

Outcomes for nearly all groups of pupils are lower than they should be, both currently and in the recent past. The school has higher than average levels of pupil mobility in nearly all year groups. Pupils often arrive and leave at times other than the start of the school term.

This has an impact on the standards pupils reach in national tests. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inconsistent across the school. Many staff are new to post.

Teaching staff do not... always know how to assess pupils' work accurately. Pupils and parents and carers told the inspection team that incidents of bullying happen on a regular basis and that staff are not always successful at resolving the issues underlying these incidents. The curriculum does not allow pupils to develop a strong enough understanding of fundamental British values or an appreciation of different faiths and cultures.

Attendance is low. Too many pupils are regularly absent from school. School staff and leaders struggle to manage the difficult behaviour of a small number of pupils.

As a result, these pupils are frequently excluded from school. The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. Leaders do not record incidents of poor behaviour effectively.

The school has the following strengths Children make better progress in the early years. Staff have a clear understanding of their needs and ensure that the learning experiences provided enable them to make progress. The majority of pupils said that they felt safe in school.

Pupils in Year 6 made stronger progress last year, particularly in reading and mathematics. The school has developed a very robust system of internet safety. Staff vigilantly check where pupils look when they use the internet.

Information about this school

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school is a larger-than-average primary academy situated in Heckmondwike. The school has a high level of pupil mobility.

The school converted to an academy in 2015 and became part of the Y-OUR Co-operative Academies Trust. It is also part of a soft federation with six other schools in the Spenborough Co-operative Trust. The school governance consists of a board of trustees and a local governing body.

The school runs a before- and after-school club on the premises. It shares its premises with some local authority services since the closure of the on-site children's centre. There is a private on-site nursery and playgroup that makes provision for children up to the age of four years.

This provision is inspected separately. The local authority has supported the school, particularly in the development of early years provision. The school meets current government floor standards.