Shepley First School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key Findings

¦ Shepley is a good school. The vast majority of parents and carers hold very positive views of the education it provides for their children, describing it as happy, welcoming and supportive.

Pupils achieve well in a safe, nurturing environment where they feel safe and have confidence in adults to take care of them. Attendance is consistently high. Pupils' achievement and the overall quality of teaching were not judged to be outstanding because progress slows in some parts of the school as a result of inconsistencies in teaching.

Consequently, overall effectiveness is no better than good. ¦ Pupils' achievement is good, including that of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.... Children are provided with a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage and this is built upon effectively in Key Stage 1.

All make good progress from their starting points. There have been some inconsistencies in Key Stage 2 due to staff absence. However, pupils' attainment is above average by the end of Year 5 in English and mathematics.

¦ Teaching is good overall. Good relationships between staff and pupils promote a purposeful climate for learning. Occasionally, class teachers do not make full use of tracking data when planning lessons and, as a result, expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low and there is insufficient challenge in lessons, particularly for the more able.

The majority of marking is good in both mathematics and English. Pupils are given opportunities to respond to the effective guidance they receive on how to improve. ¦ Pupils display positive attitudes to their learning.

They are polite and respectful and their behaviour is typically good. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire believe their children feel safe at school. A view that was endorsed by the pupils.

¦ The headteacher provides strong leadership and is supported well by the governing body. Leaders have successfully worked to meet the challenge of complex staffing issues and to minimise disruption to pupils' learning. The overall performance of the school is monitored effectively.

The school's self-evaluation is accurate. As a result, priorities in the school development plan focus on the most important areas for improvement.

Information about the school

Shepley is a smaller than average-size primary school.

Pupils leave to go to the middle school at the end of Year 5. Most pupils are of White British heritage. A very small number are from minority ethnic groups.

English is the first language of all pupils. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below the national average, as is the percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. There have been a number of changes in staffing since the previous inspection.

The school has achieved a number of awards, including Healthy Schools status, the Activemark, the Artsmark and Eco-school status (silver). A private provider operates a daily out-of-school care, including breakfast-club and after-school club for pupils on the school site. These provisions are inspected and reported upon separately.

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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