Staff and pupils at Halfpenny Lane Junior, Infant & Nursery School are celebrating after an Ofsted inspection saw them receive a ‘good’ rating.
Inspectors spent two days at Halfpenny Lane J, I & N School observing lessons, talking with staff and students and seeking the viewpoints of parents.
The school, which is part of the Pontefract Academies Trust family of schools has just over 450 pupils and inspectors found a “culture where all pupils can thrive”.
Mr James Parkinson, Head of School, said the Ofsted report reflected the “hard work and dedication” of everyone in the school community.
“The staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that the school provides the education that the pupils deserve and I couldn’t be more proud of their achievements,” said Mr Parkinson. “We have received great support on a daily basis from the Trust and this has given us real momentum to achieve bigger and better things for our pupils.”
The Ofsted report describes leaders, including governors, as being “passionate about their school and share a united vision of securing high achievement for pupils”.
Lead inspector Jo Bentley said, “The Trust knows the school well and has recently appointed leaders and governors who have brought about much needed improvements.”
The report reflected the good progress pupils make in their writing and that “children in early years get off to a flying start”. Additionally, staff know the pupils “exceptionally well” and the “progress of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs is improving quickly.”
Mr Parkinson added “This report now gives us a springboard to improve further. We are keen to further embed our recent changes and will not rest on our laurels in securing the best education possible for pupils in our community.”
Tom Fay, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning at Pontefract Academies Trust, said “We are delighted with the progress of the school and the report. The report shows that our collaborative approach to embedding systems across our six primary schools is bearing fruit. The work we have done with James and his team has quite rightly been recognised for raising expectations and improving teaching at the school”.