Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 June 2025

Pupils are happy and safe at this warm and nurturing school. They value the positive relationships they have with their peers and staff. The school places pupils' needs at the heart of all its work. The school is ambitious that every pupil should achieve well. It has high expectations of pupils. However, these expectations are not consistently met. A significant number of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are not academically prepared for secondary school. An atmosphere of calm purposefulness pervades the school. Pupils have excellent manners. They greet visitors with cheerful politeness. They respectfully hold doors for each other and for adults. Pupils' experience of school is that it is a happy place to learn, play and develop. From the moment they join school in early years, they respond well to high expectations for their behaviour. Well-established routines contribute to pupils' sensible and orderly behaviour throughout school. Pupils are very well prepared to be active and positive members of society. They exhibit strong values of tolerance and inclusivity. The school provides them with opportunities to undertake leadership roles, such as school councillors and 'Phunky Food' ambassadors. In these roles, pupils contribute positively to the life of the school and promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles.

What the school should improve

• On occasions, governors' oversight of academic performance has not been as sharply focused as it could be. Outcomes for pupils are not improving quickly enough, particularly those that are disadvantaged. Those responsible for governance should ensure that the school improvement strategy is more clearly defined, more tightly monitored and driven with greater urgency towards improving outcomes for all groups of pupils. Nursery School 3
• There are inconsistencies in how effective teaching is in helping pupils to know and remember content. On occasions, some activities do not enable pupils to remember and apply important knowledge as well they could. Such inconsistencies are reflected in the low outcomes in national assessments in key stage 2 in recent years. The school should ensure that teaching results in pupils consistently learning and remembering the content of the curriculum.

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