Heaton Avenue in Cleckheaton graded 'requires improvement'

Heaton Avenue, a Share primary academy, in South Parade, Cleckheaton was visited by the education watchdog on May 21 and 22 this year.

Inspectors graded the school 'requires improvement' in all areas, after it received a 'good' rating in July 2017.

The school was visited by Ofsted in February 2023 for an ungraded inspection, but evidence gathered suggested its grade “might not be as high” if a graded inspection was carried out, according to the report.

A spokesperson for the SHARE Multi-Academy Trust said: “We were, naturally, disappointed to be judged as requiring improvement in our recent Ofsted inspection but agreed with the inspectors that it was a fair reflection of Heaton Avenue at that given moment.

“We are not, in any way, complacent about this outcome and are determined to improve the school as fast as we can.

“In fact, we started to put these actions in place before the inspection took place.”

The report for the latest inspection, published on July 1, said pupils at Heaton Avenue are “happy and safe” and “there is a palpable determination to ensure that pupils experience a high-quality education” after significant changes to the school’s leadership this year.

This has led to a redesign of the curriculum structure this academic year and the school has ensured it better meets the needs of pupils.

But its development is at an early stage, according to inspectors.

The report said: “Pupils currently have an insecure knowledge base to build on.

“While pupils can talk about what they are presently learning, some pupils do not recall or make connections with what they have previously learned.”

Heaton Avenue, A Share Primary Academy, in South Parade, Cleckheaton, in 2015 (Image: Google Street View)

The school checks students’ work during lessons but its quality is variable and “some books indicate a lack of pride and care”.

There are “non-negotiables” in some subjects, such as maths where pupils have one digit in each square in their exercise books.

This is not consistently applied though, according to the report.

Behaviour is starting to improve at Heaton Avenue due to pupils and staff understanding the school’s “traffic light system” and student leadership roles, such as playground buddies, being implemented to exemplify good behaviour.

It is a different matter in some lessons though.

The report said: “Pupils do not display behaviours that are conducive for effective listening and learning.

“Some adults do not intervene swiftly enough to address this disengagement.”

The trust spokesperson said: “Since September, the school's leadership team and curriculum have changed completely.

“We know this was the right thing to do and that Heaton Avenue will be delivering a fantastic education to its pupils within a matter of months.

“We are sure the outcome of this inspection would have been different if inspectors had visited just a few months later.

“Nonetheless, inspectors accurately captured the school's strengths and areas for improvement at a certain point in time.

“We will now keep building on the strong foundations Ofsted noted and can reassure parents their children are in good hands.

“Our new headteacher has already reached out to parents and is keen to help them feel listened to and supported.

“The feedback we have received so far has been very positive.

“We now look forward to building on our recent improvements and making Heaton Avenue the outstanding school we know it can be.”