National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools Report
Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior School
Park Road
Sowerby Bridge
HX6 2BJ
Previous SIAMS grade: Good
Current inspection grade: Good
Diocese: West Yorkshire and the Dales
Local authority: Calderdale
Date of inspection: 9 June 2015
Date of last inspection: April 2010
School’s unique reference number: 107554
Headteacher: Alison Embleton
Inspector’s name and number: C A Roberts 469
School context
Christ Church Junior school serves the local community of Sowerby Bridge. There are currently
106 pupils on roll from a mainly White British background. The school has a higher than average
number of children in receipt of pupil premium. There is also a higher than average number of
children with additional needs which includes statemented children. The school has been
through a period of instability with regard to staffing. The headteacher has been in post since
September 2014 and was previously deputy headteacher for a year.
The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Christ Church Junior School as a Church of
England school are good
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The outstanding leadership of the school, supported by dedicated hard-working staff and
governors, ensures the Christian vision and values impact strongly on personal and academic
achievement.
Leaders and governors have a clear picture of future development needs in order for the
school to improve further.
Inspirational worship and quality religious education (RE) has an excellent impact on spiritual,
moral, social and cultural development.
Strong partnerships with the church and local community enhance the children’s learning
experience.
Areas to improve
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Review the mission, aims and strapline of the school with all stakeholders, especially
children, to ensure they fully reflect the school’s strong Christian vision and values.
Undertake formal discussions with all stakeholders to further define and understand the
meaning of spiritual development.
Develop a programme of visits to places of worship, as well as visitors to RE to enhance
understanding of faith and world religions.
The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is good at meeting the needs
of all learners
The school has a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, where Christian values of hope, peace,
trust, compassion and friendship are at the core. These values can be seen explicitly in displays
around school, in some policy documents such as anti-bullying and also in the interactions
between adults and children. Children are nurtured by staff to develop positive personal selfesteem as well as good learning behaviour. Many children say how teachers make them ‘feel
happy because they know what learning we can do’ and ‘they make lessons fun’. Children enjoy
school and attendance is high. As a consequence of the Christian distinctiveness with a strong
emphasis on pastoral care and focussed intervention, academic achievement has rapidly
improved this year. There is an appropriate policy for behaviour based on Christian values of
forgiveness and reconciliation. Children understand clearly the element of a fresh start and often
relate their behaviour and actions to Biblical accounts and stories. For example children mention
how ‘Jesus forgave people, so we should’. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is
excellent with opportunities not only through RE and worship, but in all curriculum areas, and
through very impressive reflection and prayer interactive displays around school. Furthermore,
leaders organise special events such as a Year 6 ‘Moving on Journey’ led by Hand to Mouth
Ministries and themed weeks such as ‘Where is God?’ and ‘Festival of Crosses’ to further engage
children in high quality experiences. Leaders are not complacent however and have identified
the need for a whole school discussion to define and understand spirituality. Fundraising
activities enhance children’s understanding of service to others. Opportunities for out of school
activities such as the Singing for Fun festival, singing at local residential homes and taking part in
inter-school sporting events support children in learning to be responsible citizens and also
develop confidence. Children have great respect for faith and the beliefs of others. There are
very positive links with the church and parents. A relevant and creative RE curriculum enables
children to discuss their beliefs and those of others in a safe and positive environment.
The impact of collective worship on the school community is good
Collective worship is a special time of day for the school community because it is engaging,
uplifting and offers something for children and adults alike to think deeply about. It is also a time
when the community prays together and as one child emphasised ‘It’s our link to the Holy One’.
Prayer is an important aspect of the school day, with well used prayer stations in all classrooms
offering more personalised prayer. The Lord’s Prayer and opportunities for children to write
their own prayers are an integral part of worship. Worship makes a real difference to the lives
of children and adults because they are challenged to reflect on Christian values, linked to
Gospel and Bible accounts to support their actions and behaviour. For example one child states
‘The story of Joseph made me realise I should always forgive, no matter what someone has
done’. Worship also provides a springboard for fundraising activities and whole school
initiatives. Themes are well planned with excellent quality resources and activities. Worship
offers the community variety due to the exciting visual displays and Power Point presentations,
as well as Christian symbols and liturgical colours. The experience is further enhanced by
beautiful music and the lighting of candles. Activities enable children and adults to really
celebrate and offer praise through such elements as dance and flying Pentecost kites. Visitors are
a frequent part of the rota and include the very popular Hand to Mouth team as well as the
much loved local vicar. Children learn about the festivals in Christianity and important beliefs
such as the Trinity, through visits to church at festival times and also through Advent and Lent
experiences. As a consequence of the very engaging opportunities for worship and prayer,
spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Worship is very well led by the
headteacher and a variety of monitoring and evaluation takes place by all stakeholders to ensure
there is constant development. A very detailed and impressive action plan is in place as a result
of monitoring and evaluation. Leaders have identified the need to further develop pupil planning
and leading worship.
NS 03 2015
SIAMS Inspection School Report
The effectiveness of the religious education is good
Religious education is led by the headteacher who offers inspirational and very effective
leadership. Expectations are high. Governors offer an excellent level of support and are very
knowledgeable about all aspects of the subject including standards of attainment. There is a clear
action plan for RE and governors and leaders monitor this regularly. Schemes of work, based on
a new syllabus, are relevant and interesting, with many opportunities for reflection, creativity
and discussion about the meaning and purpose of life. The headteacher’s expertise is sought by
the diocese and she is currently working on a new unit of work, based on the new syllabus, for
use in all schools. Teaching and learning in RE is monitored regularly through lesson
observations, learning walks and book scrutiny. These show that lessons are at least good, with
some being outstanding. The quality of written work in RE as well as children’s verbal responses
in class is impressive. Assessment takes place regularly and staff undertake some standardisation
of work. Children have a good level of knowledge and understanding about Christianity.
Opportunities for exploring Christianity as a multi-cultural world faith are developing through
links with a school in the diocese of Mara. Also occasional RE days enhance and consolidate
learning about all aspects of Christianity. Children enjoy RE and understand why it is important
to learn about beliefs. Consequently standards of attainment in RE are in line with national
expectations. In order to further develop children’s understanding of world faiths, leaders are
keen to develop a series of visits to places of worship and visitors to RE.
The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church
school is good
Since the headteacher has been in post there has been a renewed energy in terms of promoting
an explicit Christian vision for the school, where all children are loved and nurtured. Rigorous
strategies for monitoring and evaluating the school as a church school ensure that Christian
distinctiveness is explicit not only in displays, but in communications to parents and the daily
interactions with the school community. Leaders recognise that the mission, aims and strapline
of the school are ripe for review with all stakeholders, especially children, to ensure they fully
own and understand this vision. Governors and staff fully support the headteacher and are very
knowledgeable about all aspects of the school as a church school. They have an excellent
understanding of how the vision and Christian values of the school impact on the lives of
children and their families. Issues from the previous inspection have been addressed effectively.
Everyone under the inspirational leadership of the headteacher works extremely hard to bring
about the best outcomes for the children. Consequently, Christian values such as hope, love and
compassion lead to rigorous tracking and focussed intervention, which directly impacts on
standards of achievement, which are improving. Governors are very dedicated and frequently
take part in learning walks and visits to school. These lead directly to new strategies for
improvement such as the recognition that feedback from parents about the school as a church
school is needed. Governors also ensure that RE and collective worship fulfil statutory
obligations. The school has a good programme of professional development for staff, and leaders
are now looking at ways to strengthen opportunities for all aspects of future leadership across
church schools. Partnerships with the local church and diocese are strong. The headteacher
has forged a very effective link with the nearby community infant school to ensure there is a
smooth transition for pupils. For example shared teaching staff to support children in their new
school, a joint governor working group and joint church celebrations. Overall leadership and
governance of the school is highly effective. It is not yet outstanding as many recent strategies
are not fully embedded.
SIAMS report June 2015 Christ Church CE VA Junior School, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 2BJ
NS 03 2015
SIAMS Inspection School Report