The school is based in two buildings situated close to each other on the same site. Click on the pictures below to see the full size photographs.
 
The Upper Building accommodates Key Stage 2 pupils. The six classrooms are complemented by a dedicated library, ICT suite, hall, music room and community room. In addition to being used by the school, the hall and community room are also used by other parties and are available for hire. Please contact the school for further details.
The Lower Building is the base for Key Stage 1 children. It also houses the school's newly opened Foundation Stage area which caters for children of Reception and Nursery age. The Lower Building is also where the school's office and the headteacher's office are located.
The Foundation Stage has its own enclosed play areas, with both soft and a hard surface for play with wheeled toys, balls etc. The Lower Building has a playground and surrounding grassed area, the Upper Building has two playgrounds, one for year 3/4 children and the other for year 5/6. The school also has an enclosed field as part of its grounds which is used for games sessions and as an alternative to the playgrounds in fine weather during the summer and autumn terms.
An out of school "Kids Club" provides on site childcare before and at the end of the school day (from 8.00am to 6.00pm) It is operated independently by Garforth Kids Clubs (Tel. 0113 2867279).
Inspection Report
Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 1
This school gives pupils an outstanding education. By the time they leave, pupils have developed into well-rounded individuals with a strong appreciation of the creative arts and the written word. East Garforth Primary fully meets its aim ‘to be a caring school where we expect to be challenged to do our best at all times’. Everyone seems to really enjoy working at this happy, friendly school. The level of challenge is high for both staff and pupils, leading to outstanding leadership and management at all levels and pupils’ outstanding academic and personal achievement. Attendance is above average and many pupils stay after school to go to the many different clubs run by the teachers. The school’s self-evaluation correctly identifies its strengths, but concludes that it is good overall because, ‘there is always more to do and we are striving for perfection’. The school has gone from strength to strength since the last inspection. It gives outstanding value for money and has excellent capacity to improve further.
Standards are well above average, especially in English where many teachers show a real flair for awakening pupils’ interest in the richness and power of language. Many pupils say that writing stories and art are their favourite subjects because often the two are taught together. As a result, pupils use visual stimuli to help them articulate their thoughts and enliven their vocabulary. Standards in mathematics, while good, are not quite as strong and the school is currently implementing successful measures to raise standards to equal those in English. The outstanding quality of teaching is characterised by a thoughtful, creative approach that brings learning alive while not neglecting the basic skills. Pupils’ perception is that ‘learning is fun’ and so behaviour and attitudes to learning are exemplary. They are highly attentive in lessons, unafraid to ask for help when they need it.
Pupils’ outstanding personal development is a product of friendly and open relationships with all staff and outstanding assessment systems which quickly identify any areas that pupils struggle with. Pupils are given extra help when they need it and encouraged to check their own progress and so they learn with confidence. An outstanding curriculum caters fully for their different interests and needs, offering a wide range of cultural and multi-cultural experiences as well as ample additional music and sporting opportunities. The recently formed Foundation Stage Unit gives good provision with outstanding features in the teaching of early reading skills and constructive outdoor play. Parents are warmly appreciative of the school and the outstanding care, support and guidance it gives to their children.
Because of the stimulating environment in which they work and play, pupils take a lively interest in their school and are proud of their achievements. Their mature independence and awareness of others mean that they act safely and show respect for the world around them. Their enthusiasm for sport and knowledge of how food affects their bodies, help them to live healthily. Teamwork is prized and from seeing adults planning and teaching lessons together, pupils develop a real sense of the value and pleasure to be gained from contributing to a community. Outstanding collaborative skills, well above average literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology (ICT) skills and an understanding that work can be enjoyable, prepare them extremely well for their future lives.
Key for inspection grades
Grade 1 Outstanding
Grade 2 Good
Grade 3 Satisfactory
Grade 4 Inadequate
Inspectors' Letter to Pupils
25 April 2007
Dear Pupils
Inspection of East Garforth Primary School, East Garforth, LS25 2H5
Thank you very much for your warm and friendly welcome. We very much enjoyed meeting you all. The discussions we had with Year 6 pupils were really good and we were impressed at how well you express your opinions and the high standard of your work, particularly your writing. You work very capably and responsibly on your own and you get on very sensibly with your tasks. Your behaviour is outstanding and when we spent time in the junior building, we were astonished at the quiet working atmosphere considering there are no doors on any classrooms! Your school council is also impressive in the way you run it without adult help, giving everyone a turn at expressing their views.
We agree with you that your school is outstanding and gives you an exceptionally good education. We saw what a lot of fun you have in lessons as well as working very hard. You achieve exceptionally well and standards in English, mathematics and science are higher than in many schools because of this. Your teachers are extremely good at making lessons interesting and enjoyable as well as making sure you learn a lot. Your school prepares you extremely well for your future lives. This is because your school is outstandingly well led and managed. All the staff care about you and they clearly have fun and work hard too.
It is part of our job to point out what schools should do to improve their work. Your headteacher and teachers have thought of just about everything and they have an extremely detailed improvement plan to guide them. They must spend hours compiling it, cross checking what has been completed and extracting what needs doing next. We think that they all know what they are doing so well that they really should simplify this plan and that is what we have recommended.
We hope that you continue to enjoy your time at school and wish you all the best in the future.
Best wishes
Lesley Clark
Lead inspector
Mr. North's Letter to Parents
Friday, 10th May, 2007
Dear Parents,
This term’s OFSTED inspection report opens with the sentence: “This school gives pupils an outstanding education.” Each of the major areas of the report has been judged as outstanding. Only 6% of schools nationally achieve the outstanding grade. It, therefore, gives me great pleasure to send you the report, along with a letter from the inspectors to the children.
Since my arrival at the school in September 2000, all the staff have worked hard to improve the education the children receive. Over the years, it has been good to report to you in Newsletters the improvement in results and the opportunities available to the children both in and out of the classroom. When visitors, including new parents, Education Leeds advisers, Headteachers and staff from other schools look round East Garforth, they are always impressed with the children’s work and their behaviour and attitude. To be told by OFSTED that the school is outstanding makes all the effort worthwhile. As you can imagine, the staff are delighted with the outcome as I hope you will be. I also hope the children enjoy reading their letter from Mrs. Clark, the Lead Inspector.
It was an intense two days as the inspection team of three made judgments about East Garforth and its work, based on the school’s self evaluation procedures and its results. They constantly asked probing questions, observed lessons, looked at work, talked to the children and the staff and spoke to the Chair of Governors. They saw two assemblies, enjoyed the children taking a school council meeting, attended a Year 2 coffee morning and listened to a performance from the senior recorder group. They looked into concerns raised in the parent questionnaires and closely observed learning in order to monitor the progress of the children from the end of one key stage to the next i.e. from the end of Reception (F2) to Year 2 and from Year 2 to Year 6.
The grades in the report represent the overall judgments made by the inspectors in each area. One of the major objectives of inspections is to make sure that the standards at statutory reporting times i.e. the end of Foundation Stage, the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6 are at least in line with national expectations. In our case, we exceed them and the inspectors were very impressed with the curriculum offered to the children throughout the school and the standards and progression of work, especially at the end of each key stage. Mrs. Bell and her Foundation Stage staff need to be congratulated on achieving “good with outstanding features” after just eight months since the opening of our Foundation Stage Unit.
Although it is extremely pleasing to be told by a team of experienced inspectors that the school is outstanding, we are not the finished article by any means and we shall continue to work hard to make East Garforth an even better school in the years ahead. To do that we also need your continued support as parents and staff work together for the sake of the children.
Yours sincerely,
J. S. North
(Headteacher) |
