Selside Endowed CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further enhance leadership and management by ensuring that teachers continue to apply leaders’ strategies to:
  • sustain the strong progress of current pupils in reading
  • strengthen pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics so that it more closely matches that of reading.
• Further improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes by ensuring that teachers more consistently provide work that is suitably challenging, especially for the most able in science.
• Ensure that leaders further enhance pupils’ personal development by strengthening their understanding of a range of faiths beyond Christianity and Islam.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The executive headteacher and the governing body have been successful in improving the fortunes of this school. Because of their actions, the quality of teaching is much improved and the progress of current pupils in reading is very strong. Progress in writing and mathematics is now good, although it is still not as strong as that in reading. There is a tangible sense of harmony and calm in the school, following a period of disquiet among parents and instability in staffing and leadership which led to a decline in pupils’ standards. There is now a positive atmosphere in a warm and welcoming learning environment, which is founded on the clear Christian ethos of the school.
• The governors and the local authority recognised that pupils’ standards had slipped in recent times. They took effective action to remedy this position. They commissioned the services of a local leader of education in November 2017. Her role was to provide intensive support for the previous headteacher in addressing the decline in standards. Following the departure of the previous headteacher, she became the substantive executive headteacher in September 2018. Because of her work, she and her team have successfully reversed the decline in pupils’ performance in the tests in Year 6 in 2017. In 2018, pupils made progress in reading that was well above the national average. Although progress in writing and mathematics was good and improved, it was not as strong as that in reading.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of education that the school provides. Their plans for improvement are thorough and make an effective contribution to the good progress that current pupils make across a range of subjects. For example, the introduction of a more structured approach to the teaching of reading in key stage 1; the further strengthening of teachers’ appreciation of the expectations of pupils in writing; and more focused planning in mathematics to ensure that pupils grasp essential concepts more securely are making a positive difference to the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress.
• Leaders make effective use of the primary school physical education (PE) and sports premium. Pupils have opportunities to take part in competitive sports events, such as cross-country and gymnastics. Staff also benefit from observing the work of a PE specialist, whom leaders have commissioned to support the teaching of this subject.
• The school has had no pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium in recent times. There are currently too few eligible pupils to report on. However, leaders have appropriate plans in place for the effective use of this funding.
• There are fewer than five pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This means there are too few pupils report on. Leaders ensure that they make effective use of resources for these pupils.
• The Christian character of the school informs the work that leaders do to effectively promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They achieve this through a range of experiences, including lessons in religious education (RE) and personal, social and health education. They also provide interesting clubs, which are as varied as silk-painting and running. Leaders have recently begun to consider ways of broadening pupils’ experiences beyond those of their rural locality. They have planned a trip to Liverpool, for example, to experience a city environment and to visit the two cathedrals, as part of their work in RE.
• The school typically promotes fundamental British values well and makes conscious links with Christian values, such as respect. Pupils have opportunities to learn about faiths other than Christianity to develop their sense of tolerance. Although pupils know about Islam, their knowledge of other faiths and beliefs is less secure.
• The executive headteacher is the curriculum lead. There has been recent collaboration with parents and carers, staff, governors and pupils to refine the school’s vision for the curriculum. Stakeholders are clear that they want to engender a ‘life-long love of learning’ and independence. They also want to develop confident, caring and responsible pupils, in keeping with the school’s Christian ethos. The curriculum itself is broad and balanced. Beyond teaching the full range of national curriculum subjects, there is deliberate action to support pupils’ mental and physical well-being. For example, leaders make use of the beautiful, rural surroundings to develop self-esteem and fitness through outdoor learning and a daily run around the grounds. They also provide pupils with regular activities to gain a better understanding of their emotions and how to manage them. The curriculum makes a considerable contribution to the good progress that the vast majority of pupils make.
• Leaders of the early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2 have a secure overview of the quality of provision in their relevant year groups. They are clear about how effectively pupils acquire knowledge, understanding and skills across a range of subjects. They meet regularly with the executive headteacher to check on standards and decide on areas for development. For example, they are currently considering how the school’s focus on developing independent learning may relate to the proposed new inspection framework. Their work contributes well to the good progress of current pupils.
• There are effective assessment systems in place, which give leaders an accurate overview of pupils’ progress. The executive headteacher has recently made further improvements to these systems. She has, for instance, introduced regular meetings with teachers to evaluate pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics and a more precise method for teachers to assess pupils’ writing. Leaders can now more readily identify gaps in pupils’ learning and devise strategies to support them, such as extra individual sessions in mathematics.
• Morale among members of staff is high. They are very positive about their work at the school. They greatly appreciate the training that they receive and said it develops their skills effectively. They find the executive headteacher approachable and supportive.
• The local authority and the diocese have provided effective support during the recent issues that the school has faced. They have an accurate view of the quality of education that the school provides and have confidence in the abilities of the executive headteacher and her team.

Governance of the school

• Governors have an honest and accurate view of standards in the school. They realised that there had been a decline in recent times because of issues with senior leadership and took effective action to improve the situation. They recognise that the quality of education is now greatly improved. They provide strong challenge to school leaders, asking a range of incisive questions about matters such as pupils’ achievement and the effective use of funds. They hold the headteacher to account well and have made a considerable contribution to the good progress that pupils now demonstrate.
• Governors are knowledgeable about safeguarding matters and two have received training in safer recruitment. They ensure the effectiveness of safeguarding in school by scrutinising reports from the executive headteacher and through dialogue between the designated lead and the link governor. Safeguarding updates are a fixed item on the agenda of governing body meetings and these, too, keep governors well informed.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school’s record of required checks on members of staff is complete and complies with the government’s guidance. The school has a safeguarding policy that all staff follow, including those responsible for the governor-run Nursery. It is comprehensive and is in keeping with the government’s advice and guidelines. Leaders have also ensured that the early years welfare requirements are met in this provision.
• The culture of safeguarding in the school is strong. Staff are well trained and knowledgeable. They know the various signs of abuse and how they should respond. They receive specific training beyond the minimum requirements as appropriate. Examples include training about bereavement issues and radicalisation and extremism. Staff know their pupils very well in this small school and care for them deeply. This enables them to be especially alert to any changes in a pupil’s mood or demeanour.
• The designated safeguarding lead has appropriate systems in place to ensure the safeguarding of pupils. There are, however, no examples of any concerns that staff needed to refer to the designated lead or to the local authority.
• There are no instances of bullying of any kind at the school. Leaders keep a log of poor behaviour, but there are only two examples recorded. There was no repetition of either incident.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The headteacher has ensured that the quality of teaching has improved in recent times and is now good across all year groups, including the early years. This is a direct result of new strategies, such as the introduction of more cross-curricular reading and a new focus on developing mastery in mathematics. The vast majority of current pupils make good progress across a range of subjects. However, progress in writing and mathematics, though good and improving, does not currently match that of reading.
• Teachers typically use their strong subject knowledge to plan lessons that interest pupils and successfully maintain their attention. For example, in mathematics in key stage 2, pupils successfully apply their knowledge of calculating perimeters of simple shapes to more complex ones. In writing in key stage 1, pupils respond well to challenging work involving writing more complex sentences involving adjectives. However, there are a few occasions when pupils find the work a little too easy, such as in mathematics in Year 3.
• There are warm relationships between pupils and between staff and pupils. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Most pupils show positive attitudes and give their attention to their work without reminders. Staff have very effective methods for managing behaviour, though these are rarely needed.
• For the most part, staff make effective use of questioning to encourage pupils to think for themselves and to develop deeper understanding. They also use assessment well to check pupils’ understanding and give extra support to groups who need it.
• Teachers provide useful information to parents about their children’s progress. Apart from formal annual reports, teachers keep parents informed through home-school books. Staff are also available every day for informal conversations about pupils’ progress.
• Teachers provide a good range of opportunities for pupils to use skills that they learn in English and mathematics lessons in other subjects. For example, in geography in key stage 1, they use their writing skills to record facts about their local area. In science in key stage 2, pupils use mathematical skills to record measurements in tables.
• Pupils receive regular homework, typically connected to aspects of mathematics and English. Teachers set tasks that directly relate to activities in class and consolidate pupils’ learning. There are also online tasks that pupils complete. Parents reported that pupils enjoy these and that they contribute positively to the progress that their children make.
• Although teachers usually provide work that stretches the most able pupils, there are times when these pupils do not have opportunities to grapple with concepts or deepen their learning. This is particularly so in science, where the work that teachers present to the most able is structured in such a way that it limits pupils’ ability to apply their knowledge in more challenging ways.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are mainly confident and take pride in their work. They enjoy coming to school. They show positive attitudes to their learning and the large majority sustain their focus on their work without prompting.
• Pupils feel safe in school and trust adults to help them if they have any concerns. In conversation with the inspector, pupils made positive comments about how well staff look after them. Pupils also know about the potential risks of the internet and understand how to avoid harm. This is because teachers regularly provide them with the vital information that they need to stay safe.
• Pupils reported that there is no bullying of any kind in the school. They said that adults are effective at resolving disputes between pupils, but that often pupils can settle their own differences amicably.
• Pupils enjoy a range of activities, such as clubs and educational visits, that contribute effectively to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They also benefit from activities, such as running the ‘daily mile’, which support their physical health. They develop a sense of responsibility from their work on the school council and from raising funds for various charities.
• Respect and tolerance are central to the Christian ethos of the school and pupils have a clear understanding of their importance. They recognise that there is a range of faiths in modern day Britain. Although they know about Christianity and Islam, they are less certain about the features of other religions.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• The school is a very orderly place and pupils’ conduct is exemplary. Pupils’ behaviour in class is excellent, reflecting the high standards that staff expect. Pupils reported that they know the behaviour that adults expect of them.
• Pupils play together in the playground exceptionally well. They socialise well and show excellent consideration for others. They said that there are hardly any issues of behaviour for adults to deal with, including name-calling. Pupils are unfailingly polite in their interactions with adults and show strong self-discipline.
• The attendance of current pupils is above the national average and there have been no exclusions of any kind.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Leaders have strengthened the quality of teaching since the sharp dip in progress of Year 6 pupils in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of 2016/17. As a result, assessment information for Year 6 in 2018 showed marked improvement in progress measures, especially in reading. Current pupils continue to make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The inspector’s scrutiny of the school’s own assessment analysis and of pupils’ work revealed excellent progress in reading for the large majority of pupils. However, progress in writing and mathematics, though good and improving, is still not as strong as that in reading.
• There was much improvement in pupils’ performance in the Year 1 phonics check in 2018 compared to 2017. All pupils reached the expected standard. There was also a substantial improvement in the proportion of children in the Reception class who attained a good level of development in 2018. All children achieved this, too. Current pupils in key stage 1 are making good progress in their phonics. For example, they use their knowledge well to spell less familiar words, such as ‘rubish’ for ‘rubbish’. There are too few children currently in the early years to report on, with no children in the Reception class.
• Across the range of other subjects, most pupils acquire knowledge, understanding and skills effectively. For example, pupils can explain the properties and effects of light in science. They can find features of a European country in geography, using the internet to carry out research. However, in science, the most able pupils have too few opportunities to deepen their knowledge by attempting more complex work related to the given topic.
• Pupils read widely and show a very good degree of fluency and comprehension for their age and capability. The most able pupils read with excellent comprehension. They also use expression very well to convey meaning. Pupil of all abilities have strong inference skills that match the level of their ability. For example, least-able pupils in lower key stage 2 can work out what unfamiliar words like ‘swaggered’ mean from the context. Pupils told the inspector that they enjoy reading a range of genres, including fiction and non-fiction.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112327 Cumbria 10090529 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 22 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Executive Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Tom McCormick Sarah Coleman 01539 823 649 www.selside.cumbria.sch.uk admin@selside.cumbria.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 28–29 November 2011

Information about this school

• This is a Church of England, voluntary-aided primary school.
• The school was inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in March 2017.
• This is a well below average-sized primary school.
• Pupils are taught in two mixed-age classes.
• Leaders run a breakfast club and an after-school club for pupils at the school.
• Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.
• The number of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is less than five.
• The number of pupils who receive support for their special educational needs and/or disabilities is less than five.
• No pupils have an education, health and care plan.
• The school has a governor-run Nursery provision under section 27 of the Education Act 2002 (community powers). This is for children who are three and four years old. There are currently fewer than five children in this provision. This arrangement does not affect the age range of the school.
• There are currently no children in the Reception class.
• The executive headteacher took up her substantive role in September 2018. She had worked intensively with the previous headteacher as a local leader of education since November 2017. She is also headteacher at another small primary school in the area. A senior teacher deputises for her when she is away from the site.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector carried out observations of learning in both classes. These were joint observations with the headteacher. The headteacher was present at inspection-team meetings.
• A range of documentation was scrutinised, including: the school’s self-evaluation summary, action plans for school improvement, assessment information, minutes of meetings of the governing body and records connected with the safeguarding of children.
• The inspector had discussions with: the headteacher, members of staff with leadership responsibilities, other members of staff, the chair and other members of the governing body, representatives of the local authority and the diocese, parents and pupils.
• The inspector listened to pupils read and analysed pupils’ work in a range of subjects.
• The inspector evaluated 26 responses received through Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, during the inspection.

Inspection team

Mark Quinn, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector