St Bees Village Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • teachers’ expectations for the presentation of pupils’ work in different subjects are consistently high across the school
  • pupils develop the technical vocabulary and the subject-specific skills they need to make stronger progress in geography.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors have redoubled their efforts to secure the improvements that the inspection in January 2018 identified as being required. For example, work in pupils’ books and the unvalidated results of the recent key stage 2 assessments show that outcomes for the most able pupils are now improving strongly. Similarly, the emerging areas of strength that were identified by the previous inspection, such as the effectiveness of phonics teaching, have been maintained. As a result, the standard of education at the school remains good.
• Leaders carry out a wide range of checks on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. This ensures that the leadership team has a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Senior leaders make full use of assessment information from teachers to analyse pupils’ attainment and progress in detail, and to set clear priorities for improvement. Leaders support the work of staff well. As a result, teaching across the school is consistently good and leads to good progress for all groups of pupils.
• Leaders make sure that pupils who have special education needs (SEN) and/or disabilities receive effective support for their learning and welfare needs. The additional assistance that pupils receive helps them to make good progress from their starting points.
• Leaders spend the primary school physical education (PE) and sport funding effectively. They measure the impact of this by checking how well pupils maintain healthy and active lifestyles. For example, leaders monitor the number of pupils taking part in extra-curricular activities and inter-school competitions.
• Middle leaders complete useful training relating to their roles and responsibilities in monitoring pupils’ achievement in their subjects. They regularly evaluate the impact of their work. Middle leaders use assessment information well to plan for the improvement of pupils’ attainment and progress.
• Pupils develop a good understanding of life in modern Britain. The school provides pupils with a wide range of curriculum activities, such as work on emotional health, rule of law, liberty and equality. This helps pupils to appreciate different cultures and to understand the role of democracy in Britain. As a result, pupils value differences between people and develop strong moral values. Furthermore, this work promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.
• The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced. There is good coverage of a wide range of subjects that interest pupils. For example, pupils say that they particularly enjoy practical work in science, where they are given opportunities to develop their mathematical skills as well as their scientific knowledge.
• The headteacher’s actions have resulted in a stronger culture of learning across the school and have raised the expectations of pupils and teachers.

Governance of the school

• The governing body responded quickly and decisively to the recommendations from the previous inspection. Consequently, there have been significant improvements in governance.
• Governors are actively involved in the life of the school and therefore have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They check regularly on the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements.
• Governors are clear about their roles and responsibilities, and perform their duties efficiently. Minutes of meetings of the governing body indicate that governors provide appropriate challenge and support for leaders. Governors have a good understanding of what the data on pupils’ achievement tells them about the performance of the school. They hold the headteacher to account for the quality and impact of the school’s work.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Pupils with whom inspectors spoke said that staff care for them well. Pupils are confident about approaching staff if they have a worry or a concern.
• Pupils learn about road safety, water safety and how to stay safe in a variety of situations. Staff give e-safety a high profile, so that pupils know how to keep themselves safe while using the internet.
• Staff complete regular safeguarding training. They are knowledgeable about the school’s procedures for raising any welfare or child-protection concerns.
• Leaders have recently improved the security of the school premises to maintain a safe and welcoming school environment.
• All employment checks on staff are in place to meet statutory requirements. This includes the checks completed on the suitability of new staff to ensure that they are safe to work with pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The teaching of reading is good. Pupils read confidently to inspectors. In the early years, children make a successful start with their reading skills. This is because teaching is well planned, classrooms are arranged thoughtfully to support learning and staff make effective links with parents. Staff in key stage 1 teach phonics very ably. In key stage 2, staff ensure that teaching sustains pupils’ good progress in reading.
• The teaching of mathematics is strong. Teachers have good subject knowledge and high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils have opportunities to develop their resilience because teachers encourage them to address difficult problems. As a result, pupils are now making good progress in this subject.
• The teaching of writing is skilful. Pupils demonstrate an accurate application of their grammar knowledge to their writing. Teachers develop pupils’ writing in English and other areas of the curriculum. As a result, pupils write extensively and use language that is matched to different types of text and the purpose of their writing.
• Teachers use questioning carefully to help pupils to gain the knowledge and understanding needed to develop their learning. Staff discuss misconceptions with pupils and address these quickly, which consolidates pupils’ learning.
• Teachers know the skills and needs of their pupils in detail. They plan work that helps pupils of all abilities to make good and sometimes outstanding progress. Relationships between staff and pupils are a strength of the school. Pupils are keen learners, who strive to do well and take responsibility for their own learning.
• Leaders deploy teaching assistants carefully. Teaching assistants provide skilled and effective support for pupils during class time and through the extra support provided for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• In almost all areas of the curriculum, pupils develop their knowledge, skills and understanding successfully. This is because staff provide well-planned activities that build on pupils’ previous learning. In geography, however, teachers do not give pupils enough challenge to deepen their understanding.
• Teachers’ expectations for the presentation of pupils’ work are not consistently high across the school. In some subjects, the work in pupils’ books does not match the quality of presentation in other subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Throughout the school, pupils are polite, courteous, friendly and welcoming. They show high levels of respect, such as opening doors for one another and for adults. They have a clear understanding of right and wrong.
• Pupils show that they enjoy school by their eagerness to do well in lessons and by their enthusiasm for the wide range of additional activities offered. The work by school leaders and staff to develop pupils as thoughtful, responsible citizens of the wider world is having a positive impact.
• Pupils readily undertake a range of responsibilities at school and make an excellent contribution to decision-making. For example, members of the school council meet with governors to discuss ways to improve their learning in writing and mathematics.
• Teachers encourage pupils to have positive attitudes to their learning. There has been a marked improvement in pupils’ resilience when they grapple with difficult tasks, which is enabling them to learn and progress well.
• Pupils are aware of and can recognise different types of bullying. They say that they feel safe and that bullying is rare.
• The SEN coordinator has undertaken training to help her to respond to any mental health needs of pupils at the school. She provides pupils with extra support where needed.
• The school is effective in encouraging pupils to develop healthy lifestyles. The strong emphasis on PE and the wide range of activities available, including yoga, archery and judo, have a positive effect on pupils’ health and fitness. Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Their conduct in lessons and around school is calm and orderly.
• In lessons, pupils collaborate well and are enthusiastic learners. Older pupils display maturity in their ability to organise their own learning.
• Pupils are kind and courteous towards each other and to staff. In the playground, pupils mix together happily and play imaginatively. Pupils follow school routines, which helps to keep them safe.
• Pupils say that they like coming to school because of the challenge in their learning. This has encouraged them to attend regularly and on time. Pupils’ attendance is above the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils make good progress from their starting points. Leaders have successfully addressed pupils’ previous underachievement. Throughout the school, pupils’ work and the school’s assessments indicate a trend of improving achievement over time.
• From their starting points, pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 make strong progress. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 has shown a significant improvement in both writing and mathematics this year.
• School assessment information and the work in pupils’ books indicates that their progress is good across key stage 2, in reading, writing and mathematics. In Year 6, the unvalidated results of the 2018 national tests and assessments indicate a substantial increase in pupils’ attainment, especially in mathematics. The proportion of Year 6 pupils attaining the higher standard has also increased significantly this year.
• The teaching of phonics is a strength. The proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 screening check has increased this year. Pupils use their phonics skills well to read frequently and confidently. They talked enthusiastically about their books, including when reading to an inspector.
• Teachers’ increased focus on providing proper challenge for pupils, according to their abilities, benefits the most able pupils. The school’s information and the work in pupils’ books shows that an increasing number of pupils are now working at greater depth.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress because of the early identification of their needs and the effective support that staff give. Leaders have identified the barriers to learning that pupils face. They have put in place additional measures to ensure that pupils flourish.
• Assessment information and the work in pupils’ books shows that disadvantaged pupils make strong progress.
• Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to improve their knowledge, skills and understanding in a variety of activities that interest and excite them. Pupils’ progress in a range of subjects is good. For example, in science, pupils are developing an ability to answer scientific questions about the world around them. However, pupils’ work in geography does not always develop their key skills as successfully as in other subjects.

Early years provision Good

• The effectiveness of leadership and the quality of teaching in early years are good. Staff know the children and their needs very well. Staff assess children’s progress carefully. They adapt teaching and the curriculum to cater for children’s needs and stages of development. As a result, children make good progress from their starting points.
• Children come into early years with skills and knowledge that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress from these starting points. The proportion of children who gain a good level of development by the end of Reception is increasing over time. It was above the national average in 2017.
• The work in children’s books in the Reception class shows strong evidence of their progress across many areas of learning. For instance, children’s writing skills develop well. Children write with confidence and their letter formation and spelling are increasingly accurate.
• Staff assess children’s learning carefully. Teachers use an online assessment tool to help parents to contribute successfully to their children’s learning. Staff and parents celebrate examples of children’s activities, such as their camping trips at home.
• Staff develop many opportunities to promote children’s language skills. For example, during the inspection, children were talking excitedly with each other in the outdoor restaurant area.
• The safeguarding of children in the early years is effective. Staff are familiar with the procedures for raising concerns about the safety of children and adults. Leaders ensure that staff complete relevant, up-to-date training on safeguarding.
• Children know the school’s routines. They are confident and well-behaved. They are interested, enthusiastic learners. Staff plan and provide an appropriate range of activities across the indoor and outdoor provisions. The outdoor area promotes children’s physical and gross-motor development effectively.
• Parents praise the way that staff help their children to develop in the Nursery and Reception classes. They said that they are well informed about their children’s learning. This effective partnership between home and school, which is linked to individual children’s achievements, supports children’s learning successfully.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112164 Cumbria 10048452 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 214 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mr Alex McCarthy Mrs Emma Sharp 01946 822 392 www.stbeesvillage.cumbria.sch.uk admin@stbeesvillage.cumbria.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 24 January 2018

Information about this school

• St Bees Village Primary School is an average-sized primary school.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average.
• The governing body now manages the on-site pre-school, which caters for Nursery-age children.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations of pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school meets the Department for Education’s definition of a coasting school, based on key stage 2 academic performance results in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with leaders to review the impact of their work to improve teaching and raise standards for pupils. Inspectors considered the school’s current assessment information and conducted an in-depth scrutiny of pupils’ work in order to consider how well pupils learn and achieve over time.
• Inspectors, together with leaders, visited classes in every year group.
• Inspectors scrutinised school documentation related to safeguarding and behaviour. They reviewed safeguarding referrals made to leaders, as well as those that leaders then referred to external agencies.
• Inspectors considered records of risk assessments, pupils’ behaviour and leaders’ checks on the suitability of staff to work in the school. The inspectors also met with leaders to review the impact of their work to safeguard pupils’ welfare and to promote good behaviour and attendance.
• Inspectors held a meeting with members of the governing body. Inspectors also met with a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors met with groups of pupils to discuss their views on the school. They also considered 17 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils. The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, including at playtimes.
• Groups of pupils read to the inspectors. Inspectors also heard pupils read during visits to classrooms and talked with them about their attitudes to reading.
• Inspectors met with staff to ascertain their views on the school. Inspectors also considered 21 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.
• Inspectors gathered the views of parents, including through informal discussions on the playground before the school day started. Inspectors also considered 66 responses from parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.

Inspection team

Simon Hunter, lead inspector Linda Griffiths Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector