Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching so that pupils make faster progress by ensuring that:
  • teachers use information about pupils’ prior learning to provide interesting work that is accurately matched to pupils’ abilities
  • teachers quickly adapt teaching when pupils and groups of pupils are making insufficient progress, particularly boys and those who are disadvantaged
  • staff improve the teaching of phonics to enable pupils to reach higher standards in reading and writing in key stage 1
  • teachers provide more opportunities for pupils, particularly the most able, to gain a deeper understanding of mathematics and to develop problem-solving and reasoning skills.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:
  • strengthening the school’s self-evaluation so that leaders and governors have a more accurate understanding of the quality of teaching, learning and outcomes across the school
  • ensuring that the monitoring of pupils’ progress is timely and used sharply to identify specific targets to enable individual and groups of pupils to make consistently good progress
  • enabling all subject leaders to take greater responsibility for driving improvements and raising levels of achievement across the curriculum to replicate the effective leadership and outcomes in art.
• Ensure that all staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour so that no pupil’s learning is disrupted by the actions of others.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Leadership requires improvement because leaders have not yet ensured that pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics throughout the school. Frequent staff changes and ineffective teaching have led to gaps in pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding by the end of each key stage.
• Although performance reports by the local authority and the school identify accurate priorities for improvement, the overall evaluation of the school is overgenerous. Current plans to improve the school are not sufficiently focused on rapidly improving pupils’ progress, particularly that of disadvantaged pupils and boys. Monitoring of the plans concentrates on what actions have been taken or are planned and not enough on the difference made to improving outcomes for pupils.
• Leaders regularly check the quality of teaching and have introduced a number of strategies to bring about the necessary improvements. However, these have not yet had a significant impact on improving pupils’ outcomes. Pupils’ progress across the school is uneven. Standards are too low in key stage 1, and pupils have not made as much progress as other pupils nationally in writing and mathematics for the past two years in key stage 2.
• Middle leaders are enthusiastic and committed to raising levels of achievement. The leadership of art is highly effective and pupils produce work of a very high standard in this subject. Some leaders, however, have only had responsibility for their subject areas for a short period of time. While they have already made a promising start on developing their subjects, there has been insufficient time for these leaders to take full responsibility for driving improvements and raising levels of achievement across the curriculum. Consequently, senior and middle leaders do not have a secure evaluation of the standard of pupils’ work for all subjects.
• Leaders ensure that there is early identification of pupils who may have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Extra funding for these pupils is used well to enable the school to provide a wide range of external professionals to ensure that these pupils receive the appropriate support. However, their progress is not consistently good because leaders do not routinely identify precise targets to enable individual pupils to demonstrate improvement from their starting points.
• The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to secure good attendance for these pupils and to improve their punctuality to school. There are emerging signs of improved attainment for these pupils in key stage 2. However, leaders have not identified the precise action to be taken to rapidly improve outcomes for the small number of disadvantaged pupils in key stage 1.
• Systems for checking the performance of all staff have been strengthened recently. Objectives are now tightly focused to ensure that teachers have high expectations and are accountable for pupils’ progress. The effect of these changes has yet to secure good progress for all pupils.
• Leaders have implemented a programme of staff training which is supporting teachers to improve their teaching. For example, a recent emphasis on the teaching of mathematics is enabling teachers to grow in confidence and is helping them to teach mathematical reasoning skills more successfully. Even so, this has not yet ensured that pupils achieve well enough in mathematics from their starting points by the end of key stage 2.
• The curriculum provides pupils with a variety of learning experiences across a broad range of subjects. Interesting topics, such as learning a Greek dance and making Russian dolls, engage and motivate pupils. Their learning is also enriched by visits and visitors. For example, Year 3 pupils thoroughly enjoyed the recent visit from a local author who was accompanied by the funny knight from the book they are reading, ‘Sir Trump-a-Lot’.
• The physical education and sport premium is used well to improve pupils’ outcomes in physical education. Various clubs are on offer, including football, dodge ball, dance and table tennis. Clubs are well attended and support pupils’ physical and social development well. Pupils’ success in competitive sport has increased as a result.
• School life, timetabled subjects and a range of extra-curricular activities contribute well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Spiritual development is closely linked to the Christian ethos in the school. Different cultures and faiths are valued. Pupils benefit from visitors of a variety of faiths coming into school to talk to them. These activities contribute to the promotion of British values, as does the opportunity to learn about democracy by voting for the school council.
• Leaders have established a clear set of school values to recognise and reward some of the key behaviour and learning attributes they strive to develop among pupils. While the majority of pupils subscribe to these values, there are pupils in some classes who demonstrate less productive attitudes to learning. A significant minority of parents and pupils express concerns over aspects of behaviour in lessons.
• The headteacher is determined to bring about the necessary improvements to the school. All stakeholders have confidence in her ability to do so. She is aware of the need to evaluate all aspects of the school’s work more precisely.

Governance of the school

• Governors challenge the impact of the school’s use of the pupil premium on the progress of disadvantaged pupils and they discuss school achievement information generally. However, governors do not always challenge leaders rigorously enough to secure accuracy in their evaluation of the school’s strengths and priorities for further improvement. Governors’ plans do not focus sharply enough on improving progress for disadvantaged pupils and boys and monitoring how well these pupils are catching up with their peers.
• The governing body is committed to the school and shares the headteacher’s passion for pupils’ success. Governors understand their role and responsibilities and check relevant aspects of school procedures, such as safeguarding and the safer recruitment of staff.
• There is a range of experience and expertise among members of the governing body. Each governor is linked to a key aspect of the school’s work, ensuring that each member is deployed appropriately. They visit the school often to check that pupils are safe and well looked after.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that a strong culture of safeguarding is at the centre of the school’s work. Systems and processes for pre-employment checks and appointing staff are fit for purpose. Training and induction for staff are similarly effective. As a consequence, staff know what to do to keep pupils safe and how to use agreed processes to report, record or escalate any concerns.
• Leaders work effectively with a range of external agencies and professional services to keep pupils safe. Leaders are tenacious and respond in a timely manner to act on behalf of pupils and keep them safe, for example in working with social services and family support groups.
• Staff work effectively with pupils who have a range of complex social, emotional and health needs. For example, specialist teaching assistants are well trained to support pupils who have particular emotional conditions affecting learning and behaviour. On those few occasions when a pupil’s behaviour escalates and becomes anti-social, school leaders have effective systems to share information with those who need it, and follow-up calls with parents are made. This is helping to improve the behaviour of pupils, especially those who have particularly complex or additional needs.
• Pupils say that they feel safe. They enjoy coming to school and have confidence in the staff to look after them. Pupils say that they trust staff and know what to do to stay safe, including when working online.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is not consistently good throughout the school. Frequent changes in staffing have led to pupils in some classes having a number of teachers over a short period of time. This, combined with previous ineffective teaching, has led to too many pupils making less progress than they should.
• Current leaders’ actions are ensuring that teaching is improving, particularly in upper key stage 2. Teachers in these classes are skilled in identifying where gaps in learning exist and provide effective support to enable targeted pupils to catch up quickly.
• There is still variability in the quality of learning within and between classes and across subjects. Some teachers do not use assessment information effectively to plan work and activities which are suitably matched to pupils’ different needs. As a result, pupils are provided with work which is not at an appropriate level of difficulty, and pupils sometimes do not know how to approach their work and they can become distracted or inattentive. This slows their progress further.
• The teaching of phonics is currently effective in the early years but not in key stage 1. Leaders have introduced a well-designed programme to secure consistency in the quality of teaching. However, it is too early to judge the effectiveness of this work, as some pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 still struggle to apply their phonic knowledge when reading and writing.
• Although arrangements are made to help all teachers to identify different pupils’ needs, including boys, the disadvantaged and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, some teachers do not plan for this effectively, which limits the quality of pupils’ learning.
• The teaching of writing is inconsistent across classes and key stages. During an extensive scrutiny of pupils’ writing, leaders agreed with inspectors that, with the exception of upper key stage 2, pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to develop their writing skills in sufficient depth. Targets for younger pupils are not always precise enough to enable them to make more rapid progress, and gaps remain in their understanding and accurate use of spelling and grammar.
• The teaching of mathematics is beginning to improve because of the effective training provided for staff. More pupils are now being guided to tackle interesting mathematical problems and use their knowledge of numbers to solve them. Although increasing, teachers do not provide pupils of all abilities with enough opportunities to use their knowledge in solving problems or challenge them to complete higher-order calculations. Prior to Year 5, the most able pupils are not generally given timely opportunities to deepen their understanding of mathematics and develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills.
• The teaching of reading is improving rapidly in key stage 2, and more pupils are able to read with confidence. The higher-order skills such as inference and the use of complex vocabulary are taught very effectively to older pupils. For example, Year 6 pupils were highly motivated when identifying and recording the consequences of a character’s actions. Their responses demonstrated high-level literacy skills and mature consideration of the physical and emotional impact of the character’s choice to steal or not. Pupils used phases such as ‘a short-term adrenalin rush’ and ‘the negative impact on his conscience’. Consequently, a higher-than-average proportion of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, reach the higher standard in reading.
• Classrooms and corridors are brightly decorated with interesting displays of pupils’ work and helpful guidance for learning. These resources and examples of good work encourage pupils and show them what they can achieve.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are polite and confident. They were happy to talk to inspectors about their work and learning. Pupils in key stage 2 and representatives of the school council spoke enthusiastically about the work that they were most proud of and highlighted those aspects of the school which they love the most.
• Overall attendance has been above the national average since the last inspection. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils improved in 2017 compared to the previous year. School leaders work tirelessly to support pupils who do not attend school as often as they should. They seek advice and support from external professionals and use innovative strategies to support families to improve their child’s attendance.
• Pupils’ personal development is enhanced by the roles and responsibilities the school offers them, such as play leaders, reading mentors, digital leaders and British values champions. They also spoke very positively about the clubs the school provides, such as the school radio, choir, dance, French, music and homework clubs. A large group of pupils across all year groups were busy rehearsing for a forthcoming production.
• The school has a strong ethos of respect, and pupils have a clear understanding of the British values relating to democracy and the understanding of different faiths and religions. A pupil in Year 6 told an inspector: ‘We learn about different lifestyles and types of families and we respect people’s choices because that is one of our school values.’
• Staff are well trained to support pupils through a variety of confidential personal and emotional issues. Pupils trust staff and have a good relationship with them to provide effective support and intervention. This provides a much-needed service for some pupils and their families.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• The majority of pupils are productive learners who apply themselves positively and work well with their peers. They subscribe fully to the positive learning behaviour promoted by the school’s values. However, this varies across classes, and strategies to address inappropriate behaviour are not consistently implemented. As leaders make their expectations clear, teachers are now beginning to expect more from pupils.
• In some classes, particularly in upper key stage 2, pupils work hard and are diligent, engaged and well behaved. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons deteriorates when their learning needs are not met or the content of lessons does not hold their interest well enough. This interferes with the quality of pupils’ work and slows the progress pupils make in some lessons. A small number of pupils and parents feel that learning is sometimes undermined by low-level disruption from a few pupils.
• The school is a calm, purposeful environment. Pupils generally conduct themselves well at different times of the school day. Pupils are polite and respectful to adults and visitors. Pupils say that there is little bullying, and if this does happen staff respond effectively. Processes and systems are in place to provide support and intervention for any pupil who is being bullied or bullying another.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils do not make enough progress in writing and mathematics by the time they leave the school. Throughout the school, boys make less progress than girls in reading and writing; they also reach lower standards in mathematics by the end of key stage 2.
• The progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils are variable across classes. Published data shows that the progress that disadvantaged pupils make in reading and mathematics remains below the national average by the end of key stage 2.
• Outcomes for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are similarly varied. Some pupils are making good progress as a result of the good support that they receive. Other pupils’ progress is much weaker because their needs are not met as well.
• Published assessment information shows stronger outcomes in key stage 2 than key stage 1. In 2017, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard at the end of key stage 1 was below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The teaching of phonics is not yet effective. Over the last three years, results of the Year 1 phonics screening check have continued to decline. In 2017, results were below the national average for all groups of pupils, particularly for boys and disadvantaged pupils.
• A high proportion of pupils in lower key stage 2 are benefiting from regular intervention and additional online support which are helping to rapidly improve their basic skills in English and mathematics.
• Recently, leaders have ensured that staff focus more closely on outcomes for all groups of pupils. Disadvantaged pupils, boys and the most able pupils are making better progress in some year groups than in the past, but this is still not the case in all classes. Inspection evidence shows that pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 are now making more rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

Early years provision Good

• Children settle quickly into Reception because there are good links with local nursery providers. Children’s skills are typical when they start in the Reception Year. They sustain their concentration well and are interested in the activities that are planned for them. As a result, children make good progress in Reception and are well prepared for learning in Year 1.
• A good range of indoor activities are planned to meet pupils’ needs and interests. There are plentiful opportunities for pupils to engage in construction, painting and many other activities. The indoor classroom is bright, colourful and reflects the interesting activities children do.
• Teaching is effective. Adults are especially skilled in the teaching of early reading. Children enjoy learning to read and use sounds and letters to write simple words and sentences accurately. Adults have high expectations of the children and support them well to produce work of a high standard. Overall, the use of questioning is effective and encourages children to develop accurate speaking skills. However, there are times when questions require a limited response and do not allow children to develop their speaking skills quickly enough.
• For the past three years, the proportion of children attaining the required good level of development by the end of Reception has continued to improve and in 2017 it was above the national average. An increasing proportion of children exceed the expected standard in the early learning goals; however, this remains below that seen nationally.
• Leaders are aware that disadvantaged children do not reach the same level in their work as other children and are providing additional opportunities for this group of children to further develop their skills; as a result, this small group of children are making better progress than in previous years.
• There is a very spacious outdoor area with many interesting activities. This gives children good opportunities to develop their imagination and fine motor skills while learning together. For example, children were excitedly searching for signs of spring below a heavy blanket of snow.
• Children socialise well together and treat each other with respect. There are good opportunities for children to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. Children are keen to learn and make a good contribution to their own learning. Their personal development, behaviour and welfare are good.
• Parents spoken to are very positive about the care and education their children are receiving. Leaders make sure that children’s learning is recorded accurately. However, the current system is cumbersome, and it is not easy for parents to clearly see the progress their child is making and where they might contribute to their learning.
• Safeguarding practices in early years are effective. There are no breaches of statutory welfare requirements.

School details

Unique reference number 117971 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 10042216 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 Voluntary controlled 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 371 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Tim Walker Rachel Hatter 01482 869947 www.beverleyminsterprimary.co.uk beverleyminster.head.primary@eastriding.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 4–5 February 2014

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. There are two classes in each year group.
• A large majority of pupils come from a White British background.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above that seen nationally. An average proportion of these pupils have an education, health and care plan.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors undertook a series of short, focused visits to classrooms and longer lesson observations in each class. A number of these were conducted jointly with senior leaders.
• Formal and informal discussions took place with senior leaders, including governors, subject leaders, pupils, parents and a representative from the local authority.
• Documentation relating to the school’s website and safeguarding, including the record of recruitment checks, was scrutinised.
• The school’s self-evaluation, plans for improvement and analysis of current pupils’ attainment and progress were evaluated.
• Inspectors, together with senior and middle leaders, scrutinised pupils’ work in different subjects.
• Inspectors listened to several pupils read individually.
• Pupils’ behaviour was observed by inspectors in lessons and during break and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors considered the 31 parents’ responses to Ofsted’s free-text service and the 84 parental responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day and considered the school’s own surveys of parents’ views. Inspectors also took account of the responses to questionnaires from 28 members of staff and 15 pupils.

Inspection team

Cathy Morgan, lead inspector Gillian Wiles Andy Taylor Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector