South Cave 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 and learning, especially at key stage 2, so that all pupils make good progress, particularly in reading and writing, by:
  • raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can and should achieve
  • using assessment information to greater effect to ensure that learning activities are sufficiently challenging to match pupils’ needs
  • supporting less confident learners to challenge themselves when selecting the tasks they undertake and moving them on swiftly when they are ready to do so
  • providing pupils with more opportunities to read aloud and thus improve their fluency and accuracy and make better sense of their reading
  • increasing opportunities for pupils to write more fluently and at greater length in English and across the curriculum
  • making sure that pupils check for careless spelling, grammar and punctuation errors before submitting their work and take greater responsibility for their work and always try their best.
• Continue to develop the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • development plans pinpoint the urgent actions needed to raise standards in reading and writing
  • leaders’ monitoring of teachers’ planning and its effectiveness ensures that all pupils are challenged and make the progress they can and should teaching is consistently good throughout the school teachers are supported to improve their skills and practice teachers are held to account for the progress pupils make in every subject across the curriculum.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders have worked hard to make improvements in the school that benefit all pupils. They are striving to engender a culture of high expectations among all staff and pupils. Leaders, including governors, ensure that staff have the training and support they need to improve their skills and practice. While the school’s overall effectiveness still requires improvement, leadership and management are good because many aspects of the school’s work are improving effectively.
• Children in the early years make good progress. The picture is equally positive at the end of key stage 1. Outcomes in the key stage 1 tests and assessments in 2018 were above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Improvement at key stage 2 was less certain. However, the strategies to improve provision here have had a positive impact, particularly in mathematics. In this subject an increasing number of pupils are working at greater depth in all classes.
• The school is an engaging, lively environment where pupils feel safe and valued. Pupils trust staff to look after them as they grow and thrive, both in their academic and personal development.
• Most parents speak highly of the school and all it does for their children. Pupils’ high attendance shows that parents and pupils value education here. A small minority of parents felt that their children were not challenged enough in their learning.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND make good progress from their starting points. The additional funding to support these pupils is used effectively to employ additional teachers and teaching assistants, who provide targeted support for vulnerable pupils. Their outcomes compare favourably to national averages.
• The school uses its sport premium funding effectively to increase pupils’ participation in sporting competitions. It also provides additional activities that pupils undertake on a regular basis to promote their health and well-being. Sports clubs and outdoor pursuits are highly popular among pupils of all ages.
• Senior leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They ensure that staff benefit from well-targeted professional development to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Leaders seek effective support from the local authority and partner schools. They use this support to challenge and inform their work. This helps to ensure that school improvement is now consistently strong and sustainable.
• Improving pupils’ outcomes is a high priority. Leaders now hold teachers to account for pupils’ outcomes and question the progress of individual pupils regularly. This ensures that any pupil at risk of falling behind is identified quickly and action is taken. While this is paying great dividends for pupils in key stage 1, it has not yet had a consistently positive effect on pupils’ progress in key stage 2.
• The curriculum is broad and motivates pupils to learn well, particularly in the early years and key stage 1. Throughout the school, leaders have made modifications to what pupils study to encourage a greater enthusiasm for reading and writing, particularly among the boys. Extra-curricular clubs offer pupils further experiences in sports and music. These clubs encourage pupils to develop a range of skills as well as their personal interests.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils have a good understanding of British values as they prepare for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about mental and physical well-being, healthy eating, exercise, being considerate of one another and the whole-school ethos of high aspiration. They develop a mature understanding of their roles as young citizens as they progress through the school.
• Leaders have an increasingly accurate view of the school’s performance and this helps them to identify areas that need to improve. However, the school’s plans are not always precise enough in identifying the actions needed to assure improvement in all areas. For example, the actions taken to improve mathematics were specific and have been very effective in helping to raise standards rapidly, whereas actions to improve reading and writing have not yet had the same impact.

Governance of the school

• There have been considerable improvements in governance since the previous inspection, which have strengthened the capacity of leadership at the school. Governors now have the skills to hold leaders to account for continued school improvement and know that to raise standards further teaching needs to be consistently good in all subjects and phases.
• Governors’ understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement is good. They are frequent visitors to the school, reviewing teaching and learning and checking that school improvements are having the impact they should. Governors know where the quality of teaching is strong and where it needs improvement. The headteacher provides detailed reports regarding the school’s performance. Governors use this information and their own direct knowledge of the school to ask appropriate, and often very challenging, questions of the headteacher and her senior leaders. They monitor and challenge pupil performance data effectively.
• Leaders and governors regularly seek external views about the school’s performance. They work with representatives from the local authority and partner schools to evaluate the quality of their work and its impact on raising pupils’ outcomes at the school.
• Governors monitor finances closely to inform development planning. They evaluate the impact of additional funding, including the pupil premium and sport premium allocations. They ensure that these pupils receive high-quality and effective support to enable them to make good progress in their academic and personal development.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a strong culture of keeping pupils safe in school and beyond. Safeguarding arrangements meet current statutory requirements and all staff understand their responsibilities and exercise their duty of care well. Pupils are safe at school. They understand the school’s rules and know how they help to minimise any potential risks. They learn about how to stay safe and know the dangers posed by the internet and social media sites if they are used unwisely.
• All staff and governors are up to date with their safeguarding training and understand the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child. Staff follow up pupil absences promptly if parents have not notified the school in advance.
• The school works closely with other agencies to safeguard pupils’ well-being. There is always a sharp focus on child protection. Staff are particularly diligent in cases where vulnerable pupils and their families face challenging circumstances in their lives.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teachers do not always give pupils enough time or opportunities to practise the skills they learn, especially in English, to achieve all that they should in some key stage 2 classes. Teachers introduce basic literacy skills systematically, but pupils’ progress slows in these classes because they do not complete enough work to securely embed knowledge and achieve well.
• Pupils behave well and are eager to learn. Where teaching does not challenge them sufficiently, some do not engage as well as they should. The most able pupils said that sometimes the work is too easy. This is particularly the case when all pupils start with the same tasks before some move on to harder work. A few Year 5 and 6 pupils said that sometimes they do the same work repeatedly while waiting for less confident learners to catch up.
• The teaching of writing requires improvement. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and apply the skills they learn for sustained periods in English and in other subjects. A strategy to improve pupils’ writing and raise standards has been introduced recently, but this has not yet had enough time to have a positive effect on pupils’ progress.
• Leaders and teachers make accurate assessments about pupils’ progress. However, not all teachers use this information well enough to ensure that all pupils make the progress that they should. Also, while teachers teach the basic skills of grammar, punctuation and spelling well over time, pupils do not apply these skills carefully and consistently in all their writing. Careless errors can go unchecked. This results in some pupils making the same mistakes repeatedly. This detracts from the overall quality of their work and slows progress in all subjects.
• Leaders are working hard to raise standards in reading at key stage 2. There are now more opportunities for pupils to read regularly to extend their comprehension skills and vocabulary. Teachers explore texts with pupils well. However, key stage 2 pupils have not benefited from the systematic development of phonics and early reading skills that are now in place across the school. Pupils’ fluency and accuracy sometimes falter because they do not read aloud enough to identify their errors. For example, some read with little or no expression and others fail to use punctuation to make better sense of texts when reading aloud.
• Some teachers are very skilled in probing and evaluating pupils’ progress through effective questioning that informs teachers of how well pupils are learning. However, practice is inconsistent, resulting in uneven progress. This is particularly the case in key stage 2, where teachers’ expectations are sometimes not high enough to ensure good progress for all.
• Teachers plan suitably challenging work for the most able pupils, but they do not always move them on to these tasks quickly enough. Although improvements in teaching are enabling more of these pupils to work at greater depth in their learning in reading, writing and mathematics, there remains a need for greater consistency in all classes.
• Teachers and teaching assistants support pupils well and encourage them to ask for help, if appropriate. Occasionally, less confident learners, particularly middle attaining pupils, shy away from harder work if not supported sufficiently. Leaders are quick to identify if pupils are at risk of falling behind and organise effective support to help them catch up.
• The teaching of mathematics is good and improving rapidly. This is because strategies to teach reasoning and problem-solving skills are effective. Pupils say that they enjoy the competitive challenges teachers introduce through mental tests and investigations.
• Teachers create a positive climate for learning in most classes. Their expectations of pupils’ behaviour are high. Most pupils respond well to all that is asked of them and work with others sensibly. Pupils trust all staff and know that teachers are there to help them. However, a few pupils select easier options if not encouraged to try higher challenges.
• Teaching assistants use their skills and expertise well to tailor support for those with SEND. They are sensitive to the needs of individual pupils and work hard to help them in their behaviour and learning. Similarly, disadvantaged pupils make good progress because they are monitored and supported effectively.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Staff know the pupils well and work hard to meet individual needs throughout the school.
• Relationships between staff and pupils and among pupils are very good. Pupils value these friendships and thrive in the school’s caring environment. They know help is at hand if they are worried or upset. Staff show high regard for pupils’ welfare and pupils follow their good example in the kindness and care they show to each other.
• Pupils have ample opportunities to develop responsibilities as playground mediators and school councillors. They take these roles very seriously to resolve altercations and influence school improvement. Leaders know the complex challenges some pupils face in their lives and support these pupils and their families sensitively. One parent said, ‘The school looks after children well. They have the best interests of children at heart.’
• Pupils show a good understanding of different forms of bullying, including the need for e-safety when online. They say that bullying in school is rare. They know not to post photographs or personal information on the internet as this may be dangerous. They also know that name-calling, or any form of discrimination, is wrong and that teachers will deal with any such incidents promptly. As one pupil explained, ‘Bullying is so unkind. No one should bully you. If it happens you must tell teachers or parents straightaway.’
• Pupils know that they are growing up in a world where there are many faiths, cultures and traditions and that they should respect other people’s beliefs and values. As one pupil explained wisely, ‘Everyone is different, but we are all equal; that’s what I think!’

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils’ attendance is above the national average because pupils want to be at school and want to learn. Older pupils explained that missing school was not a good idea if you wanted to get into ‘top sets’ at secondary school and then go on to university.
• Pupils’ conduct in lessons and around school is good. It has improved considerably since the previous inspection. Pupils want to be good as they know this is the way to behave. Most try hard in lessons, even when teaching does not hold their attention fully. They say that behaviour in school has improved since last year and explained that ‘It is zero tolerance here. If you mess about, you stop people from working and that is unfair.’
• During the inspection, pupils were seen to be playing amicably and safely outside. Older pupils explained that they no longer play ‘Tig’, as the younger ones ‘can’t get out of the way quickly and that could be dangerous’. Pupils who are playground mediators make sure everyone has someone to play with and report any incidents promptly. Pupils show a very mature, caring attitude towards any pupils who might feel left out or upset.
• Equally, in the dining hall, pupils enjoy each other’s company, behave sensibly, chat happily and clear up when they have finished. They show due respect to lunchtime staff and willingly help younger ones struggling with trays and cutlery.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• In 2018, not all Year 6 pupils made the progress they should have in reading, writing and mathematics from their end of key stage 1 starting points. A small number made slower than expected progress due to lack of challenge. Considerable changes in staffing in that year did not help pupils achieve all that they should have.
• Middle-attaining pupils, particularly, did not achieve as well as expected because they were not challenged sufficiently in their learning. Also, a few less confident learners did not make up lost ground from previous years in key stage 2, where teaching had been too variable.
• The results of the Year 6 tests and assessments in 2018 were not as good as expected in reading and writing. The school’s strategies to raise standards here had not been in place long enough to have had full impact. In mathematics, while a few pupils did not make the expected progress, outcomes were better than in 2017. This is because the teaching of pupils’ mental mathematics and reasoning skills was effective in improving their mental agility and fluency.
• Basic literacy skills are promoted effectively from the early years and pupils gain a good grounding in the skills they need to progress well. A few pupils lack confidence in their ability and so find writing a challenge. Some older pupils, particularly, make too many careless errors in their written work to achieve as well as they should. Opportunities to write at length in English and other subjects are under-developed.
• In the Year 2 national assessments in 2018, pupils made good progress and standards rose to above national expectations. An increased number achieved at greater depth than in the previous year in all subjects. The picture is equally positive for current key stage 1 pupils because teaching is consistently strong here.
• The school’s current achievement information and work in pupils’ workbooks, for key stage 2 pupils, shows an improving picture. Pupils are making better progress this year. However, progress is still uneven, particularly in reading and writing. Some Year 5 and 6 pupils have had several temporary teachers over time and this has slowed their progress.
• Throughout the school, an increasing number of pupils are working at greater depth. This is an improving picture since the previous inspection. The level of challenge could be raised further for all pupils, but especially for less-confident middle-attainers.

• The teaching of phonics is good. Outcomes are consistently above average at the end of Years 1 and 2. Pupils develop their early reading skills effectively. Pupils use their knowledge of phonics to decode unknown words and read them correctly. The most able pupils read fluently, with expression and enjoyment, but less confident readers are sometimes hesitant when they do not understand unfamiliar vocabulary or phrases.

• Pupils enjoy exploring texts with teachers. The focus on pupils’ comprehension and vocabulary is proving effective. Pupils understand what makes a story exciting. Most read at home and school regularly. Most have favourite authors they enjoy, and they can explain why these are their favourites.

• Outcomes in mathematics are improving strongly because basic numeracy skills are embedded well. For example, pupils understand the relationship between multiplication and division and know how to check their answers by applying the inverse calculation. Pupils understand why mathematics is important in their everyday lives, for example in handling money or measuring.
• Disadvantaged pupils progress well. Staff assess these pupils’ individual needs and provide effective support. The differences between their performance and that of other pupils in the school have closed. This is an improvement since the previous inspection.
• Pupils with SEND are supported well. Staff plan for these pupils’ needs sensitively and accurately, enabling them to make good progress.

Early years provision Good

• Children start in early years with skills and experiences that are typical for their age. There is some variation from year to year, especially in children’s communication skills and their personal development. Staff assess children’s progress accurately and support individuals well. Through consistently good teaching, an above-average number attain a good level of development at the end of early years and are well prepared for Year 1.
• Leadership of the early years is strong. Staff modify the activities individual children undertake to make the best progress possible. They know, for example, that boys sometimes shy away from reading and writing when given the choice, because physical activities and outdoor play are more enticing. Gentle guidance and persuasion from staff ensure that all children cover the ground they should to achieve well.
• Strong teamwork among staff supports the planning to meet the needs of every child. Links with parents are very positive to support their children’s learning at home. Staff act promptly if concerns arise regarding any child’s development or well-being.
• The strong emphasis on teaching phonics helps children to develop their early literacy skills confidently. They love listening to stories and re-enact them with precision to extend their speaking and communication skills. Children engage in imaginative play, inside and outside, to enact stories they learn. They select roles and characters to show a good understanding of text.
• Provision in the early years, both inside and outside the classroom, is well planned to engage children. Counting games and singing rhymes make numbers fun. One child eagerly explained that, ‘You can have really big numbers if you keep counting forever. Even grown-ups don’t know all the numbers in the world.’
• Children investigate the natural world around them, for example to make sense of seasons and life cycles. As one explained, ‘The daffodils have been asleep but are growing again because it will be spring soon. Everything grows when it gets warmer.’
• Children are safe and happy at school and enjoy being there. They behave well and adopt school routines quickly, responding appropriately to instructions and guidance. They learn to become confident, independent young learners because teachers’ expectations of them are high. Children play sensibly and safely with others, sharing toys and equipment generously as they learn to socialise.
• Parents know children are safe and well cared for at school. They value the support the school provides to children and their families. Special events and various social occasions add further enrichment to children’s experiences to extend their learning.

School details

Unique reference number 118003 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 10048196 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 Number of pupils on the school roll Voluntary controlled 4 to 11 Mixed 276 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Alison Thornham Julie Newby 01430 422526 http://www.southcaveprimary.co.uk southcave.primary@eastriding.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 18–19 May 2016

Information about this school

• South Cave Church of England Primary School is a school with a religious designation. The school was judged to be good at its last section 48 inspection. This inspection took place in November 2015.
• The school is a larger than average-sized primary school
• Children attend full-time in the Reception class.
• The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is lower than average.
• Almost all pupils are from a White British background.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is lower than the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning across the school, with senior leaders joining them on several occasions. They also looked at pupils’ work in books, records of children’s learning in the early years and other information about pupils’ attainment and progress with senior leaders.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read and held discussions with two groups of pupils. They also talked informally with pupils around the school.
• Inspectors met a group of five governors, including the chair of the governing body. They also had discussions with staff in the school, including the leader responsible for the provision for pupils with SEND, the leader for the early years and the leaders for English and mathematics.
• Inspectors met with a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors examined a range of documents. These included information about pupils’ attainment and progress, the school’s reviews of its own performance and records of monitoring visits by other providers. They also examined safeguarding documentation and various records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour.
• Inspectors considered the 101 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and talked informally with parents at the start of the school day. They also took into consideration the 104 comments submitted to Ofsted by parents. Inspectors also took into consideration the 30 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the 38 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire as well as talking with staff and pupils.

Inspection team

Rajinder Harrison, lead inspector Linda Collier Lesley Allwood

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector