St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Beverley Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve the quality of teaching so that pupils make rapid progress, by:
  • ensuring that strategies to improve standards in mathematics are firmly embedded so pupils in key stage 2 make accelerated progress and reach the standards of which they are capable, especially for those pupils who are most able
  • planning reading activities in key stage 1 that better engage those pupils who are attaining below the standard expected for their age to enable them to make the best possible progress
  • ensuring that younger pupils in the school form their letters and numbers correctly.
• Continue to strengthen the effectiveness of leadership and management, by:
  • ensuring that plans to reduce the differences in progress and attainment between disadvantaged pupils in key stage 2 and other pupils nationally are effective.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The acting headteacher provides strong leadership, and together with her senior leaders, has united and inspired staff in the drive to improve outcomes for their pupils. The result is a rapidly improving school, where learning can flourish and relationships are positive.
• The acting headteacher is ambitious and relentless in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Along with other leaders she has created a culture of high expectations for pupils and staff. As a result, pupils are rapidly developing into self-assured and confident learners.
• Leaders have implemented effective initiatives in a short amount of time and have provided good-quality professional development opportunities for staff. Mathematics in particular has been a specific focus, and the school is working closely with a teaching school alliance to develop teaching and learning in this subject.
• Leaders evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the school accurately. Their plans for improvement are challenging and focused on priorities that are based on an accurate assessment of the school’s performance.
• Following a period of re-adjustment, senior leaders are developing into an effective team. They show a strong sense of shared responsibility and are ambitious for pupils in the school.
• The school’s values, such as respect and friendship, are firmly integrated into the Christian ethos of the school. These values underpin everyday life at St Mary’s. Pupils learn about other religions and cultures through a well-planned and rich curriculum. As a result, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very effectively and the school is preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• The school provides well for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. The special needs leader has a good understanding of pupils’ needs and tracks the provision effectively. This contributes towards current pupils making strong progress.
• The primary school physical education and sport funding is used effectively. The school offers many after-school sports clubs, and pupils benefit from the expertise of specialist sports coaches, for example football.
• Leaders are now targeting the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils more effectively and evidence is showing that the progress these pupils are currently making is improving. However, the impact that this is having on reducing differences in progress and attainment between disadvantaged pupils in key stage 2 and other pupils nationally is, as yet, uncertain.

Governance of the school

• The governing body is made up of a committed and experienced group of individuals. They have a secure grasp of the school’s performance and a clear understanding of what the school does well and which areas need strengthening. They provide leaders with effective support and challenge to fulfil the aims and ambitions for pupils.
• Governors are passionate about promoting high-quality learning and achievement. They work closely with school leaders to ensure that the strong school values are firmly embedded and that pupils are supported to be the best they can be.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that staff training in safeguarding is up to date. Staff are secure in their knowledge of safeguarding procedures and know how to report their concerns. They know what to look out for to ensure that pupils are kept safe.
• Leaders work closely with other professionals and parents to ensure that pupils are safe and secure. Record-keeping is robust and fit for purpose and required pre-employment checks are made. Leaders follow up safeguarding concerns diligently with external agencies to ensure that children and families are well supported.
• Parents and pupils say that the school is safe and a happy place. Pupils have a very good understanding of how to keep themselves safe when using a computer, which is regularly reviewed through the pupils’ online safety committee.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders are uncompromising in their drive to improve the quality of teaching. Leaders’ checks on teaching are thorough and they provide effective support to teachers to help them improve their practice. As a result, teaching, learning and assessment are now consistently good.
• Good relationships between teachers and pupils are evident across the school. This results in mostly high levels of engagement, a shared purpose and a belief that everyone can achieve.
• Teachers establish clear routines during lessons that enable pupils to learn in a happy and caring environment. Teachers and teaching assistants know their pupils well and provide them with the resources they need for effective learning.
• Teachers use the rich curriculum to provide opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in different subjects, which is contributing to the good progress that pupils make. For example, in a history lesson, pupils in Year 4 used the skills they had learned in English to write about differences between Anglo-Saxon children and children today.
• Pupils’ homework diaries show that pupils complete the work regularly set by teachers. Pupils also record in their diaries what they have learned in school and what activities they have particularly enjoyed. For example, one pupil wrote how they enjoyed learning the French names for different planets.
• The teaching of mathematics is rapidly improving because of good professional development and close collaboration with a teaching school alliance. This is having a noticeable impact on standards, which are improving. However, leaders recognise that recent strategies to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics are not sufficiently embedded to ensure pupils’ continued good progress, especially for those pupils who are most-able. Work in books shows that sometimes most-able pupils are not moving on to more challenging work when they are ready.
• The teaching of phonics is strong and as a result the proportion of pupils reaching the required standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has been consistently above average over time. However, in a minority of classes in key stage 1, pupils who are currently achieving below the expected standard for their age do not engage fully in reading activities. Consequently these pupils are not making the progress of which they are capable.
• Some younger pupils in the early years and in key stage 1 regularly form their letters and numbers incorrectly. These errors are not consistently addressed by adults, which in turn slows the progress that these pupils make.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• During lessons, especially in key stage 2, pupils show resilience and a determination to succeed. School values, for example perseverance, are clearly displayed by pupils in these lessons.
• Pupils are confident and self-assured. They carry out roles of special responsibility in school and provide an effective ‘voice’ for pupils who elected them to their positions. These roles include the school council, a pupil committee for sports and after-school clubs, and an eco-friendly group. Pupils from the worship committee regularly lead collective worship in the school.
• Leaders have created a nurturing culture which is firmly built on the values of the school. The values of respect, friendliness, trust, perseverance, wisdom and hope are firmly embedded and reinforced throughout the school. They form the basis for the positive relationships that exist between pupils and between pupils and staff.
• The school offers a range of opportunities for pupils to participate in a number of after-school sports clubs, such as judo, gymnastics and football. These clubs are well attended and are contributing positively to pupils’ active lifestyles.
• The breakfast club provides a meal each morning for any pupil who wishes to attend Pupils who attend the breakfast club are encouraged to participate in a range of sporting activities, and several pupils have an opportunity to read to an adult.
• Pupils have very good opportunities to learn about different religions and cultures. They visit places of worship, for example churches, synagogues and mosques, and through their topic work develop an understanding of other countries such as Mexico.
• Pupils feel entirely safe at school and trust adults who work with them. They know that they can seek help if they need to. Pupils also have the opportunity to sit in the calmness of the reflection area if they are particularly anxious or upset. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that when it does happen it is addressed swiftly by adults.
• The vast majority of parents are very happy with how the school ensures that their children are cared for at the school. One parent spoke about the ethos and values of the school and how ‘the school still values the whole child as well as the importance of academic achievement’.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• In keeping with the school’s value of respect, pupils show politeness and courtesy to adults and each other.
• The attendance of all groups of pupils has been consistently above average over time; persistent absence has been consistently below average.
• Most pupils conduct themselves well around the school, on the playgrounds and in the dining hall. Pupils are exceptionally well behaved and attentive in assemblies. Just occasionally some younger pupils become a little too lively when they are not supervised.
• Pupils mostly show excellent behaviour in lessons, which contributes strongly to their learning. Just in a small minority of classes, some of the youngest pupils in the school do not sustain their attention and become less engaged in what they are doing.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The school’s most recent published outcomes for the end of key stage 2 were weak and show a decline on the previous year, especially for reading and mathematics. However, over the past year, pupils’ progress has accelerated rapidly. Current pupils are making good progress and attaining well in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, pupils currently in Year 6 are well prepared for their next stage of education.
• Attainment for pupils in Year 2 and the progress they make by the end of key stage 1 have been mostly above average in reading, writing and mathematics since the last inspection. However, progress is less strong for those pupils who have low starting points in reading.
• Over time, disadvantaged pupils in key stage 1 have achieved as well as other pupils. However, this has not been the case in key stage 2; the progress of disadvantaged pupils in key stage 2 has been considerably less than that of other pupils nationally. Leaders have taken decisive action to address this, and as a result disadvantaged pupils currently in the school are making stronger progress.
• Leaders responded promptly and with determination to the dip in outcomes in mathematics for pupils in key stage 2. Work in pupils’ books indicates that progress in mathematics is rapidly improving. However, some of the most able pupils are still not reaching the standards of which they are capable in this subject.
• The school’s assessment information, and work in pupils’ books, show that most-able pupils are making good progress in reading and writing. They write fluently, showing increasing sophistication in their use of vocabulary. In their reading, most-able pupils show enthusiasm and a good understanding of what they have read.
• Progress for current pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is good. This is because leaders ensure that these pupils receive focused and pertinent support.

Early years provision Good

• Children are making good progress from their starting points because of consistently effective teaching. By the end of Reception, the proportion of children attaining a good level of development is typically similar to or above the proportion nationally. Children are well prepared for learning when they start in Year 1.
• Leadership in the early years is good. The leader has a clear vision and an accurate view of strengths and areas for improvement. She has built an effective team of staff who have benefited from regular opportunities for their professional development.
• Children enjoy learning outside. The countryside area is well used and provides opportunities for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example children enjoy investigating mini-beasts and have built a ‘bug hotel’ outside.
• Assessments of children’s progress are regular and accurate. Staff work very effectively with other settings to check that their judgements are correct, and to share best practice and improve what they provide for children in early years.
• Teaching is good and support assistants work well with teachers to provide purposeful learning experiences through a rich and engaging curriculum. Learning is well planned and there is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities.
• Children behave well and are polite and respectful to each other and adults. They maintain positive learning attitudes and enjoy their time in school.
• Safeguarding is effective and all health and safety aspects are given a high priority. Statutory welfare requirements are met fully.
• Engagement with parents is a strength and parents have every confidence in the school. The school has an effective induction programme in place, which parents appreciate, and arrangements enable parents to contribute well to their child’s experience throughout the early years.
• There are too few disadvantaged children in the early years to make any meaningful comparisons in achievement.

School details

Unique reference number 118030 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 10047400 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 400 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Jean Kapur Laura Wallis (acting headteacher) Telephone number 01482 868149 Website Email address www.stmaryscofe-beverley.co.uk stmarysbeverley.primary@eastriding.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 19–20 November 2013

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, who are known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium funding, is below average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school provides a breakfast club each morning for pupils.
• Leaders and teachers are receiving support for mathematics. This support is provided by a teaching school alliance.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all classes. Lessons were observed jointly with senior leaders.
• Leaders scrutinised samples of pupils’ work from all classes.
• Inspectors listened to a selection of pupils read from key stage 1 and key stage 2.
• Meetings were held with pupils, senior leaders, other staff, four members of the governing body and a local authority representative.
• Inspectors observed pupils moving around the school, including on the playgrounds, during breaks and in the dining hall.
• Inspectors scrutinised a number of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement plans, attendance records and safeguarding information.
• Inspectors took account of the 124 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey, the 35 responses to the staff survey, the 133 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire, Parent View, and 129 free-text responses to Parent View.
• Inspectors spoke informally with parents at the start of the school day.

Inspection team

Alan Chaffey, lead inspector Dave Brown Susan Twaits Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector