Wilberfoss Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching, learning and assessment in early years by:
  • implementing assessment procedures that accurately track the progress children are making and identify the next steps they need to take
  • developing opportunities in all areas of the indoor and outdoor environment to extend and challenge children in their learning.
• Continue to improve outcomes in writing to ensure that these are as strong as those in reading and mathematics, particularly in key stage 2, by:
  • further implementing leaders’ plans for improvement, including the building of writing skills across the curriculum
  • ensuring consistency in the delivery of new systems across all classes
  • checking teachers’ assessments of pupils’ work with other adults, in school and beyond
  • measuring the progress that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making in writing from their starting points, and bringing consistency to how teachers plan for these pupils.
• Strengthen leadership and management by further developing the role of middle leaders to improve the progression of skills across the whole curriculum.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leadership, at all levels, has changed substantially over the past two years. Since the local authority identified aspects of concern, it has made concerted efforts to put in place actions and personnel to secure improvement.
• The new senior leadership team leads with openness, honesty and professionalism. Staff understand the rigour in actions for improvement that has been needed and appreciate and value the direction the senior leadership team has brought. All staff spoken to by inspectors felt that recent changes were very purposeful and recognised the positive difference this was making to pupils’ progress. Consequently, the whole school team is purposeful in its drive to improve standards.
• The experienced executive headteacher has brought vision and clarity to what needs to be done to improve outcomes for pupils.
• The assistant headteachers both started at the school in summer 2016. They ably support the executive headteacher in the daily leadership and management of the school, as well as being focused in their roles as leaders of English and mathematics respectively. As a result of their strong subject knowledge and clear direction, staff are clear about what they need to do to support pupils in making stronger progress in English and mathematics.
• Leaders have introduced assessment systems in key stage 1 and key stage 2 which give headline information in a clear, succinct way that is understood by all. Further, more detailed information about individual pupils’ progress supports teachers in directing the next steps pupils need to take. Leaders know that they need to ensure that equally effective assessment procedures are in place in early years.
• The local authority provides effective support, financially and in providing personnel for improvement. It has a clear view of the school and has rightly taken a firm line to address concerns over pupils’ performance, as well as supporting staff through changes in leadership at all levels.
• The strong and successful support from the ERSIP, since the identification of concerns, has been invaluable: staff have worked alongside experienced leaders and teachers to develop their own practice, moderate work, share ideas and put in place systems to support improvement.
• Leaders have implemented a monitoring and evaluation cycle that is rigorous and focused on key aspects that everyone understands need to be better. Improved checks on pupils’ work, observations of teaching and learning in progress, and pupil progress meetings have brought accountability to staff and, most importantly, a vivid understanding of where pupils most need support.
• All pupils are encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge through a variety of subjects, though the depth at which this happens across school is variable. All subjects are delivered, but there is not always the same rigour applied to how pupils build and develop their skills in particular subjects. Leaders have plans in place to improve progression across the curriculum by supporting the development of middle leaders.
• The new leader for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities has made a good start to her work. Her enthusiasm for her role, and the resulting improvements already seen in pupils’ outcomes, are infectious. She is confident in the support she has received from specialist leaders of education and has gained a clear view of what needs to be done to most effectively support these pupils. It is early days, but structures and foundations have been put in place, including careful tracking of pupils’ progress across the year and more focused, challenging, but achievable, targets. Specific funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is being spent well to support pupils’ learning. The leaders agree that now progress needs to be carefully measured from pupils’ starting points over their time in school. It is also recognised that the way teachers and assistants successfully plan for and record pupils’ work and progress is not currently uniform across the school.
• Partnerships with other providers, before children start in early years and with the schools that pupils transfer on to, support pupils in making a seamless transition between settings. For example, during their visit, inspectors observed the celebratory, high-quality musical performance presented jointly by pupils from Year 5 and pupils from one of the local secondary schools.
• The pupil premium funding is used effectively to support disadvantaged pupils. These pupils have differing needs and starting points and plans address any potential barriers they may have to learning. As a result, the vast majority of these pupils make at least the same progress as other pupils nationally.
• Leaders for sport are passionate and animated about their role. Promoting healthy lifestyles is a priority. The sport funding is used effectively to provide a wide range of additional opportunities and resources and has a positive impact on pupils’ personal development and welfare.
• Parents speak highly of the school. They value the regular communication they receive and invitations to be part of their child’s learning. Leaders are mindful of parents’ busy lives and are creative in ensuring that everyone can celebrate the learning going on. For example, the musical event performed by Year 5 and high-school students was broadcast live via an internet link for those unable to attend.

Governance of the school

• The composition of the governing body has changed substantially in the last year. Governors are determined to ensure that the school offers a high standard of education for all its pupils and know the importance of their role in making sure that this happens. They know that their journey has to be swift, and as one governor put it, ‘We feel that we are now on the motorway rather than the side path!’.
• There is a thorough programme of induction and support for new members of the governing body. Governors actively seek support and advice to enable them to do an even better job. For example, they access guidance and training from the local authority and have planned a review of governance. Governors are clear about the range of aspects of their role and regularly review the spending of the pupil premium, sport funding and funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They receive training and regular updates for safeguarding, enabling them to make accurate checks on the work of leaders in this area.
• Governors feel strongly supported in their role by the high-quality information presented to them by the executive headteacher. This, combined with external reports such as those provided by the school improvement partner, and visits to school to see actions on the improvement plan being carried out, give them an accurate view of the school’s performance. This in turn enables them to appropriately support and challenge leaders to drive further improvement.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There has been rigour by new leaders in updating key documentation for safeguarding. Leaders have ensured that policies are understood by everyone. Where any aspects have been discovered that are not robust, leaders have quickly and successfully improved these, and consequently, current procedures are effective.
• Staff and governors have a good understanding of what to do if a concern is raised. Safeguarding is a key item of discussion at the weekly support staff and staff meetings. When concerns arise, appropriate advice is sought and resulting actions taken, with external agencies where necessary.
• Leaders check policies and practice in a timely fashion and respond quickly to any concerns, for example, with the installation of greater security around the school site.
• Pupils are taught how to keep safe through a number of activities, assemblies and visual messages around the school. For example, they have sessions in cycle training and how to stay safe online.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers have a good understanding of the improvements that need to be made in outcomes for pupils. They say that leaders explain any changes very well and give staff clear, purposeful direction in how to improve their own practice and consequently the progress the pupils are making. As a result, the current work of pupils shows that they are making strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• For the last two years, the progress and attainment of Year 6 pupils in writing have been weaker than in previous years. Pupils have not had enough opportunities needed to access the challenges and expectations of the new curriculum. However, most pupils’ current writing clearly evidences raised expectations, acute understanding of what pupils need to do next and pupils responding to direction to make successful improvements to their work. This, alongside effective moderation, is resulting in stronger pupils’ outcomes.
• Effective assessment procedures in key stage 1 and key stage 2 support teachers in identifying what pupils need to do next to improve. For example, peer assessments have been introduced successfully. Pupils make purposeful comments about their peers’ work that is well matched to the task and the work produced.
• Pupils have access to learning across all aspects of the primary curriculum. However, this is something leaders want to develop further, as the depth of subjects taught is currently variable.
• Where teaching assistants work directly with small groups of pupils, such as during phonics sessions, mathematics sessions and other interventions, the quality of questioning is effective and pupils make positive gains in their learning.
• Mathematics teaching is strong across school and pupils are encouraged to develop their reasoning skills well.
• Reading encouragement is high profile around school, and pupils spoke about their enjoyment of reading, including those who find reading tricky. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind are given good support and frequent opportunities to read to adults and other pupils. The most able pupils read with animation and fluency and demonstrate a strong grasp of high-level vocabulary.
• More focused success criteria and objectives for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supporting teachers in matching work appropriately to pupils’ needs. Pupils who met with inspectors had a clear understanding of what they were working on, getting better at, and the achievements they had already made. They understood their assessment charts and how these identified which aspects they needed further work on. As a result, these pupils, quite rightly, felt that they were making good progress in their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils feel safe and enjoy being at school. Pupils say that this is because they are taught well how to keep safe and their lessons are fun to take part in. There are lots of reminders about how to keep safe around school.
• Adults strongly promote healthy lifestyles and pupils can talk confidently about healthy eating and exercise. Every morning, pupils start the day with a lively skipping session on the playground. They also take part in a wide range of physical education lessons and everyone is encouraged to be involved in the extra-curricular sports activities.
• Roles, such as those of pupil helper and collective worship helper, give pupils the opportunity to take responsibility and organise others with respect and kindness.
• Spiritual development and moral values feature highly across the curriculum. There are several spaces around school for thought and reflection. The leader for religious education works with all pupils and as result of effective teaching, pupils speak with confidence about the Christian faith and other religions. During the inspection, pupils learned about the Easter story, and proudly displayed their Easter bonnets on the way to the Easter service in church. Even the youngest children were able to explain why they were going to church and re-tell the story of Easter.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils’ attendance is above that of pupils nationally and persistent absence is rare. Pupils are keen not to miss any time from school and they arrive punctually. This positive attitude continues in the classroom, where pupils are generally engaged and focused on their learning. Pupils are eager to learn and keen to share their work and achievements.
• It is clear that pupils care for each other. Inspectors saw many examples of pupils supporting each other, showing kindness and demonstrating an understanding of how others might feel.
• Pupils say that there are very few incidents of bullying. They say that sometimes pupils misbehave, but are also able to explain a long list of positive behaviour strategies that are used to keep everyone ‘doing their best’. They were confident that if a problem arose, staff would be there and make sure that ‘it was sorted!’.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• From strong starting points, pupils historically have made strong progress through key stage 1 and achieved higher than national average standards by the end of key stage 2.
• Recently, the progress that pupils make over their time in school has declined, with results at the end of key stage 2 being particularly weak in writing. The progress pupils make through key stage 2 has been too slow. However, rigour and urgency in the direction for improvement from the current leadership team have resulted in this decline being halted and the progress of current pupils being much stronger.
• Training for all staff in phonics, and consistency in the way phonics is now taught, have led to improved outcomes in phonics in Year 1.
• At the end of key stage 1, more than the national average number of pupils achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. Some reach even higher standards than average. The work of current pupils in Year 2 shows that these above-average standards are being maintained.
• The focus, direction and support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are resulting in these pupils making strong progress this year.
• The school’s focus on ensuring that the needs of the most able pupils are met has been particularly successful in key stage 1. Historical assessments show that these pupils are challenged and supported well to reach higher standards, and pupils’ current work in Year 2 demonstrates that these high expectations continue. In key stage 2, progress for the most able pupils has not been as consistently strong. Teachers’ better understanding of the national expectations, a more rigorous and moderated form of assessment and a focus on reasoning and explaining learning have led to the current most able pupils making stronger progress this year.
• In 2016, disadvantaged pupils did better in the Year 1 phonics checks than other pupils nationally. Disadvantaged pupils in Year 2 also made better progress than other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2016, at the end of key stage 2, disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 did not perform well in mathematics or writing. However, in general, pupils who receive support funded by the pupil premium make good gains in their learning across the school.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Adults in the early years setting know the children well as individuals and have excellent relationships with them. However, individual records of learning are not detailed enough to ensure that everyone knows what to do next to develop each child’s skills, knowledge and understanding across the curriculum. Consequently, children of all abilities are not supported in making the very best progress they can. Leaders have identified that the systems in place do not support them in carefully checking on the children’s progress, and have already evaluated several alternatives.
• A close partnership with Nursery providers means that children make a smooth transition to primary school life. Children enter school with skills that are at least typical for their age. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are looked after by the local authority are particularly well supported into and through the early years setting.
• Adults in the Nursery and Reception class work effectively together to provide a positive, safe environment for children to learn in. The classroom arrangements have limited free access for children to the outdoor environment. However, leaders have already made adjustments to ensure that this is improved after Easter.
• Consistency and focused teaching in phonics from all staff in the early years are supporting children well in their reading and writing. Children apply their phonics skills well when working independently.
• Historically, boys have not performed as well as girls over their time in early years. This year, adults have planned a variety of topics and activities to particularly engage boys in writing and mathematics, for example, a topic on space and the setting up of a football goal area outside where children can count goals scored. The school’s checks and children’s work show that the difference between boys’ and girls’ progress is diminishing this year.
• Partnerships with parents are strong and leaders and staff listen carefully to and respond to parents’ comments, for example in relation to the peer groupings across the class arrangements.
• Children are confident in their learning. They are very happy to explain their work, and many do so articulately. For example, one girl in Nursery was able to give an inspector an excellent recount of the lesson she had just completed in physical education. Other children were delighted to talk about the ‘ugly bug ball’ they were having and read aloud their invitations.
• While work has taken place to create a more exciting, well-organised environment, activities inside and outside do not promote the highest quality learning for children of all abilities. Adults’ questioning is currently not sufficiently effective in deepening children’s understanding, and activities are sometimes not modelled well enough to children. However, leaders are aware of this and have plans in place to address these issues imminently.

School details

Unique reference number 117998 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 10025489 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 controlled school 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 223 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lynda Hoyle Acting Executive Headteacher Kris Henderson Telephone number 01759 380327 Website Email address www.wilberfossprimary.co.uk wilberfoss.primary@eastriding.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 14–15 February 2012

Information about this school

• Wilberfoss Church of England Primary School is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• At its previous inspection, Wilberfoss Church of England Primary School was judged to be outstanding in its overall effectiveness. This inspection was carried out as a result of Ofsted’s risk assessment in relation to declining standards.
• Two new assistant headteachers were appointed at the start of the summer term in 2016. The headteacher has been absent since the autumn term in 2016. An acting headteacher, who is headteacher at another school, has been in place since the autumn term. He shares his time between both schools.
• The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics.
• The school has a smaller than national proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• The proportion of pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is below average.
• The proportion of pupils from ethnic minority groups is below the national average.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils learning in a range of lessons. Some observations were carried out jointly with the acting headteacher.
• Inspectors looked at a range of pupils’ work across the curriculum. Some of this took place alongside middle leaders.
• Inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including: assessment information; school development planning; school self-evaluation; minutes of meetings of the governing body; information about the performance of teachers; documents relating to behaviour and safety; and documents relating to safeguarding.
• Meetings took place with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, staff, the local authority school improvement partner, representatives from the governing body and groups of pupils.
• Inspectors listened to some pupils read.
• Inspectors spoke to parents at the school. Inspectors also considered the responses in Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire.

Inspection team

Kate Rowley, lead inspector Janet Lunn Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector