Catterick Garrison, Carnagill Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with section 44 of the Education Act 2005 Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is likely to be of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Urgently improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, including governance, by:
  • equipping all leaders with the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to raise pupils’ outcomes across subjects and key stages
  • monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in each key stage meticulously, holding staff accountable for pupils’ progress
  • supporting and challenging staff to raise their expectations and improve their practices through high-quality training and development
  • putting in place a shared, easily understood system of assessment that captures pupils’ attainment and progress accurately
  • using additional funding for service pupils, disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities skilfully, evaluating thoroughly its effect on pupils’ learning and progress
  • ensuring that governors have the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to support and challenge leaders
  • acting swiftly on the recommendations from the review of governance which is planned to take place in September 2018.
• Rapidly improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that greater proportions of pupils reach and exceed age-related expectations by:
  • establishing consistently high expectations of what all pupils can do and achieve from their different starting points
  • using precise assessment information to plan tasks and learning that accurately meet pupils’ needs in reading, writing, mathematics and science
  • providing pupils who have lower-than-typical starting points and/or gaps in their knowledge and learning with well-defined, swift support to enable them to catch up and meet age-related expectations across subjects
  • stretching and challenging the most able pupils in their thinking, learning and tasks across the curriculum and key stages
  • making better use of additional adults.
• Increase the effectiveness of the early years by:
  • securing accurate assessment of children’s progress across areas of learning
  • providing greater challenge for all children, specifically in reading, writing and number, building systematically on prior knowledge and skills
  • identifying the most able children promptly and offering suitably stimulating and stretching learning opportunities
  • making sure that play is purposeful, ignites children’s curiosity, sustains their interest and contributes effectively to their learning and progress. An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

• There has been a great deal of change in leadership and staffing since the previous inspection. Inconsistencies and uncertainty over time have contributed to the significant weaknesses identified in the school’s current performance and effectiveness.
• Leaders’ and governors’ actions over time have not brought about improvement. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is unacceptable. Pupils’ progress and attainment in the core subjects of reading, writing, mathematics and science have declined significantly since the previous inspection. Currently, standards show little sign of improvement across subjects or key stages. Very few pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their learning or education.
• Subject and senior leaders do not monitor the quality of teaching and learning across subjects rigorously. Until very recently, any sporadic attempts at monitoring have lacked focus, consistency and depth. This means that leaders and governors have a poor understanding of the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning and progress. Teachers and teaching assistants are not held accountable for the progress that pupils make.
• Leaders have not developed a culture of high expectations among staff. Staff do not have suitably high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Adults’ aspirations for pupils’ attainment and progress lack ambition. Pupils who enter the school with skills and abilities lower than those typical for their age do not make rapid enough progress to catch up with their peers nationally as they move through school. Few reach age-related expectations when compared with national averages. The most able pupils fail to reach the depth of learning and understanding of which they are capable.
• Leaders have not put in place a system of assessment that is easily understood or used well by all staff. Neither have leaders checked carefully enough to make sure that teachers’ judgements about pupils’ capabilities and achievements across subjects are correct. Assessment information about pupils’ attainment and progress is neither accurate, helpful nor used effectively. Consequently, senior and subject leaders do not set appropriately ambitious targets for all pupils.
• Leaders’ and governors’ understanding of the effect that additional funding has on pupils’ outcomes is weak. Leaders’ use of the pupil premium funding for service pupils, disadvantaged pupils and the funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is not examined thoroughly by governors. Leaders do not evaluate their actions meticulously to check that they are making a positive difference for pupils. They cannot show or explain confidently whether disadvantaged pupils and/or pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities in each year group are making at least the progress expected of them from their different starting points.
• Senior leaders’ and subject leaders’ improvement planning has been ineffective over time. Plans, including those for English, mathematics and science, lack the detail, measurability and careful analyses needed to bring about better outcomes for all groups of pupils.
• The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers.
• Leaders use the primary sport funding suitably to increase pupils’ participation in sporting endeavours. Pupils are enthusiastic about sport and enjoy taking part in competitions. Several aspire to become sportsmen and women. Pupils talk with some understanding about the relationship between fitness and health. In addition, some of the sport funding has been carefully targeted to increase professional development opportunities for staff. Such training is increasing staff expertise and confidence in their planning and delivery of physical education.
• The headteacher took up post in April 2018. She has taken prompt action to address crucial priorities and has drawn up an interim improvement plan. This focuses appropriately on several of the key weaknesses identified by the headteacher and in this report. In sharing the plan, the headteacher has been instrumental in raising everyone’s awareness of the most pressing issues that require immediate attention. The plan sets out her initial aims to improve teaching and learning by developing staff and leaders through high-quality professional development. It also demonstrates clearly her intention to improve outcomes for pupils and children across key stages and subjects. It is too soon to tell if the headteacher’s actions will lead to the desired goals.
• The new headteacher has quickly gained the respect of parents, carers, pupils and staff. Changes she has implemented have been well received. Staff are responsive to the headteacher’s vision for improvement and are keen to improve their practices. The large majority of parents feel that their views and opinions are being considered. Those parents who shared their views with inspectors particularly appreciate the ‘great improvement’ the headteacher has made to managing any ‘concerns and incidents’ that arise and the ‘better communication’ systems that she has implemented since her arrival.

Governance of the school

• Governors’ actions have been ineffective in ensuring that the quality of education has been maintained since the previous inspection. Historically, governors’ attendance at meetings has been, at best, erratic. Governors visits to see the school’s work lack focus and purpose. As a result, governors’ contributions to school improvement have been unproductive over time.
• Governors do not hold leaders stringently to account for pupils’ learning and progress. Their understanding of the school’s assessment system and pupils’ progress information is very weak. This hampers the quality and effectiveness of their challenge and support for leaders considerably.
• Governors have a poor knowledge of the effect that additional funding has on pupils’ outcomes. They have not drilled deeply into information presented by leaders to check that disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are benefiting from this extra government money. Leaders’ use of these funds is poorly evaluated. Currently, neither of these pupil groups are making the progress they should across subjects.
• Recently, there has been significant change in governing body membership. New governors recognise that the effectiveness of governance needs to improve rapidly. Consequently, they have commissioned a review of governance which is due to take place in September 2018.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The local authority worked with the new headteacher to undertake a review of the school’s safeguarding practices. The headteacher responded promptly to recommendations from the report and has tightened child protection procedures considerably. Safeguarding issues have been tackled swiftly and systems are much improved.
• The headteacher has taken prompt action to develop safer recruitment practices. She has ensured that appropriate checks are made to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Her attention to detail and daily practice have considerably strengthened methods of interview and appointment. As a result, any potential risks to pupils and staff are now minimised.
• The headteacher has child protection as a standing agenda item on weekly staff meetings. She has acted rapidly to put safeguarding training in place for staff, ensuring that the most recent guidance and advice are well understood by all. Consequently, adults understand potential risks to pupils and speak confidently about their duties and roles in protecting pupils from harm.
• The headteacher has created more comprehensive means for logging and responding to concerns and/or incidents from staff, parents or pupils. For example, any issues of poor behaviour are now carefully documented and followed through to a suitable conclusion. Pupils’ behaviour is rapidly improving as a result of her actions.
• Several areas of the school are cluttered to the extent that safe passage is somewhat hampered. Pupils drop coats and bags in corridors, and some doorways are obscured by obstacles. Leaders are currently taking action to make sure that pupils and staff can move freely, without obstruction, between indoor areas and outside.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has been weak over time. Across key stages, pupils fail to make sufficient progress in reading, writing, mathematics or science. The work in current pupils’ books and the school’s own assessment information show that weaknesses persist; pupils in each key stage are underachieving considerably.
• Teachers do not assess pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding across subjects accurately. Tasks and learning are not matched closely to pupils’ needs. Consequently, lower-ability pupils, or those with gaps in their learning due to historical weaknesses in teaching, are not supported to catch up to reach age-related expectations. Other pupils, including the most able, are not stretched in their thinking or challenged effectively. Pupils from different starting points are not making the progress that should be expected of them in order to meet the demands of the national curriculum.
• Teachers’ expectations are not high enough. Teaching does not take enough account of what pupils already know and can do. Teachers do not model and explain new concepts clearly and succinctly for pupils or let pupils get started promptly when they are confident to do so. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are among those groups who do not make enough progress in their learning across subjects.
• Pupils are not given the time needed to complete their work and apply their skills, especially in writing, mathematics and science. Too often, pupils are requested to stop before they have completed tasks. This interrupts pupils’ momentum. It also means that pupils do not build ample stamina for writing or have sufficient time to reason and think deeply about increasingly complex problems in mathematics and science as they move through school.
• Teachers do not make the best possible use of all available resources. Teaching assistants’ contributions to pupils’ progress are inconsistent in quality because they are not well deployed. The organisation of resources and drawn-out transitions, for example pupils moving back into school after breaktimes, often take up too much time. Valuable teaching and learning time is lost.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are usually positive. Pupils mostly listen respectfully to adults and heed their instructions politely. However, when pupils drift off task or lose interest because their work lacks challenge, low-level disruption occurs.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Pupils cannot talk with assurance about the things they can do well or what they need to practise and improve in different subjects. Because of weaknesses in the quality of teaching and assessment, they have not developed the self-confidence or resilience needed to push themselves and persevere in their learning. A small proportion of pupils said that work and learning do not challenge them.
• A small minority of parents expressed concerns about bullying and the school’s response to their concerns. The school’s anti-bullying policy is out of date. Some younger pupils found it difficult to describe the forms bullying might take. However, the large majority of pupils who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire were certain that any instances of bullying would be dealt with appropriately by staff. The new headteacher has taken parents’ viewpoints seriously and is listening carefully to pupils. She is working to improve the manner and timeliness with which matters are recorded, dealt with and communicated.
• Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe. They talk knowledgeably about fire and water safety. They understand some of the basics of keeping themselves safe online.
• Compared to other schools nationally, a high proportion of pupils move to and from the school throughout the year. Staff are committed to making sure that new arrivals feel welcome whenever they arrive. Pupils’ inherent friendliness and welcoming attitudes mean that newcomers quickly feel part of the school. This inclusive approach and empathy emanating from pupils and staff is a real strength of the Carnagill school community.
• Several pupils expressed gratitude for the ‘kind and helpful’ adults in school who look after them if they have any little falls or disagreements with friends. They say that their teachers are all ‘really nice’ and ‘fun’.
• Pupils are especially proud of the additional responsibilities that they hold. The pupil council and ‘children helping in partnership’ (CHIPS) groups are well respected by their peers. Pupils take their roles seriously and strive to do them competently. Such opportunities successfully build pupils’ self-esteem and self-respect.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Pupils drop their coats and bags, leaving them in public spaces, which makes it difficult for their peers to move around without tripping. In this regard, further work is needed to help pupils to understand the effect their behaviour has on others.
• A small minority of pupils expressed some concerns about their peers’ behaviour in lessons. They said, ‘there’s lots of interruptions’ and ‘sometimes (poor) behaviour prevents us learning.’ Low-level disruption is not identified or tackled promptly by all staff.
• Pupils’ attendance is broadly in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school is also comparable with other schools nationally. The home-school pastoral adviser works closely with families to promote good attendance. Incentives and clear sanctions are in place. Leaders’ skills in using the online system set up to monitor pupils’ attendance are still developing.
• Pupils’ conduct at breaktimes is spirited and good-natured. They have lots of fun and there are smiles aplenty. Pupils benefit from having access to a broad range of games and equipment to maintain their interest. They have a great deal of space in which to play and relax and are well supervised by adults and ‘CHIPS’. Most pupils listen promptly and respectfully to adults’ requests and instructions when it is time to come indoors.

Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

• Pupils’ outcomes are well below their national peers in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Very weak progress over time means that few pupils are currently working at age-related expectations in subjects across the curriculum. From different starting points, pupils underachieve significantly.
• Pupils’ skills and proficiencies in reading, writing and mathematics are not sufficiently strong for them to succeed in the next year or key stage. A legacy of weaknesses in teaching and learning mean that pupils often move through the school with large gaps in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Currently, the work set for pupils to complete does not meet their needs effectively and does not support them to catch up with others. This means that too many pupils are ill-prepared for what lies ahead in terms of the increasing demands of the national curriculum.
• In key stage 2, pupils’ progress in writing was significantly below average and in the lowest 10% of all schools in 2017. Pupils’ books and the school’s own assessment information show that proportions reaching the expected standard in writing this year are even lower. Pupils’ outcomes in writing show a declining trend.
• The teaching of mathematics was an area recommended for improvement in the previous inspection. Pupils’ outcomes in mathematics, however, have fallen since then. Published information in 2017 shows that in key stage 2, pupils’ progress in reading and mathematics was in the bottom 20% of schools for at least two years for all pupils. For current key stage 2 pupils, outcomes in mathematics are still not showing improvement.
• Pupils’ outcomes in science are also weak. In key stage 2 in 2017, 44% of pupils reached the expected standard. Currently, school assessment information identifies that only 9% of Year 6 pupils and 14% of Year 5 pupils are working at age-related expectations in science. Pupils’ work in books confirms that few pupils are meeting age-related expectations across key stages.
• In key stage 1, outcomes vary over time. In 2017, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science was broadly comparable to national averages. This denoted an improvement from pupils’ outcomes in 2016, where reading and writing were lower than the national figures. However, issues of inaccurate assessment over time make these figures unreliable. Currently, too few pupils in key stage 1 are working at age-related expectations across subjects. This is substantiated by the work in current pupils’ books and the school’s own assessment information.
• The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, make weak progress over time. Too often these pupils are not identified by teachers as having the potential to excel in their learning. Pupils are not stretched or challenged to think deeply about their learning and any tricky new concepts. As a result, few pupils, in either key stage, reach a greater depth in their learning across subjects over time.

Early years provision Inadequate

• Leaders have not ensured that assessment information is accurate. Too many children are assessed as being below or well below what is typical for their age on entry to Nursery and Reception. This gives a false impression of children’s capabilities when they start.
• Teachers do not plan effectively to make sure that children make good or better progress from their different starting points. Tasks and learning opportunities are not well matched to children’s needs. Current children’s progress is weak.
• The most able children in particular do not achieve as well as they could. Adults’ expectations are too low, and children’s strengths, talents and aptitudes are often missed. A substantial proportion of children talked articulately to inspectors, using a wide range of vocabulary. There is too little challenge and stretch for the most able children; their existing skills and abilities are not accounted for in teachers’ planning. As a result, progress for this group of children is especially weak.
• Too few children are well prepared for the demands of the Year 1 curriculum, especially in reading, writing and mathematics. Areas of provision and tasks given to different groups of children, in addition to the most able, lack challenge and purpose. Children, particularly those in Reception, flit from task to task, making little progress in their learning or development because their needs are not met effectively.
• Additional adults are not used to best effect in the early years. Too much of teaching and learning time lacks purpose. Children play and explore the wide variety of resources made available by staff, but because tasks and areas of provision are not matched correctly to children’s needs, little progress is made. Some children are ready to do more formal work, but adults do not intervene promptly to move children’s learning on.
• Reception children have too few opportunities to practise recording their understanding of numbers and mathematical concepts or to practise their skills of writing at length in readiness for moving to Year 1. Reception children’s reading records show that not all children read regularly with adults. For too many, the correct balance between child-initiated tasks and adult-guided sessions has not been reached.
• Self-evaluation is too generous and not focused sufficiently on improving children’s outcomes. On appointment, the headteacher identified that the early years outdoor area needed upgrading. However, too little attention has been paid to improving learning and the quality of provision generally, over time. The indoor space is cluttered and in places obstacles block doorways, inhibiting freedom of movement.
• Over time, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development has been variable. Current assessment information shows that the proportion of Reception children set to achieve a good level of development this academic year is broadly in line with the 2017 national average. However, due to weaknesses in the school’s assessment, this information is an unreliable measure of the progress that children make from their different starting points.
• Staff are kind and compassionate. Any little hurts or bumps are soothed sensitively. One parent’s view epitomised the opinions of others when they said, ‘All the staff are very approachable… children always seem very well behaved and are very caring, looking out for each other.’
• Children are delightfully inquisitive and talkative. They are bubbly and cheerful and have fun exploring the broad range of materials and play equipment that is available. Children can sustain their concentration for lengthy periods of time when toys and play capture their interest. Most children behave respectfully towards each other. When requested, most listen politely when adults are speaking or issuing instructions.
• Due to changes and instability in staffing, the new headteacher has currently adopted the role of early years leader. It is too soon to tell if her actions will bring about the improvements needed in this area of the school.

School details

Unique reference number 121350 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 10047617 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 242 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Duncan Headteacher Louise Newport Telephone number 01748 833622 Website www.carnagill.n-yorks.sch.uk/ Email address headteacher@carnagill.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 17–18 July 2014

Information about this school

• This is a slightly smaller than average-sized primary school.
• There have been considerable changes in staffing since the previous inspection, including a new headteacher, new SEN coordinator (a role currently assumed by the headteacher) and a new chair of governors.
• The school meets the Department for Education's definition of a coasting school based on key stage 2 academic performance in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.
• The school is located within the Catterick garrison. The large majority of pupils are from service families. This means that a significant proportion of pupils are eligible for support through the government’s additional premium funding for service pupils. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium, however, is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who start or leave the school at times other than the normal points of entry and exit for a primary school is higher than usual.
• The proportion of pupils who receive support for SEN and/or disabilities is broadly in line with other schools nationally. The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan or a statement of SEN is lower than the national average.
• The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is lower than other schools nationally.

Information about this inspection

• Teaching and learning were observed by inspectors across classes and key stages. The lead inspector and the headteacher conducted joint observations across both days of the inspection.
• Inspectors talked with parents face-to-face during the inspection. The views expressed by 28 parents in the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, were considered and 15 parents’ free-text responses were also taken into account.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read, scrutinised their work and talked with pupils during lesson observations. The views of 11 pupils who responded to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire were examined. The views of pupils were also considered during more formal discussions.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, subject leaders and a representative from the local authority, as well as governors, including the chair of the governing body.
• A wide range of the school’s own information and documentation were studied, including the self-evaluation document, improvement plans and records of the checks made on teaching and learning. Information about the performance management of staff and safeguarding practices was also examined, alongside policy documentation.
• The opinions of staff were taken into account via the 24 responses made to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and through formal and informal discussions.

Inspection team

Fiona Manuel, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Sharon Stelling Ofsted Inspector