Skipton Parish Church Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is 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?

• Strengthen leadership and management, including governance, by: ensuring that the monitoring of teaching is rigorous and regular so that it provides a clear view of where support is urgently required and of the training needs of staff making sure that the assessment of pupils’ achievement is regularly and accurately documented so that all parents, teachers and leaders, including governors, have a clear understanding of pupils’ progress and attainment across the curriculum using accurate assessment information to identify underachievement swiftly and provide the right support to meet underachieving pupils’ needs

regularly evaluating the impact of actions implemented to strengthen the provision, especially for disadvantaged pupils, and making the necessary adjustments to the strategies to ensure they have a positive impact over time developing the curriculum so that pupils have the chance to deepen their understanding across various subjects and to allow them regular opportunities to improve and apply their skills in reading, writing and mathematics developing opportunities for pupils to see the correlation between showing respect and tolerance to people who make different lifestyle choices, or are from other faiths and cultures, and showing these values in their daily interactions with each other compiling records which allow leaders to analyse information concerning unacceptable behaviour and bullying to see where there are patterns and ensure that such incidents reduce significantly.

• Urgently improve the personal development, behaviour and welfare of all pupils, by: ensuring that pupils always feel safe by listening to their concerns, and those of their parents, and acting on them effectively so that persistent aggressive behaviour and bullying is eradicated in school ensuring that all staff have the highest expectations of pupils’ conduct in all areas of school and at all times of the day.
• Urgently improve the quality of teaching and, therefore, the rate of progress and levels of attainment of all groups of pupils, especially the most able pupils and disadvantaged pupils, across the school, by: making regular checks on what pupils can and cannot do in order to plan activities to meet their needs closely and which provide challenge so pupils can reach higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics ensuring all teachers follow the school’s policy and make effective use of the checks on pupils’ work to ensure pupils know how to improve their work raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can and should be able to do so that learning is more engaging, pupils work hard and disruptive behaviour is rare.

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the use of the 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

• Leaders do not have an accurate view of the provision across the school. Monitoring of teaching lacks rigour and leaders have an overgenerous view of its quality and its impact on pupils’ progress. Although there are many strategies and opportunities to train adults, leaders do not measure how well they improve provision and do not ensure that they are making a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Therefore, weak teaching persists and pupils make poor progress.
• Leaders’ weak monitoring of teaching has resulted in a system of appraisal for teachers which does not make the necessary connection between teachers meeting targets – and making pay progression – and the impact they have on pupils’ progress. Therefore, appraisal does not effectively ensure teachers are accountable for their impact on pupils’ outcomes.
• Assessment systems are not always accurate and leaders’ checks on the accuracy of information are not rigorous enough. This has led to an overgenerous view of pupils’ achievements. Leaders have missed opportunities to gauge underachievement and implement necessary support. This has contributed to weak outcomes for pupils.
• The leadership of the provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities does not ensure that these pupils make good progress from their starting points. The identification of these pupils is done well but the support provided in class and in smaller groups does not push these pupils enough to help them to work increasingly independently, or to help them make good progress.
• The funding for disadvantaged pupils is not spent well. The school has strategies to support disadvantaged pupils but they fail to have a good impact on these pupils’ learning and progress. The school does not sharply analyse the impact of the strategies and make the necessary adjustments to improve the provision for these pupils. As a result, the gaps in progress and attainment between these pupils and their peers are not diminishing.
• Parents do not have consistently positive views of the school. Most are very happy with the provision and the support from school. However, a significant minority are concerned about the progress of their children and do not feel well informed. They also voice concerns about how poor behaviour and bullying are dealt with. Like pupils, some parents are worried that their children are not safe.
• The leadership of behaviour is not fit for purpose. There are regular incidents of very poor behaviour which can be aggressive and violent. Records and the views of parents and pupils show that leaders do not ensure that pupils feel safe. Bullying is common and is not dealt with effectively. Furthermore, disruption is widespread and frequent in lessons, which contributes to slow progress and lower outcomes for pupils. Record-keeping is not precise enough for leaders to understand the behaviour of pupils over time, where and why it is declining or where improvements may be apparent.
• While there is a broad range of subjects in the curriculum, there are too few opportunities for pupils to study them in depth. Pupils do have regular opportunities to go on trips, or to welcome visitors into school, and to engage them in various topics. Pupils are very pleased to have these chances. However, the curriculum does not ensure that pupils use their learning and their key skills to deepen their own learning independently, for example by writing about their experiences. As a result, pupils do not reinforce their reading and mathematics skills across the curriculum. There is a particular lack of writing apparent in books across the curriculum in most classes. This is impeding pupils’ progress.
• Pupils have some opportunities to learn about different faiths, religions and cultures. They also learn about the different lifestyles and understand that these should be respected and celebrated. However, there are too few opportunities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils’ understanding of modern British values is not reinforced throughout the curriculum and does not fully resonate with pupils. The regular incidents of poor and disruptive behaviour demonstrate that pupils do not have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the importance of respect and tolerance.
• The additional funding for sports has led to improvements in the variety of sports played and the facilities available. Physical education (PE) lessons are now led by specialist coaches, who also train teachers to develop their subject knowledge. In addition, there are several sports clubs that pupils can join after school.
• The support from local authority officers has been ineffective. They have not been rigorous enough in their own checks on the school’s provision and when they have made checks, they have not responded urgently enough to concerns they have had. This has contributed to the weak leadership in school and to the poor outcomes of pupils. Governance of the school

• The arrangements for safeguarding are ineffective.
• The school does not ensure that pupils are safe from bullying or from violent and aggressive behaviour.
• The school has all the necessary policies and procedures in place to ensure that there are systems to keep pupils safe. These policies are checked and updated regularly and checks are scheduled so that necessary updates are not missed. Nevertheless, leaders’ implementation of these systems has not protected pupils from the impact of poor behaviour.
• Staff are trained on a regular basis in all the required areas so that they know how to spot potential problems for vulnerable pupils and work effectively with external agencies, as necessary. Governors and other leaders also regularly and systematically check the broad range of information that employees, volunteers and visitors to school must provide, to maintain safe practices in the school.
• Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

• Teaching, learning and assessment are weak across the curriculum, including the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. This is the case in both key stages 1 and 2 and for different groups of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Consequently, different groups of pupils are not well prepared for their next stage of learning.
• Teachers do not have a good understanding of what pupils can and cannot do because they do not check regularly enough. In lessons, teachers’ questioning is weak and does not serve to elicit pupils’ knowledge and learning. Teachers do not adhere to the school’s policy for work in pupils’ books to be checked regularly. Nor do teachers regularly provide feedback to pupils, which means pupils are not always able to make improvements to their work. Because pupils’ needs are not closely checked, the tasks planned by teachers do not address their needs well.
• Work in lessons is regularly too easy for pupils. Teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils and the lack of challenge in work across the curriculum means that pupils’ progress is slow. When this happens pupils become restless and disengaged in their learning and some pupils are disruptive on a regular basis.
• Teaching for the most able pupils across the school is inadequate and results in underachievement. The activities teachers plan do not take account of what these pupils can already do. They do not ensure that pupils are properly challenged and have the chance to work at the highest possible level, so that they make rapid progress. As a result, too few of these pupils reach greater depth in their learning, and many do not move beyond the expected standards for their age.
• The teaching of phonics has improved for key stage 1 pupils. Teachers are skilled at assessing the needs of pupils and provide activities which meet these needs well. This means that, where necessary, extra support is provided and, as necessary, pupils are moved on quickly to more complex sounds. However, due to a legacy of poor teaching in phonics, there are still pupils in key stage 2 whose phonic knowledge has not been improved quickly enough, which inhibits their overall development and progress across the curriculum. Predominantly, this affects disadvantaged pupils.
• The teaching of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities does not meet these pupils’ needs well enough. Often, these pupils are given support by teaching assistants, and at times this can be effective. However, the quality of support is too variable and does not support these pupils consistently to make strong progress or to develop better independence in learning.
• In a small minority of classes in key stage 2, teaching is stronger and progress for all groups of pupils is better. This is because teaching meets pupils’ needs more closely due to teachers’ better use of assessment to check their needs.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

Personal development and welfare

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is inadequate. In the majority of classes, attitudes to learning are poor because pupils are often disengaged or disruptive. This is because the teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils’ behaviour, work is too easy and opportunities for a varied curriculum are missed.
• Pupils’ conduct is not consistently good and at times can be dangerous, leading to unsafe and aggressive behaviour. At times, pupils’ conduct is strong, such as in assembly and in the dining hall. However, around school, in lessons and outside at playtime, pupils are reliant on adults’ reminders of how to behave.
• Often, the pupils who are disruptive and who behave poorly around the school repeat these offences several times and do not show signs of improving. The school does not help them to make more positive choices. Over the past 12 months, behaviour has deteriorated significantly.
• Attendance is above average thanks to the effective work of leaders. Disadvantaged pupils’ attendance has improved most strongly and is also now above average. There are very few cases of pupils being persistently absent.

Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

• Pupils do not make enough progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. Outcomes are poor by the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2, with pupils making slow progress and, therefore, not well prepared for their next stage of learning.
• Weak assessment practices contribute to poor progress because teachers are not aware of what pupils can and cannot do and therefore cannot plan activities which challenge and support pupils, as necessary. Equally, where extra support is provided, it is not always for the right pupils and the impact of the support is not assessed.
• The most able pupils are generally the group which is most affected by the weak teaching and lack of challenge. This means too few reach a greater depth of understanding in the key areas and across the broader curriculum.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not make strong progress from their starting points. This is because teaching does not fully meet their needs and the quality of their support is too variable.
• Disadvantaged pupils make weak progress. Many of them work at a low level and do not move to higher standards quickly enough. These pupils are falling further behind their peers in school and nationally because leaders do not understand their needs and strategies to support these pupils do not work.
• Outcomes are improving in the Year 1 phonics check. In key stage 1 currently, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are making rapid progress in securing their phonics knowledge. However, the gaps in the phonics knowledge of disadvantaged pupils currently in key stage 2 are not being filled and their phonics knowledge remains weak. As a result, their reading, writing and spelling development is inhibited.

Early years provision Inadequate

• On the whole, children arrive with skills and abilities which are typical for their age. A small proportion arrive with skills and abilities which are either below or above what is typical for their age. From their starting points, children make inadequate progress. This is because the assessment of children is not rigorous, accurate or regular enough. There is confusion around the children’s level of development on arrival and their needs are not well understood or met by adults.
• The planning of the curriculum and the setting in the early years do not allow for activities which provide children with regular opportunities to improve their development rapidly across the different learning areas. Activities are not always clearly explained to children and too often children are off-task because of this.
• Adults are not responsive enough to children’s needs and interests. On occasion, for example, when most children choose to stay inside, the majority of adults may remain outside because this has been written into the planning. Routines are not clearly established with children. Children’s learning behaviours are not always strong. Individuals can be disruptive and because they are not learning how to self-manage their behaviour, adults regularly have to intervene at the expense of other children’s learning.
• The outdoor setting is well set up and there are a number of ways in which children can engage in activities to develop a range of learning, such as writing, number work and gross motor skills. However, inside, the provision is not as purposeful and children do not have enough to interest them. This inhibits their progress.
• Assessment of children’s development is not accurate or regular enough. The lack of information means that adults cannot form a precise view of how well children are developing. Importantly, it also means adults cannot plan to ensure that, where there are gaps in learning, they plan activities to support children in practising key skills. Therefore, progress is slow.
• Where observations are made, these are shared with parents online. However, staff do not check that parents know how to access this information and, consequently, very few parents know how well their children are doing in their first year at school.
• The adults ensure that children are safe and feel safe. They have all the correct policies and procedures in place to safeguard children effectively.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 121591 North Yorkshire 10023888 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 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 253 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Local authority Darren Lee Ellen Woodthorpe Telephone number 01756 793314 Website Email address http://www.parish.n-yorks.sch.uk/ admin@parish.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 21–22 June 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This is an average-sized primary school.
• The majority of pupils are White British.
• A lower than average proportion of pupils is disadvantaged.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.
• Children enter the school in Reception on a full-time basis.
• The school is organised into a mixture of single-year classes and mixed-year classes.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in a range of lessons and in books.
• Inspectors observed and spoke with pupils during lessons, at breaktime and at lunchtime. They also met formally with groups of pupils from Year 1 to Year 6. In addition, inspectors considered the responses from 102 pupils to the online questionnaire.
• Inspectors heard pupils from Year 3 and Year 5 read.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders. Meetings also took place with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ work and a range of documents, including the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, performance management procedures and pupils’ attendance data. Inspectors also looked at information about pupils’ progress and attainment.
• Inspectors considered 96 parental responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also spoke with parents as they brought their children to school during the inspection.

Inspection team

Fiona McNally, lead inspector Ella Besharati Cathy Morgan

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector