Stillington Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with sections 44(1) and 13(3) 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 assessment of pupils’ achievement is accurately documented so that all teachers, leaders, parents and governors have a clear understanding of pupils’ progress and attainment in all subjects; and so that underachievement is promptly identified and teachers can use the information to meet pupils’ needs closely ensuring that leaders regularly and rigorously check the quality of teaching, and its impact on different groups of learners, so that where there are issues, training can be provided to facilitate rapid improvements developing the curriculum so that there are regular opportunities for pupils to improve their skills in reading, writing and mathematics, as well as speaking skills developing opportunities within the curriculum for pupils to learn about different types of families and relationships evaluating accurately the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and the effectiveness of different areas of provision in the school, especially in the early years and key stage 1, so that everyone knows where the school is improving and where further improvement is needed.
• Urgently improve the quality of teaching in the early years and key stage 1, by: making regular checks on what pupils can and cannot do, so that learning tasks meet their needs closely and they are challenged to push themselves and reach higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics

raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can and should be able to do and giving them regular opportunities to practise and reinforce the key skills of reading, writing, mathematics and speaking. An external review of governance 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, including governors, do not have high enough expectations of staff or pupils. This means that low standards of teaching in the early years and key stage 1 have been accepted and that children and pupils make slow progress to develop key skills.
• Leaders do not have an accurate view of the provision in the school. Their over-generous view has come from a lack of rigour in the checks on teaching quality and on the assessment of pupils’ attainment and progress in the early years and key stage 1. As a result, leaders have not worked effectively to make urgent improvements and pupils have made inadequate progress in these areas across all subjects.
• Appraisal of teachers has not been consistently rigorous enough in terms of ensuring that teachers have clear targets for development and that teaching has a positive impact on pupils’ progress.
• Leadership of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities requires some improvement. While these pupils are identified and their needs are understood, the school relies too much on external agencies and support, and does not do enough to ensure that the everyday experiences these pupils receive are strong enough to support the work done by external agencies. This slows these pupils’ progress and development.
• The school does not ensure that there is equality of opportunity for all pupils, because there is a stark difference in quality between the provision in key stage 2, which is strong, and the provision for younger children and pupils, which is inadequate.
• Pupils’ skills in using phonics are underdeveloped. Since the last inspection, systems have been changed but have not effectively improved the provision for pupils, who continue to make slow progress in their general reading development.
• There are very few disadvantaged pupils in the school. These pupils do well and the pupil premium funding which is spent on them has a positive impact on their progress and their general well-being.
• The sports premium funding is also used well and has a positive impact on pupils’ willingness and enthusiasm for sport. Pupils have regular physical education lessons and opportunities to play a variety of sports after school. They enjoy these and said that they believe that sport has improved in recent years.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced and offers, for example, pupils regular opportunities for learning in art, music and sport. In key stage 2, the broader curriculum allows pupils to reinforce their reading, writing and mathematics skills, which supports the good progress they make. However, in key stage 1 and the early years, children and pupils do not have enough chances to practise and reinforce their skills. This contributes to the weak progress they make in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils have regular opportunities to go on visits, to welcome visitors to their school and to learn through a variety of experiences. This supports their understanding of different cultures and religions, such as the trip they recently took to a local mosque, where they saw how and where Muslims pray and found out about traditional festival dress.
• Pupils have opportunities to learn about British values, such as democracy and the rule of law, and historical events. For example, some key stage 1 pupils could talk well about the Great Fire of London and how we are safer from fire on such a grand scale today because of better housing and a fire service. However, pupils were not as clear about the ways in which people and families can be different and the need to treat them equally and respectfully.
• Leaders work actively with parents, who are pleased that their children are safe and happy at school. They feel well informed by the school and report that teachers and leaders are very approachable. However, some parents feel that there is not enough appropriate homework from school.
• The local authority brokered support from a national leader of education to support school leadership. Despite regular checks on provision and clear feedback regarding what the school must do, leaders in the school, including governors, have not used the advice provided, and urgent improvements have not been implemented to make the necessary improvements in the early years and at key stage 1. Improvements have been made in key stage 2 since the last inspection.

Governance of the school

• Governance is ineffective. Governors do not have a clear understanding of what is happening in the school. They have an overly positive view of the provision despite reports from the local authority identifying clear areas for improvement.
• The lack of accuracy in the assessment of the early years and key stage 1 means that the governors have not had an informed and accurate view of how well pupils are doing. They have not challenged leaders over the information they give them.
• The appraisal system is not well understood by the governors. They do not have a clear view of whether targets are challenging leaders and staff to improve their performance or ensuring that professional development needs are met.
• Governors have ensured that pupil premium funding has been spent well to improve the experiences of disadvantaged pupils and that the sports premium funding has improved the sporting opportunities for pupils across the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school has up-to-date policies which protect pupils and which are adhered to. Where necessary, the school works closely with families and outside agencies to support pupils. Governors and staff receive regular training so that they are fully aware of how to raise concerns and to ensure that pupils are safe in the school.
• Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

• Teaching, learning and assessment are weak. Specifically, the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics for all groups of pupils in key stage 1 is weak. This means that all groups of pupils make poor progress and too few reach the expected standards for their age. Consequently, they are not adequately prepared for their next stage of learning.
• In lessons, teachers do not check what pupils understand. This means that pupils’ misconceptions are not identified and cannot be addressed. This contributes to their poor progress in reading, writing and mathematics over time.
• Teachers in key stage 1 do not have high enough expectations of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Consequently, work is not challenging enough.
• Teaching for the most able pupils in key stage 1 is not sufficiently challenging because teachers have low expectations of what different groups of pupils can do. As a result, the most able pupils make slow progress. They do not reach greater depth in their learning, and do not move beyond the expected standards for their age.
• Questioning is particularly weak in key stage 1 teaching. There are low expectations of what the pupils are expected to do when answering questions; questioning is too simple and pupils are not pushed to give full, articulate answers and reasons for their answers.
• The teaching of phonics is weak. Teaching does not closely address the needs of different pupils. Adults are not skilled enough in developing the pupils’ phonics skills and there are not enough opportunities to reinforce phonics learning across different areas of the curriculum.
• The most and least able readers in key stage 2 read well and with confidence. They can talk about different authors and genres they enjoy. They are advised well in choosing books. In key stage 1, lower-ability readers in Year 2 are starting to develop better phonics skills and can sound out words with some accuracy. However, most-able readers do not read as fluently as they should be able to, and at times their books are too difficult for them.
• The quality of support given by teaching assistants does not enhance the provision for pupils in key stage 1. This was seen in phonics sessions observed, as well as in pupils’ books across all areas of the curriculum, where pupils make slow progress.
• In key stage 2, teaching is good. Pupils’ needs are met due to tailored activities which challenge them and improve their ability to work with increasing confidence. Because work is challenging, pupils evidently enjoy their learning and are enthusiastic and keen to do well.
• Teaching in key stage 2 also expects pupils to communicate clearly on a regular basis, and provides opportunities which give them the confidence to speak in front of others.
• Questioning in key stage 2 is strong and allows teachers to check what pupils understand in their learning and how well pupils can respond. This is also done through the regular checks of work in books. As a result, pupils in key stage 2 make good progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils feel safe in school. They said that they feel very strongly that all adults in the school take care of them well.
• Parents agreed that their children are safe and this is because they believe that all pupils conduct themselves well and that serious behaviour and bullying incidents are very rare. This is supported by the views of pupils and the behaviour records in school.
• Pupils understand what bullying is and what the difference is between bullying and having an argument. They have a clear understanding of how they can resolve arguments and what to do if they feel upset.
• Pupils understand the potential dangers in using the internet. They have e-safety lessons and activities on a regular basis and know what to do if they are worried about themselves or someone else going online.
• Most pupils have a school dinner, because they say they are very healthy and tasty. Dinner time is a very sociable time, with pupils of all ages sitting at small tables, serving one another and chatting happily. They also understand how to keep themselves fit and healthy by eating well and having regular physical activity.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. In key stage 1, attitudes vary because pupils are often disengaged during learning activities. This is because the work does not meet their needs or interests well and is often too easy.
• Pupils conduct themselves well at all times of the day, both inside and outside the classroom. In the playground, all pupils are engaged in play with other pupils in all age groups. Boys and girls also play together well.
• In key stage 2, pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive and they enjoy being challenged and working hard, which helps them to make good progress.
• Attendance is consistently above average. The high rates of attendance demonstrate that pupils understand the value of being at school every day. There are very few cases of pupils being persistently absent, with no pupils currently in this position.

Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

• Pupils in key stage 1 do not make enough progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Outcomes in the Year 1 phonics check are low, and the lack of knowledge hinders pupils’ progress in their reading generally.
• Teachers and leaders are not aware of the lack of progress being made in key stage 1 because assessment information is not accurate. This means they do not provide extra support where underachievement is apparent.
• The most able pupils in key stage 1, like other ability groups, do not make good progress. This is because they are not provided with work that challenges them and allows them to reach the highest standards.
• Pupils in key stage 1 who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not make enough progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• In key stage 2, outcomes for all groups of pupils currently in the school are strong across reading, writing and mathematics. This represents an improvement in this key stage since the last inspection, where outcomes were not good enough.
• There are no disadvantaged pupils currently in key stage 1. Those in key stage 2 make good progress and there are no differences between their attainment and progress and that of their peers in school. This means they are well prepared for their next stage of learning.
• In key stage 2, the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, thanks to challenging work that pushes them to the higher standards.

Early years provision Inadequate

• Most children arrive with skills and abilities which are typical for their age. From their starting points, children make inadequate progress. This is because their needs are not well understood by adults, and activities do not provide them with the chance to improve their development rapidly across the different learning areas.
• The provision does not fully support and reinforce the development of early skills, such as their phonics knowledge and their writing and numeracy skills.
• Assessment of children’s development is not accurate enough. Too little evidence is gathered to allow adults to form an accurate view of what children can already do and where there are gaps in their learning and development. This means that activities planned do not fill these gaps and progress in reading, writing, speaking and mathematics is too slow.
• Where observations are made, these are regularly shared with parents, who said they feel well informed by the setting. Observations include a commentary on what the child is doing and a picture of the activity, which parents reported they like a lot.
• The indoor and outdoor provision is not planned well enough to ensure that children have a varied diet of learning and are able to work increasingly to improve their skills. This is particularly the case with regard to their reading, writing and numeracy skills. As a result, children are not well engaged in their learning and can become distracted too easily.
• Children said they feel safe and that they know what to do if they are upset. They conduct themselves well and follow instructions, because there are well-established routines and clear expectations with regard to what children should do at different times of the day. However, children do not always have positive attitudes to learning. While they do not disrupt learning, they can become passive and disengaged due to less than stimulating activities.

This is

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 121324 North Yorkshire 10023811 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 Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 33 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Local authority Glynn Moakes Sarah Atkinson 01347 810347 www.stillington.n-yorks.sch.uk headteacher@stillington.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 20–21 January 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school.
• The majority of pupils are White British.
• A much lower than average proportion of pupils is disadvantaged.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• Children enter the school in Reception on a full-time basis.
• The school is organised into two mixed-year classes.
• Where there are fewer than 11 eligible pupils in a Year 6 cohort, schools are excluded from the floor standards measure.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning in both lessons and books.
• The inspector observed and spoke with pupils during lessons, at breaktime and at lunchtime. She also met formally with groups of pupils from Year 1 to Year 6.
• The inspector heard pupils read from Year 2 and Year 6.
• 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.
• The inspector 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. The inspector also looked at information about pupils’ progress and attainment.
• The inspector considered 10 parental responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). She also spoke with parents during the inspection.

Inspection team

Fiona McNally, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector