Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School

Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 23–24 January 2012 Inspection number 380288 Unique Reference Number 121629 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 380288 Inspection dates 23–24 January 2012 Lead inspector Robert Pye

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 42 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Elizabeth Barker Headteacher Gary McHale Date of previous school inspection 10 October 2006 School address Kirkby Malham Skipton BD23 4BY Telephone number 01729 830214 Fax number 01729 830214 Email address headteacher@kirkby-in-malhamdale.n-yorks.sch.uk Inspection report: Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School, 23–24 January 2012 2 of 11

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Inspection report: Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School, 23–24 January 2012 3 of 11

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice by one additional inspector. He observed teaching and learning in seven lessons or part-lessons, taught by three teachers. He held meetings with pupils, teachers, support staff, parents and carers and members of the governing body. He observed the school's work, looked at school development planning, progress monitoring documentation, and also pupils' workbooks. The inspector also analysed 22 questionnaires returned by parents and carers, seven completed by staff and 39 returned by pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2. No responses from the online questionnaire (Parent View) were available to the inspector.

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Information about the school

Kirkby in Malhamdale is much smaller than the average primary school, serving a rural community. It has two classes, one for Key Stage 2 pupils and the other that combines children in the Early Years Foundation Stage with those in Years 1 and 2. All pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils identified as disabled or who have special educational needs is low. There are no pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals. The school meets the current floor standard. The headteacher was appointed since the previous inspection. The school has Healthy Schools status, Activemark, and Inclusion Quality Mark. Inspection report: Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School, 23–24 January 2012 4 of 11

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Information about the school

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 This is a good school. Pupils achieve well as a result of consistently good teaching, which moves at a good pace and contributes to their high attainment and good achievement overall. However, although progress in mathematics has improved at Key Stage 2, pupils do not reach the same level of achievement as in reading and writing. Teaching assistants are well trained and make a valuable contribution to learning across the school.

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Key Findings

 Pupils behave exceptionally well. They are encouraged to work and play together in an inclusive and nurturing environment and this fosters good relationships. They feel extremely safe in school, both physically and emotionally, and state confidently that the work of all the adults in the school is instrumental in bringing about this sense of security.

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Key Findings

 Assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage is used effectively to build on the children’s already well-developed skills and understanding, in order to provide challenging activities that further develop their communication skills.

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Key Findings

 The headteacher has developed an effective team of staff that is fully committed to all aspects of school life. The governing body is supportive, but has too little understanding of how to analyse the work of the school in order to help identify more accurately its future needs, especially in relation to work in mathematics.

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Key Findings

 An exceptionally strong emphasis on its promotion means that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils enjoy school and are well prepared for the next steps in their education. The school’s promotion of partnerships with parents, carers and other organisations to support pupils' learning and well-being is outstanding. Inspection report: Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School, 23–24 January 2012 5 of 11

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils' progress in Key stage 2 mathematics by: - ensuring the curriculum is tailored more specifically to challenge all pupils - ensuring pupils secure their knowledge of multiplication facts by the end of Year 4, so that they can apply them well to other mathematical concepts - increasing the involvement of the governing body, so that it may monitor and evaluate the impact of initiatives aimed to improve mathematics in Key Stage 2.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ achievement is good and is reflected in their ‘Learning Journeys.’ Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills levels and understanding that are above and often well above those typical for children of their age. Most speak with confidence and write simple words before they start in the Reception class. They make good progress in their first year in Class 1, which continues throughout Key Stage 1, where their attainment is consistently above average. Attainment is high by the end of Year 6. Pupils, therefore, make good progress over their time in school compared with their starting points, particularly in English. In all year groups, pupils receive good-quality teaching that uses a wide range of strategies that help to develop their communication skills and helps them to learn well and make good progress in most lessons. For example, in a Class 2 lesson, pupils learnt to use

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Achievement of pupils

technical vocabulary using the ‘curve of pursuit’, in order to draw fascinating illustrations.

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Achievement of pupils

Teachers in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 deliver a structured programme to encourage young readers’ grasp of the sounds that letters make. By the age of six, most pupils decode words well and have a mature understanding of the text. Attainment in reading is high at the end of Key Stage 1 and also by the end of Year 6. Pupils love to write and apply their skills well across the wider curriculum subjects. For example, pupils in Class 1 learnt how enlarge sentences and describe features by using a wide range of adjectives, which they had learnt with the teacher. Bespoke support to meet individual learning needs ensures that disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs are well supported and potential barriers to learning are minimised, thus improving their progress and attainment at a good rate. Parents and carers feel their children are achieving well and the comment ‘We are amazed at how much our child has grown in confidence and

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Achievement of pupils

are able to learn from trying new things’ sums up the views of many.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is good. Teachers are skilled facilitators of learning and make sure that individual pupils receive the right amount challenge to help them make good gains. Pupils say they find marking and feedback useful and have confidence in the help they receive. Teachers have high expectations and plan exciting lessons to stir pupils’ imagination and enthusiasm. For example, a Class 1 mathematics lesson was well planned and involved pupils discovering number calculations hidden around the class, whilst the youngest children dressed up as ‘Bob the Builder’ to make a huge tower, counting the blocks accurately along the way. Teachers and teaching assistants are skilled at questioning and consistently apply a clear Inspection report: Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School, 23–24 January 2012 6 of 11

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Quality of teaching

philosophy to promote language development by expanding pupils’ thoughts and imagination. For example, a teaching assistant listened to a Year 5 pupil reading about electricity from a computer screen, before extending the conversation to explore safety aspects and wider uses of electricity in the world. Reception-age children put on their wet- weather clothes and worked together outdoors to construct a marvellous six metre ‘water shoot.’ The teaching assistant modelled language associated with forces carefully, as well as challenging the children to make and test predictions. Teaching assistants deliver successful intervention programmes also in reading, writing and mathematics to disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, adding value to their progress.

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Quality of teaching

The school has recently developed a creative curriculum, responding to pupils’ interests and providing them with frequent opportunities to work collaboratively in small groups, as well as individually. The curriculum makes a significant impact on the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This was very apparent when viewing the pupils ‘Pirates of the Curry Bean’ performance, when pupils performed with confidence and shared a very clear sense of mutual enjoyment. No common weakness is evident in teaching. Rather, there are variations in the skill levels of teachers and the suitability of some aspects of the mathematics curriculum, which is not tailored sufficiently with sufficient challenge to allow some pupils to make faster progress in mathematics in a class where there are four year groups. Pupils’ knowledge of multiplication facts is not secured early enough for them to apply them confidently to wider mathematical concepts. This variability does not detract

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Quality of teaching

from a pattern of good teaching across all year groups. Parents and carers are extremely positive and supportive and feel that the pupils enjoy their time at the school and achieve well.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Generally, children enter the Reception Year with very well-developed personal and social skills. Teachers nurture this and adopt a consistent and effective approach to behaviour management. Pupils understand what is expected of them and respond well by continuing being polite and courteous to each other and with the adults in school. Many of them were confident to talk about their experiences of school and share their views with the inspector. They say that behaviour is always very good and that they feel free from bullying in any form. In lessons, their engaging behaviour contributes very well to their overall learning and complements the good teaching. The curriculum provides substantial opportunities for pupils to develop empathy, as well as respect for each other and themselves. Older pupils have strong opinions and a mature awareness of how to manage risks and keep safe in a variety of settings within their locality and in a wider context, including the use of modern

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

technologies, such as computers and mobile phones. They expressed confidence in the ‘helpful’ adults around them to keep them safe.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Positive attitudes are also evident in larger gatherings. The inspector observed the daily vigorous ‘Wake Up, Shake Up’ enjoyed by all pupils and staff. Humour and mutual respect were very apparent, leaving pupils with positive attitudes for the day. Similarly, pupils socialised well together while eating their healthy school meals, including older pupils helping younger ones with games and activities.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils take on wider responsibilities readily. For example, the school council worked without supervision in an orderly democratic manner to make suggestions and decisions to help improve the school. Pupils, parents and carers are very positive about the excellent Inspection report: Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School, 23–24 January 2012 7 of 11

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

behaviour and safety and support school by enabling attendance to remain consistently above average.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher and staff share their ambitions for continued improvement through clear priorities, supported by appropriate actions to realise these aims. They embrace the development of the ‘whole child’ in the context of a warm and caring family environment. This stance is supported by the governing body. Continued professional development of staff has led to consistently good teaching. Staff share responsibilities well and have a strong voice in shaping the school. The good curriculum makes a significant contribution to the pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, pupils learn about diverse cultures through sharing experiences with contrasting schools in Bradford and Sierra Leone. Systematic monitoring and evaluation of teaching is accurate and, coupled with the impact of well-targeted training, the effective deployment of staff and support from the governing body, add to the school’s good capacity to improve. The impact

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Leadership and management

of work to meet the social and emotional needs of children whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and to support the special educational needs of others has been effective. School leaders use assessment and progress tracking information well to identify where pupils need additional support and this ensures that the best use is made of the additional adults who provide bespoke support. This means that the school promotes equality effectively and there are no underachieving groups. Equality is promoted well and discrimination in any form is not tolerated and underpins the harmonious community.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher is forward looking. He takes a lead role in supporting other schools and has established partnerships with other schools locally to enable staff to benefit from shared ideas and others’ practice. These links benefit transition arrangements also as pupils move to their secondary phase of education. The school is active in seeking parents' and carers’ participation in the school community. The welcoming environment supported by many effective initiatives, including workshops and information events. Safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements and are managed well by the headteacher. Inspection report: Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School, 23–24 January 2012 8 of 11

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Inspection report: Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School, 23–24 January 2012 9 of 11

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning. Inspection report: Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School, 23–24 January 2012 10 of 11

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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School, Skipton, BD23 4BY

 Thank you all for your warm welcome when I visited your school recently. I enjoyed the tour of the school with some of you. You were very polite and kind to me. I am also grateful to those of you who came to talk to me on Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes. I was very impressed with your excellent behaviour around school and the way you support each other confidently in class.

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School, Skipton, BD23 4BY

Kirkby in Malhamdale is a good school. You are right to be proud of it. You are making good progress in your lessons and you enjoy learning. By the time you leave school at the end of Year 6, your attainment is well-above average and generally you make good progress to reach this point. You have well-developed knowledge on how to stay safe. The adults who work with you care for and look after you extremely well. In turn, older pupils look after younger children very well, too. You are not afraid to give visitors advice on how to stay healthy! Your school is skilled at developing your outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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School, Skipton, BD23 4BY

Your headteacher and all the other staff are very proud of you and they are always looking for ways to make the school even better. I would like to help them with this, so I have asked your teachers to ensure work is challenging in order to help you learn faster in mathematics by adapting the curriculum to help you learn key skills, including multiplication facts earlier on in Class 2. I would like the governing body also to get better at making checks on how well the school is doing.

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School, Skipton, BD23 4BY

Thank you again for your kindness to us. Please keep working hard and looking after each other.

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School, Skipton, BD23 4BY

Robert Pye Lead inspector Inspection report: Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School, 23–24 January 2012 11 of 11

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School, Skipton, BD23 4BY

procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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