Kirk Hammerton Church of England Primary School

Kirk Hammerton Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 26–27 March 2012 Inspection number 380271 Unique Reference Number 121572 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 380271 Inspection dates 26–27 March 2012 Lead inspector Christine Harrison

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 44 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Zara Chantler Headteacher Emma Miller Date of previous school inspection 4 June 2009 School address St John's Grove Kirk Hammerton York YO26 8DE Telephone number 01423 330460 Fax number 01423 331706 Email address admin@kirkhammerton.n-yorks.sch.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspector observed 10 lessons and each teacher who was in school was seen teaching at least once. The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and teacher-in-charge, members of the governing body and a group of pupils. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. She observed the school’s work and reviewed documentation including records of pupils’ progress, the school’s records of lesson observations, development plans, and minutes of governing body meetings. The inspector scrutinised 25 questionnaires returned by parents and carers and also those from pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

This is a much smaller than the average-sized primary school serving the village of Kirk Hammerton and the surrounding rural area. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below the national average. The number who speak English as an additional language is broadly average but all are fluent speakers of English. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. The number of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below the national average. In 2011, the school did not meet the current floor standard, whereby the government sets the minimum expectations for attainment and progress. The school had two successive temporary headteachers in the previous school year. The current headteacher, who took up her post in September 2011, is also headteacher of a neighbouring school and divides her time equally between the two schools. Two teachers are also new to the school this year.

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Information about the school

Since September, the three classes have been reorganised and now cover Reception and Year 1, Years 2 and 3 and Years 4, 5 and 6. The school has a ‘3.30 Club’ which offers care for pupils before and after the school day. 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 satisfactory and improving school. Pupils enjoy their time in school and parents and carers are overwhelmingly appreciative of the care and individual attention that the school provides. The school is not good because the achievement of older pupils is not better than satisfactory, reflecting the satisfactory quality of teaching they receive.

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Key Findings

 Pupils’ attainment is broadly average and achievement is satisfactory overall. However, pupils’ achievement in mathematics, although improving and now satisfactory, is not yet as good as it is in reading and writing. Younger pupils now make good progress. The achievement of older pupils is still affected by weaknesses in their learning in previous years.

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Key Findings

 Teachers use imaginative strategies and interesting resources to help pupils learn. They have established very good relationships with pupils. Nevertheless, the quality of teaching is satisfactory overall because teachers do not always match activities to the precise needs of different groups of pupils or include them in assessing their own work.

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Key Findings

 Pupils’ behaviour is good, both around the school and in lessons. Even when teaching does not quite meet their needs, they remain quiet and cooperative, though sometimes their concentration is not as strong as it might be. Attendance is well above the national average. Pupils are happy to come to school and one parent, reflecting the views of many, wrote: ‘All three children look forward to school and come home enthusiastic to discuss their learning.’

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Key Findings

 The headteacher has only been in post for two terms but she has already secured significant improvements. The leadership of teaching and management of performance have been particularly effective. Attainment has risen and, although a few shortcomings in teaching remain, inadequate teaching has been eradicated. Teachers now are improving their skills, especially in assessing pupils’ progress. Collective worship makes a strong contribution to pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend the work to improve pupils’ achievement in mathematics by: - ensuring that younger pupils are always provided with suitable apparatus to help them calculate - providing more opportunities for pupils to enhance and reinforce their knowledge of basic facts about numbers - ensuring that older pupils accurately write down the steps they have taken when solving more complex problems.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of teaching which is at least good by: - planning activities that are sufficiently challenging for each group of pupils and enabling them all to make good progress - making pupils more aware of the levels at which they are working and encouraging them to take more responsibility for their own progress.

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Achievement of pupils

Almost all parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire agree that their children make good progress and several comment that progress is now better than it was. The inspector judges overall progress to be satisfactory but agrees with parents and carers that it has accelerated significantly this year.

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Achievement of pupils

Children arrive in Reception with skills that match those expected for their age and make good progress while in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They work alongside Year 1 pupils and both year groups make particularly good progress in learning letters and the sounds they make. Their development of numeracy skills is not as good as other aspects of their learning. At times, adults expect children to work things out in their heads before they are ready to do so and not enough use is made of, for example, touching objects when counting or using apparatus to work out number sentences.

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Achievement of pupils

Learning in other classes is satisfactory. It is good for all pupils when activities both hold their interest and are suitably challenging. However, this is not always the case and older pupils indicated how challenge varies when several of them said: ‘Sometimes the work is too hard and sometimes it is too easy.’ On these occasions the pace of learning is not always fast enough for all abilities. Pupils are particularly adept at learning from each other and make good use of opportunities to discuss ideas in pairs. This was seen in a lesson for older pupils when a few pairs collaborated effectively to identify the steps required to solve problems which, at first sight, they thought were too difficult.

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Achievement of pupils

Achievement is satisfactory. Attainment is now broadly average and is much improved on the low results of national tests in 2011. Since then much has changed. In particular, assessments are now regular and have been thoroughly checked. Any underachievement is now quickly identified and appropriate action taken to overcome any weaknesses. This has raised significantly progress throughout the school. Pupils’ attainment in reading is average at the end of Year 2 and slightly above average in Year 6. Pupils speak highly of the ‘reading circles’ that have been introduced this term and which are helping to improve both reading and writing. Pupils prepare particular roles for the circle and take turns to be, for example, the discussion director, the investigator or the connector, thus helping them to get the most out of their reading. Attainment in writing is broadly average.

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Achievement of pupils

Early in this school year, the new headteacher discovered gaps in pupils’ learning in mathematics in Key Stage 2. She brought in advisors to help the school improve teaching in mathematics. The support has been effective and pupils are now making satisfactory progress in the subject. However, some older pupils still have gaps in their knowledge of basic number facts and are sometimes confused about whether multiplication or division is the appropriate procedure to solve a particular problem. Pupils often do not show their workings out properly when solving more complex problems and so risk making mistakes.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well known as individuals and the arrangements for them have improved this year. They are supported well both in lessons and when they are given extra help beyond the usual lessons. As a result, they make progress that matches that of others in their class.

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Quality of teaching

Most parents and carers consider teaching to be good. The inspector judged teaching to be satisfactory overall but agrees that there are pockets of good and outstanding teaching, especially for the younger children. For example, in the Early Years Foundation Stage, children thoroughly enjoyed learning the reasons for birds having particular features. This effective lesson used some ingenious, school-produced models of legs, eyes and beaks and led to much enjoyment.

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Quality of teaching

In most lessons, throughout the school, teachers plan lessons that have interesting resources and engage pupils’ interest. Teachers have good relationships with pupils so that there are no problems in managing behaviour. In the better lessons, pupils are fully engaged in finding things out, whether it is identifying where the letter ‘c’ does not make its usual sound or trying to identify which mathematical process is required to solve a problem. In an outstanding music lesson, pupils expanded their understanding of different musical styles, fully explored the differences between performing indoors and outdoors and then rehearsed their singing of songs from the Second World War with skill, confidence and enjoyment.

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Quality of teaching

In less successful lessons, pupils spend too much time on tasks that are not sufficiently demanding. Potentially good teaching strategies are not fully exploited so that teaching becomes satisfactory rather than good. For example, a simulation of an air raid was used effectively to inspire and help pupils plan their writing but then the writing was not started immediately and the momentum was lost. Pupils are not always sufficiently challenged. For example, one group spent too long cutting out pictures of creatures before starting the more demanding task of arranging them into a food web.

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Quality of teaching

While there are some weaknesses in the planning of individual lessons to ensure consistently good progress, the overall planning of the curriculum is good. Subjects are woven together imaginatively to capture pupils’ interest. For example, parents and carers commented on how much the pupils have enjoyed their study of the Second World War. Teachers promote literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum. Teachers’ contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength. In particular, pupils are frequently encouraged to reflect and consider how they would be feeling in particular situations.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers’ marking is good and pupils receive clear information about what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. Pupils know their targets but do not always know the level at which they are currently working. They are not given the responsibility for tracking their own progress and this reduces their motivation to try harder to reach and exceed their targets.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The atmosphere around school is warm and friendly. Pupils play well together in the playground and there is good mixing of boys and girls of all ages in the various games. It was interesting to see one very small girl holding her own in a lively, impromptu game of football with some much bigger boys. Pupils recognise that behaviour in the playground was not as good in the past but they confirm how much it has improved and that it is now consistently good. Pupils maintain good behaviour in lessons, even when some of the work is not quite pitched at the correct level or an activity continues for longer than it should. However, their concentration is not quite as good in these circumstances and they do not learn as effectively as they might.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Parents and carers say that their children feel safe in school and pupils have no hesitation in confirming that they do. Pupils are aware of different types of bullying and understand that their actions can upset others. They say that there is no problem with bullying now and they are well informed about what to do if such an incident should occur. Pupils receive good information about how to stay safe, particularly from recent workshops undertaken by Year 6. The links with the neighbouring school, which the headteacher also leads, are providing valuable opportunities for pupils to work and play within a larger group and this prepares them also for their transfer to secondary school.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher has only been in post this academic year but she has, as one parent said, ‘taken the school by the scruff of its neck’ and made very significant improvements. In doing so, she has gained the full support of staff, governors and almost all parents and carers. Local authority reports indicate that some teaching was inadequate at the beginning of the school year; this is no longer the case. Teaching is now always at least satisfactory, with much that is good. A carefully planned programme of professional development has been provided for staff after a period in which there had been no such opportunities. In particular, teachers have received training in assessing pupils’ attainment so that assessments are now reliable and beginning to be used more effectively in planning lessons. Although pupils’ achievement remains satisfactory overall, there are clear indications of improvement, especially in the good progress now being made by younger pupils.

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Leadership and management

The school’s status as a Church of England school is an important aspect of its ethos. The daily act of collective worship is used most effectively to broaden pupils’ understanding and enhance all aspects of their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school’s curriculum has good breadth and balance, with a good range of extra-curricular activities and visits to extend pupils’ experience. With the improvement in attainment pupils are now well prepared for the next stage of their education. The ‘3.30 Club’ provides a safe and supportive environment for pupils at the end of the school day and takes full advantage of the school’s excellent outside space.

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Leadership and management

The school’s leaders and teachers are determined to provide equal opportunities for each individual pupil and there is no evidence of any pupil or group of pupils being disadvantaged. However, because all pupils do not yet achieve as well as possible, equality of opportunity is satisfactory rather than good. The school’s arrangements for safeguarding fully meet requirements. Governors are supportive and extremely committed to the school. They have dealt successfully with several recent challenges, particularly in relation to staffing.

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Leadership and management

Morale in school is high and all staff feel valued and part of the team. The collaborative approach to the school’s self-evaluation means not only that staff have a clear understanding of priorities but also demonstrate a shared endeavour to implement change. The rapid pace of change and the good planning for sustained improvement in the future, especially in teaching and performance, indicates good capacity for further improvement.

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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.

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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.

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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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YO26 8DE

As you know, I visited your school recently to find out how well you are learning. I am writing to tell you about my findings. However, first of all I would like to thank you all for the welcome you gave me and for talking to me and giving me your views on the school.

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YO26 8DE

I judged your school to be satisfactory. I was particularly impressed by your good behaviour and the way you all play so well together in the playground. Your attendance is also much higher than in many schools. Well done! It is also good to see how successful your new headteacher and other leaders have been in making improvements to the school this year.

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YO26 8DE

However, there are things about the school that could be improved. You are not doing quite as well in mathematics as you are in reading and writing. I have asked your teachers to help you make better progress in mathematics. Much of the teaching in the school is good but some is only satisfactory. As you told me, the work you are given is sometimes too hard and sometimes too easy. I have asked teachers to make sure that the work given to each group is just the right level of difficulty so that you can all make good progress. I hope you will play your part and try really hard, even if sometimes things are not quite as easy as they used to be.

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YO26 8DE

I really enjoyed my time in your school. I will particularly remember the collective worship on Tuesday, with the lovely violin playing and your beautiful singing of ‘I’m OK.’ I hope your performance of the World War 2 songs goes well on Friday and I am sure it will. I wish you all the very best for the future.  Yours sincerely

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YO26 8DE

Christine Harrison Lead Inspector 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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