Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 18–19 April 2012 Inspection number 379507 Unique Reference Number 117971 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 379507 Inspection dates 18–19 April 2012 Lead inspector Robert Jones

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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 426 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gillian Pickford Headteacher Clive Hyland Date of previous school inspection 9 October 2008 School address St Giles’ Croft Beverley HU17 8LA Telephone number 01482 869947 Fax number 01482 886018 Email address office@minster.eriding.net Inspection report: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 2 of 13

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Inspection report: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 3 of 13

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Introduction

Robert Jones Michael Wintle Additional inspector Additional inspector Jennifer Firth Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. Inspectors observed 23 lessons taught by 16 teachers, of which four were joint observations with senior leaders. Meetings were held with staff, pupils and a member of the governing body. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online Parent View survey in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documentation, including behaviour and bullying records, documents relating to the school’s self-evaluation and safeguarding records. They also listened to pupils reading, looked at the work in pupils’ books and examined the tracking systems used to monitor pupils’ progress. Inspectors considered the 197 questionnaires received from parents and carers as well as others from pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

This is a larger than average-size primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. Fewer pupils than average belong to minority ethnic groups and less than the national average speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus and those who have special educational needs is below average. The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

The headteacher works in the school for three days in the week, with the deputy headteacher assuming the role of acting headteacher for the remaining two days. The school has received several awards, including Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark. Inspection report: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 4 of 13

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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 satisfactory school. It is not yet good because monitoring and evaluation by leaders and managers have not been rigorous enough to ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently good enough for pupils to make better than satisfactory progress. Moreover, the school has not yet improved pupils’ behaviour to the point where it is consistently good. 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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Key Findings

 Achievement is satisfactory because pupils make satisfactory progress in all subjects throughout their time in school and reach standards of attainment that are broadly average by Year 6. The school’s development of library facilities and the early identification of pupils who have difficulty learning to read ensure most pupils make satisfactory progress in reading.

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Key Findings

 The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Its quality varies too much between classes, which means that pupils’ progress is uneven during their time at school. In some classes, teachers design lessons that involve pupils fully in their learning and stretch them well. In other lessons, tasks are repetitive and mundane, which fail to challenge or engage pupils.

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Key Findings

 Behaviour is variable in the school but satisfactory overall. Where teaching is good or better, pupils respond with good behaviour. If teaching fails to capture their attention, pupils begin to chatter and are distracted in class. In the playground, pupils’ behaviour is variable mainly because there is little for them to do. The majority of pupils feel safe in school.

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Key Findings

 Satisfactory leadership and management ensure the school runs smoothly from day-to- day. School leaders use tracking systems to ensure attainment does not fall below the national average. The leadership of teaching and the management of teachers’ performance are satisfactory. Inspection report: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 5 of 13

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality and consistency of teaching so it is at least good by:  increasing the opportunities for pupils to be fully involved in their own learning through, for example, group work, discussions and working in teams  making the best of every opportunity to develop children’s communication, language and literacy skills across all areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage  improving the consistency of written feedback on pupils’ work so that they are left in no doubt what they need to do to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ behaviour so it is at least good by:  ensuring there is a rigorous, centralised system to record behaviour-related issues so that school leaders can effectively monitor them and take decisive and prompt action when they occur  providing activities, games and play equipment for pupils to use in the playground during playtimes and lunchtimes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the rigour of monitoring, evaluation and target-setting so that achievement becomes good or better by:  expanding the role of middle leaders so they are fully involved in monitoring, evaluating and improving the quality of teaching  ensuring that teachers are held to account fully for the progress of pupils, and that pupils’ targets are regularly reviewed so that they are challenging and achievable  developing an efficient and accessible assessment and recording system so that it is easy to track the progress of all groups of pupils over time.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils make most progress when they are involved fully in their learning by taking part in group work, discussions or working in teams. In these lessons, they respond with exemplary behaviour. In one such lesson, pupils developed their speaking skills very well by collaborating on a topic about the Saxons which required them to discuss artefacts found at Sutton Hoo. In some lessons, however, pupils are passive as they listen to overlong instructions that sometimes lack precision. This means time is wasted as pupils are not directly involved in their own learning. This inconsistency in the pace of learning means that during their time in school, pupils’ progress is uneven. Consequently, by the time pupils reach the end of Year 6, they have made satisfactory progress and their attainment is broadly average. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs also make satisfactory progress and receive appropriate support to ensure they do not fall behind with

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Achievement of pupils

their reading, writing or mathematics skills. Inspection report: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 6 of 13

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Achievement of pupils

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children begin school with skills that are expected for their age. While children make satisfactory progress during their time in Reception, there are missed opportunities to develop children’s communication, language and literacy skills across all areas of learning. Throughout the school, pupils develop their reading skills appropriately, both in class and by making good use of the school’s well-stocked library. This results in pupils making satisfactory progress in reading and by the time they reach the end of Key Stage 1, their attainment in reading is broadly average. By the time pupils reach the end of Year 6, their attainment in reading is average. This represents satisfactory progress from their starting points.

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Achievement of pupils

Parents and carers are generally satisfied with the progress their children are making, with some praising the support offered for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Some express concerns about the lack of challenge in some classes. The inspection findings endorse these views.

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Quality of teaching

The quality of teaching in the school varies from outstanding to inadequate. In the best lessons, teachers show good subject knowledge and pupils, particularly the high attainers, are challenged well. In these lessons, there are ample opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively which develops their social skills. In one outstanding mathematics lesson, pupils explained to each other how to use the ‘Chinese method’ of calculating two-digit numbers quickly. In less successful lessons, teaching lacks spark, relies heavily on long instructions and fails to enthuse or engage pupils. Similarly, the teaching of reading varies in quality. Where it is most successful, pupils are given good opportunities to discuss the literature and how characters in stories might feel. Where it is less successful, pupils spend long periods of time listening to the teacher reading the story. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive appropriate support for their needs through targeted

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Quality of teaching

small group teaching or, on occasions, by receiving one-to-one tuition. This ensures that pupils who still find reading difficult in Key Stage 2 are able to read adequately by the time they leave school.

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Quality of teaching

The quality of written feedback on pupils’ work varies in quality. Where it is good, teachers give pupils praise and very specific advice on how to improve their work. Too often, however, marking is either absent or pupils’ work is simply ticked, which does not help pupils understand what they need to do to improve.

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Quality of teaching

Parents and carers are generally happy with the quality of teaching. Some express concern about the level of challenge afforded to their children and the inconsistency of teaching across the school. The inspection findings endorse the views of parents and carers.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The overwhelming majority of parents and carers and pupils feel the school is safe and secure. Some parents expressed concern that bullying issues are not dealt with effectively. The inspection team investigated this issue thoroughly. They found that pupils were confident that bullying issues are dealt with effectively by the majority of staff. However, records relating to bullying and behaviour are not held centrally, but kept in classrooms. This has resulted in inconsistency in the quality of record keeping which has made it difficult Inspection report: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 7 of 13

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

for school leaders to monitor patterns of pupils’ behaviour and take prompt, decisive action when incidents occur. Pupils are well aware of the different kinds of bullying and have a good understanding of safety in relation to the internet and mobile electronic devices.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

At lunchtimes and breaktime, pupils say there is not much for them to do outside, and this results in pupils’ behaviour sometimes being boisterous. Pupils say there is equipment available for them to play with, but that it is not always brought out for them. Despite this, pupils say they generally enjoy school, which is reflected in their above-average attendance.

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Leadership and management

School leaders analyse any differences in achievement between subjects and introduce measures to address known areas of weakness. In the national tests for Year 6 in 2011, pupils made less progress in writing than they did in reading and mathematics. In response, school leaders introduced new schemes for writing, which are showing early signs of success. Weaknesses in pupils’ use of information and communication technology (ICT) have been addressed successfully through improved access to computers and the introduction of a well-used virtual learning environment. Such improvements demonstrate a satisfactory capacity to improve further.

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Leadership and management

While middle leaders have a role in introducing new schemes, they are not involved enough in the monitoring or evaluation of these initiatives to ensure that the quality of teaching improves. School leaders have provided professional development programmes for staff. For example, strategies have been introduced to enable teachers to assess pupils’ work more accurately, but there is insufficient rigour in holding teachers to account for the progress of pupils in their classes and for setting targets that are challenging but achievable. This has resulted in inconsistencies in rates of progress between different classes. The systems used to track pupils’ progress over time do not identify quickly enough those pupils who are at risk of underachievement or to monitor the progress of different groups of pupils. In turn, this is limiting the governing body’s ability to challenge school leaders fully on matters

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is rich and varied and helps pupils to make connections between different subjects. Assemblies, a range of visits and visitors to the school and a variety of musical events, including ‘Minster’s got talent’ contribute to pupils’ enjoyment of the curriculum and contributes to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In one excellent assembly, pupils reflected thoughtfully on their long- and short-term goals.

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Leadership and management

The school promotes equality of opportunity satisfactorily; this is most evident in promoting reading for boys through the refurbished library facilities. Discrimination is tackled decisively when it is detected, although record keeping in relation to behaviour and bullying lacks rigour. The school meets current safeguarding requirements.

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Leadership and management

Parents and carers make positive comments about the variety in the curriculum. Some say the school is ‘coasting’ or ‘complacent’, with staff being satisfied with no more than satisfactory achievement. Others are concerned about the arrangements relating to the shared headship and how this might lead to inconsistencies. The inspection team did find inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and record keeping. Inspection report: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 8 of 13 Inspection report: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 9 of 13

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 December 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 sta tistics 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: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 10 of 13

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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

Attendance the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance

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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

Floor standards 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

the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures

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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: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 11 of 13 Inspection report: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 12 of 13

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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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Primary School, Beverley – HU17 8LA

 Thank you for the welcome you gave the team when we came to inspect your school recently. We judged your school to be satisfactory.

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Primary School, Beverley – HU17 8LA

Your achievement is satisfactory by the time you leave school in Year 6. You told us about all the interesting things you do in school, such as the sports clubs and orchestra that help you enjoy your time in school. We were impressed by your new school library, that is helping both boys and girls to enjoy reading, and by how well the librarians looked after the books. We also enjoyed looking at the work you were doing with your new virtual learning environment.

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Primary School, Beverley – HU17 8LA

To improve your school, we have asked your headteacher, governors and staff to do three things. First, to improve teaching, so it is at least good in all classes. You will notice that teachers will be involving you in actively learning in groups instead of listening too long to instructions. You will also be receiving detailed comments on your work that tell you exactly how to improve it. Second, we have asked the school to improve behaviour so it is always at least good. You told us how there is not much to do at playtimes, so we have asked that you are always provided with something to do, such as using playground games and equipment. Third, that your teachers and school leaders keep a very close eye on your progress so that you make better than just satisfactory progress by the time you leave school.

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Primary School, Beverley – HU17 8LA

You can help by suggesting ideas through your school council about ways to improve behaviour during breaktimes and lunchtimes so that it is always good.

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Primary School, Beverley – HU17 8LA

Robert Jones Lead inspector Inspection report: Beverley Minster Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 April 2012 13 of 13

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Primary School, Beverley – HU17 8LA

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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