Sherburn in Elmet, Athelstan Community Primary School

Sherburn in Elmet, Athelstan Community Primary School Rose Avenue, Sherburn-in-Elmet, Selby, North Yorkshire, LS25 6AY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress in learning to read, write and in mathematics.  Teaching is good, and a small amount is outstanding.  Teachers give the pupils varied work which captures their interest. Activities in science and the arts are enriched by the use of the school’s orchard and by visits and visitors.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are eager to learn and are polite, confident and friendly. Pupils say that they enjoy school and feel safe.  The headteacher and the governing body have ensured that the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress have improved since the previous inspection.  Children now make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes, because the activities are just right for them.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching.  Teachers do not always question pupils closely enough or make sure they work as quickly as they could.  Teachers’ comments do not always show pupils how to improve their work.  The school’s leaders do not always make it clear to teachers how they can improve their good teaching to outstanding. Inspection report: Sherburn in Elmet, Athelstan Community Primary School , 23-24 January 2013 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons taught by nine teachers. They visited other activities for shorter periods of time. Four lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher. The inspectors listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, a representative and the Chair and vice-chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors took account of the 49 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also spoke with a small number of parents and looked at some written responses sent in by parents.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at work in pupils’ books, the school’s data on pupils’ progress, documents relating to safeguarding, and the school’s analysis of how well it is doing and its plan for further improvement.

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Inspection team

Liz Godman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Barbara Hudson Additional Inspector Inspection report: Sherburn in Elmet, Athelstan Community Primary School , 23-24 January 2013 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 The school is similar in size to the average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and children who are looked after) is below average.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to outstanding by ensuring that:  teachers question pupils more closely to encourage thinking and to check in greater detail how much they have understood  pupils work as quickly as they can in all lessons  teachers’ comments, both spoken and written, always show pupils how they can improve their work  leaders make it clear to teachers how they can improve the quality of their teaching to outstanding and leaders check that these improvements have been made. Inspection report: Sherburn in Elmet, Athelstan Community Primary School , 23-24 January 2013 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Nursery class with skills that are below those typical for their age. They make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes.  By the end of the Reception Year children’s skills in reading, writing and mathematics are typical for their age. Nursery and Reception children enjoy learning indoors and outside and talk clearly about what they are doing.  Good progress continues in Years 1 and 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils’ skills in reading are particularly strong and by Year 2, many are fluent readers. They use their knowledge of letters and sounds to work out what unfamiliar words say and can talk confidently about what they have read.  Pupils’ good progress continues in Key Stage 2. The proportion of pupils who make better than expected progress in reading is particularly high. Overall, pupils reach standards which are above average in English and mathematics, with high standards evident in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Many pupils in Years 3 to 6 also write confidently and accurately. They take care with handwriting, grammar and spelling, as well as with the content, which is well thought out and interesting. This is the result of the school’s careful focus on all aspects of writing.  Pupils in Year 6 speak confidently about their writing and about what they have read. They read fluently and with expression and understand what they have read. Most read regularly at home.  Pupils in Key Stage 2 also make good progress in mathematics. As well as being able to make accurate calculations, they are learning to solve problems and to use their mathematical knowledge in different subjects. For example, pupils apply their skills in calculating energy use as part of the Eco-school work and the school’s science weeks extend pupils’ use of mathematics in making measurements.  Pupils are well prepared for the transfer to secondary school. They are keen to learn and show

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The achievement of pupils is good

interest in a wide variety of subjects, including science, art and music.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because additional help in lessons and in small groups is closely matched to their needs.  Pupils known to be eligible for the free school meals (in receipt of pupil premium funding) also make good progress and achieve as well as other pupils. There were only a few of these pupils in Year 6 in 2012, but all of them made at least expected progress and reached the levels expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. They did better than all pupils nationally, but not quite as well as other pupils in the school, mainly because fewer of them reached the higher levels in English and mathematics. The gaps between how well these pupils are doing and all pupils in the school are closing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good in all classes and a small amount is outstanding. This ensures pupils’ good progress. This is reflected in their work and in the school’s data.  Teachers plan activities which help pupils to see the links between the different subjects. In a Year 2 and 3 mathematics lesson, pupils looked for woollen ‘caterpillars’ in the snow in the orchard, using their findings to make tally charts and frequency tables. The pupils made links with science, saying that some caterpillar colours provided better ‘camouflage from predators’.  Teachers make the lessons interesting and give pupils enough time to work with others or by themselves. Just occasionally, pupils do not make as much progress as they are capable of because they do not work as quickly or complete as much work as they should. This is because the teacher talks for too long or because the pupils take some time to settle to their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work is planned to match closely the needs of each pupil in the class. Teaching assistants provide good support to those with special educational needs, enabling them to play a full part in lessons and to make good progress.  A careful check is kept on pupils’ progress and this information is used well to provide extra help in reading, writing or mathematics, for example, for those with special educational needs or those known to be eligible for the pupil premium.  Teachers usually ask questions to check pupils’ understanding, but do not always follow this up with further questions which require pupils to expand their answers and to explain their knowledge and understanding in more detail.  However, where teaching is outstanding, the pupils are very skilled at assessing how well they have done and at thinking about how to improve their work. This and the high expectations of the teachers ensure that pupils’ progress is rapid and that the work produced is of a very high

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The quality of teaching is good

quality in both writing and mathematics.  Where teaching is good, rather than outstanding, pupils’ work is marked regularly. Pupils are usually asked to think about how they could improve their work and comments in their books usually give them ‘next steps’. However, this is not of the same high standard or as regular in every class.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons and are eager to learn. Just occasionally, in some lessons pupils’ attention wanders and they stop working when an adult is not nearby. Adults manage pupils’ behaviour effectively. This prevents any more serious behaviour difficulties from arising in lessons.  Good behaviour is expected of the pupils and they respond well to this. For example, in assembly they listen closely and are quiet and thoughtful.  Pupils are gaining in their understanding of others’ cultures and beliefs. They show respect because of the school’s carefully selected examples. These broaden their experience of the similarities and differences between people, for example in families, religion and the arts.  Pupils play safely and happily together and there is a very calm atmosphere in the dining room and in the classrooms during ‘indoor playtimes’. When playing outside, for example in the snow,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

pupils are sensible and careful. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes greatly enjoyed safe outdoor activities in the snow.  Pupils say that they feel safe and they have a good knowledge of how to stay safe because the school teaches them about this. Parents who completed the online questionnaire all agree that their children are happy and feel safe at school.  Bullying is rare. However, pupils say that it does happen occasionally, but that if they go to a peer mentor or an adult it is sorted out. A very few parents, who completed the questionnaire, disagree that bullying has been dealt with effectively. However, the inspection found no evidence either during the inspection or in the school records that this is a concern at the present time.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and her senior leadership team, together with the governing body, have ensured improvement since the previous inspection, so that all groups of pupils now make equally good progress.  The school makes good use of the pupil premium to reduce class sizes and to provide additional individual support to pupils. This ensures that those eligible make good progress.  However, leadership and management are not yet outstanding, because teaching and achievement are good rather than outstanding. The headteacher has a clear view of the quality of teaching. This information is used to make sure that staff receive suitable training and that promotion and pay awards are only given when this is merited. However, teachers are not always clear as to what exactly they need to do to improve the quality of their teaching to outstanding or when they have made these improvements.  Improvements have been made in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Good leadership in this

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The leadership and management are good

area ensures that the provision for children both indoors and outside supports their good progress in all the areas of learning.  Subject leaders promote the development of their particular subjects well, ensuring that teaching and the curriculum help pupils to make good progress in every area, including English, mathematics, science, art and music.  The curriculum is enriched by a wide range of visits and visitors. For example, pupils in Year 6 talked enthusiastically about their work with the poet in residence. The coordination of special educational needs is also effective and ensures that pupils receive timely help.  The positive models provided by adults show pupils how to take good care of one another and to get along together. This fosters good relationships and ensures that all pupils have an equal opportunity to be included fully in the life of the school.  Careful checks are made to ensure that pupils are safe in school and all safeguarding

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The leadership and management are good

requirements are met.  The school takes every step to keep parents well informed about the school’s work and parents are welcomed into school.  The expertise of the local authority has been used well to ensure that the school’s checks on its work and on the quality of teaching are accurate.  The governance of the school:  The work of the school’s governing body was judged as satisfactory at the school’s previous inspection. The governing body has responded strongly to this so that now its members have a very clear understanding of the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress because of the checks they make. The governing body manages the school’s resources very effectively. They make sure that leaders are challenged to ensure the good performance of teachers and teaching assistants and that the use of the pupil premium is enabling those pupils who are known to be entitled to the funding make good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

Inspection report: Sherburn in Elmet, Athelstan Community Primary School , 23-24 January 2013 7 of 9

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. Inspection report: Sherburn in Elmet, Athelstan Community Primary School , 23-24 January 2013 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 121461 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 402025

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 234 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Worlock Headteacher Karen O’Donnell Date of previous school inspection 16 November 2009 Telephone number 01977 684037 Fax number 01977 683172 Email address admin@athelstan.n-yorks.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

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School details

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

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