Snainton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Snainton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Pickering Road East, Snainton, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO13 9AF

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Achievement is not yet good in Key Stage 2. The progress that pupils make varies too much between year groups and subjects.  The quality of teaching over time is not good. There is some lack of challenge for pupils, particularly for more-able pupils.  The curriculum is not good because there are not enough opportunities for pupils to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills across a range of subjects, in addition to English and mathematics.  Leaders have not improved the quality of teaching quickly enough over time so that pupils make good progress.  The governing body does not yet challenge the school on the achievement of pupils currently in the school.  There have been some very recent improvements, but some are still too new for them to have had an impact in enabling pupils to make up for weak teaching over time in Key Stage 2.

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The school has the following strengths

 Teaching in the Reception and Key Stage 1 is consistently good which has led to pupils making good progress.  The headteacher has taken recent action to improve teaching in Key Stage 2 and there are now early signs of pupils making better progress.  Behaviour and safety are good. Pupils feel safe in school and they are always polite and well behaved in lessons and around the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed five lessons. In addition, he made a number of short visits to lessons and listened to pupils reading.  Meetings were held with staff, pupils, a representative from the local authority and the Chair of the Governing Body.  There were insufficient responses to the on-line questionnaire ‘Parent View’ to be taken into account in this inspection. However, a number of parents were spoken to and the inspector scrutinised a questionnaire that the school had given to parents prior to the inspection.  The inspector scrutinised a number of documents including school improvement plans, minutes of the governing body meetings and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Robert Jones, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  A below average proportion of pupils is eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for those pupils in local authority care and for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children from service families.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus and with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  In 2012, the school did not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  One Key Stage 2 class is being taught by two part-time temporary teachers.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 and pupils’ progress so they become at least good by:  ensuring that pupils have sufficient time to read and respond to the feedback they receive in teachers' marking of their work  making sure that teachers do not guide learning too much and give pupils more opportunities to work in groups and on their own  offering increased challenge to the more-able pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Widen pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills by:  reviewing the curriculum so that pupils can develop their knowledge, understanding and skills across all subjects and not only in English and mathematics  ensuring that pupils develop good skills in using information and communication technology (ICT) across a range of subjects  providing better opportunities for pupils to develop their literacy and numeracy skills in different subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management so they become at least good by:  ensuring that the governing body has sufficient information on the achievement of pupils so that members are able to challenge the school take appropriate action if any pupils underachieve  creating better development plans so that goals set and intended outcomes can be measured easily and accurately by the governing body and the local authority  checking the quality of teaching more rigorously so that its overall quality improves at a faster rate.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Over time, the progress pupils make from their starting points varies too much. This is because the quality of teaching is not consistently good across the school. In 2012, this led to pupils making weak progress in mathematics and English and the floor standards not being met. In 2011, however, pupils had made good progress from their starting points in all subjects.  On entry to Reception, children generally have social skills and problem-solving skills that are appropriate for their age, but their skills are well below expectations in communication, language and literacy.  In Year 1 and Year 2, pupils make good progress. They quickly develop a good understanding how sounds relate to their letters and how to apply their mathematical skills to real-life situations.  Between Year 3 and Year 6, the pace of progress slows so that by the time most pupils reach the end of Year 6, they have not made good progress in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to that of their peers. In reading, they make good progress because a well-planned scheme designed to boost pupils’ reading skills is having a good impact.  No pupils who left in Year 6 in 2012 were known to be eligible for the pupil premium. However, inspection evidence indicates that those who are currently in the school, including those eligible for free school meals, are making as much progress as other pupils.  Pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills in subjects other than English and mathematics require improvement. This is because the school day has not been planned well enough to make sure pupils develop their abilities in a broad range of subjects, including design and technology, geography, history and science. Pupils have some ICT skills although they are generally not as good as they might be as their skills are not developed well across a range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Moreover, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to improve their mathematics and English skills across all subjects.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching over time in Key Stage 2 has been weak, which has led to pupils not acquiring the knowledge and skills to enable them to achieve well.  Lessons in Key Stage 2 are sometimes too heavily directed by the teacher, which prevents pupils from being fully involved in their own learning through pair and group work or by working on their own.  Sometimes, more-able pupils are not challenged as well as they could be and they find the work too easy.  Recently however, the quality of teaching has improved significantly in Key Stage 2. Pupils are now more fully involved in their own learning, saying they now feel far more confident in asking for help if it is needed.  The quality of teachers' feedback to pupils in their marking varies in quality, although it is improving significantly overall. However, pupils are not always given the time to read and respond to the feedback that they are given.  In one mathematics lesson where teaching was outstanding, pupils enthusiastically made up

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

their own algebraic problems for others to solve. Drama is used imaginatively to bring texts alive for pupils. In one lesson, pupils explored emotions in Ted Hughes’ poem The Iron Man through drama. These are, however, very recent improvements which means that while there is clear evidence that the quality of teaching is improving, it has not yet had enough impact to ensure that pupils make good progress.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, teaching is consistently of a high standard. Children and pupils work well on their own and can concentrate for long periods of time.  In Key Stage 1, pupils are questioned well so that they are able to answer in full sentences which improves their speaking skills. The tasks that they are given are carefully designed to meet their different needs and abilities.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave courteously towards each other and to adults throughout the school day. They are adamant that bullying does not happen in school but that if it did, there is always a caring adult to turn to.  In lessons, pupils apply themselves diligently to their work and, particularly in Key Stage 1, concentrate hard for long periods of time.  Children who arrive in the Reception show very well-developed social skills and quickly learn to share toys and equipment and to take turns.  Pupils understand the nature of cyber safety and about the safe use of the Internet.  The school keeps careful logs of behaviour so that school leaders can keep track of patterns of behaviour and take action when it is needed.  Attendance is average, although a very small minority of pupils are late for school in the morning.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders have not, over time, ensured that the quality of teaching is good enough across the whole school and this has led to some pupils underachieving. Similarly, school leaders have not checked that pupils develop their knowledge, understanding and a range of skills across all subjects.  The curriculum in Key Stage 1 and the Early Years Foundation Stage is good and ensures that children develop skills well both indoors and outdoors. Similarly, the curriculum for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good and particularly so where the school day is carefully customised for those who need the most support.  A careful audit is regularly undertaken to ensure that the pupil premium benefits the pupils for whom it is intended. A well-planned reading intervention programme is ensuring that these pupils make good progress in their reading.  The headteacher has recently increased the rigour of the checks made on the quality of teaching

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The leadership and management requires improvement

and has put in place measures to improve it.  School development plans have identified the correct areas for improvement but they lack measurable goals so that the governing body and local authority can hold the school closely to account for the actions it takes.  The school meets all current safeguarding requirements.  Equal opportunities are promoted by ensuring that any harassment or bullying is tackled decisively whenever it occurs.  The local authority provides regular support to the school, particularly in improving the quality of teaching in English and mathematics. It has, over time, provided training and support which has contributed to the good teaching and achievement now apparent in Key Stage 1 and Reception.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a good understanding of the achievement of pupils who have recently left the school but crucially, its members do not have sufficient information on how well pupils

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The leadership and management requires improvement

currently in the school are doing. In 2012, pupils’ underachievement was not foreseen by the governing body, because its members were not made aware of exactly how well pupils were doing. The governing body makes checks on the spending on the pupil premium regularly. Over time, the governing body has not been as effective as it might be in ensuring that inadequate teaching is tackled robustly. Recently however, it has increased the rigour of its checks so that teachers’ performance is linked to their salary progression and that the quality of teaching, particularly in Key Stage 2 continues to improve.

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 121515 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 406032

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 52 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Robert Williams Headteacher Ruth Wackett Date of previous school inspection 13 June 2011 Telephone number 01723 859229 Fax number 01723 859229 Email address admin@snainton.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 (Carcass), 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

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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