Egton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Egton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Egton, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO21 1UT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This is a good school

 The inspirational headteacher, with her very dedicated team of staff and governors meet the needs of all of the pupils exceptionally well and are determined to make the school even better. As a result, the school is improving rapidly and leadership and management are outstanding.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. All pupils at this exceptionally welcoming and caring school become confident and highly motivated learners. They get along exceptionally well together and show very high levels of respect to adults and each other. They feel safe here. They are excellent ambassadors for their school.  Pupils’ achievements are good and improving very rapidly because of the new organisation for classes. The work pupils are given to do and the care they receive from the staff is exceedingly well matched to their individual needs. Pupils’ progress in English is outstanding.  Teaching is good and rapidly improving because of the very positive impact of the

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This is a good school

recent training for teachers to move good teaching to outstanding. Teaching staff provide lessons that pupils thoroughly enjoy and they cater well for the large age range and the very wide ability range in each class.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The recent rapid improvements in pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching have not been sustained over a longer period of time.  Pupils’ progress in mathematics is not as fast as it is in English.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed five lessons and made a number of short visits to other lessons. They heard pupils read and looked at the work in their books.  Meetings were held with different groups of people involved in the school. These included pupils, parents, members of the governing body, the headteacher and the teaching and administrative staff in the school.  Inspectors took into account the 16 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Inspectors looked at the work of the school and a number of documents including the school’s data on pupils’ current progress, documents relating to planning for improvement and procedures for checking the quality of teaching, documents relating to safeguarding and records relating to behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Barbara Hudson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Nora Waugh Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than averaged-sized primary school.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement for special educational needs is average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium is average. (Pupil premium is additional funding for those who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those that are looked after.)  The headteacher teaches three and a half days of the week.  The number of pupils who join the school other than in the Reception Year is much higher than average.  The school meets the government’s current minimum floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has undergone a significant number of staffing changes during this academic year.

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Information about this school

 The organisation of classes has also changed this academic year due to alterations within the school that have resulted in more teaching classrooms.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the excellent start to moving good teaching to outstanding is sustained in order to be regarded as a fully effective and permanent feature of the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ progress in mathematics from good to outstanding by:  increasing their mental arithmetic capabilities and the speed at which they recall mathematical facts  providing more opportunities for them to investigate and solve mathematical problems across the curriculum  ensuring all teachers ask searching questions which make pupils think and apply their knowledge.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 This school caters exceptionally well for the wide range of differing abilities and backgrounds ensuring that all pupils make good progress from their individual starting points. Recently, pupils’ progress has improved very rapidly. This is because of the improved teaching and a different organisation for the classes, particularly in Key Stage 2.  As a result of the very small numbers in each year group and pupils’ vastly differing abilities, standards fluctuate year-on-year. Overall when children enter the Reception Year some of their skills are well below the level expected for their age.  Pupils throughout the school make excellent progress in English and leave Year 6 with standards that are average. Pupils make excellent progress in reading and spelling because of the school’s effective way in which they teach letters and sounds to help pupils read and write unfamiliar words. In mathematics they make good progress from their starting points and leave Year 6 with

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The achievement of pupils is good

standards that are below average. The staff acknowledge the differences between pupils’ progress in English and mathematics and have put in place strategies for improvement. These are beginning to have a positive impact. Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to practise problem-solving skills and their mental mathematical recall is not sharp enough.  Pupils supported by school action and school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs make good progress from their individual starting points. Their progress is improving rapidly because of the restructuring of the classes and improved teaching. The teaching staff provide work and care that are exceptionally well tailored to pupils’ individual needs.  The pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium, including those eligible for free school meals make good progress which is rapidly improving. The funds allocated to the school are well used

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The achievement of pupils is good

to provide additional resources. Although there are very few pupils eligible, the school’s data indicate that their progress is similar to their peers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good and rapidly improving. The training that teaching staff have undergone this year, to move good teaching to outstanding, is having a positive impact because a good number of lessons observed during the inspection were outstanding. The improvements were very evident when inspectors looked at the progress pupils were making in their books. The school’s analysis of the quality of teaching also shows that teaching has improved this academic year and the staff say that it is the result of the training that they have implemented.  There are many strengths in the good and better teaching. In particular, the excellent relationships between the teaching staff and the pupils, the way teachers organise lessons so that every pupil has work that is well matched to their ability and the teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants ensure all pupils get excellent support.  In the best lessons the questions that teachers ask pupils are very searching. The questions

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The quality of teaching is good

make pupils think and apply their knowledge. The teachers use the opportunity exceptionally well to assess whether pupils have understood the work that they are doing or not. The explanations and instructions are succinct and explicit, which means that pupils can quickly get on with their work. An excellent example of this was in a Year 5 and 6 mathematics lesson where pupils were baking scones for the visit of the Women’s Fellowship Group to the school for afternoon tea, and poetry reading undertaken by pupils in Year 3, 4 and 5.  The most significant difference between the good and the outstanding lessons was the quality of teachers’ questioning. Sometimes, questions were not searching and required an obvious answer rather than providing pupils with opportunities to think and apply their knowledge.  Lessons are very well planned to ensure that all pupils are challenged, particularly in reading and

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The quality of teaching is good

writing. Pupils, however, are not given enough opportunities to attempt to investigate and solve mathematical problems, resulting in progress being good rather than outstanding.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is good. It informs the pupils of what they have done well and provides them with suggestions as to how they can improve their work. Teaching staff, however, are very adept at providing highly focused oral feedback within lessons because the teaching groups are small.  The teaching of reading and writing skills is excellent because every opportunity to develop these skills throughout the curriculum is taken and the feedback pupils receive from teaching staff is highly focused ensuring pupils’ progress is brisk. The teaching of mathematical skills is not quite as good because teachers are not providing pupils with sufficient opportunities to practise their skills through investigating mathematical problems across the curriculum. The

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The quality of teaching is good

teaching of mental mathematics is beginning to improve because of the quicker pace injected into the sessions and the teachers’ higher expectations.  Pupils say they thoroughly enjoy their lessons because they are interesting and most often fun. They say that the work that they are given to do is just right, not too hard and not too easy.  All parents are very appreciative of the good quality teaching, care and support that their children receive.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All pupils are very welcoming, courteous and friendly. They say that they feel exceedingly safe in school and are very appreciative of the support they receive from the teaching staff and each other. Pupils are insistent that bullying does not happen here. They say we may fall out but we are never bullied.  In lessons, pupils show that they are very keen and highly motivated to learn. Their excellent cooperation skills enable them to work together in many different sized groups. They show great respect to one another and to all adults. Their manners are excellent.  Pupils’ behaviour in the playground is excellent. A major contributory factor to this is the wonderful play opportunities that are provided for them such as a sandpit, a house area in addition to ball games and playground games that are painted on the ground. Pupils are very adept at using their imaginations to develop games in small groups, seen when a group of girls

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

were engrossed in taking their imaginary horse to the vet.  Pupils are very enthusiastic about school and this is rewarded with attendance which is above average. It is not outstanding because of the number of families who take holidays during term time but this is reducing following a letter home from the headteacher and governors.  All the parents who responded to Parent View strongly agreed that their children were happy in school, they feel safe and the school makes sure that pupils are well behaved.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The relentless drive of the headteacher has developed a dedicated team of staff and governors who are very well informed and work exceedingly well together to get the best that they can for each individual pupil in their care. The exceptionally strong links with parents, the church and the local community ensure that the school is an important part of the village and the surrounding area.  The foresight of the headteacher and the governing body has ensured that improvements that have been made to the building and the organisation of the classes are having a very positive impact on pupils’ progress which is moving rapidly from good to outstanding.  The school places children at the centre of its work. The staff are vigilant when applying the school’s safeguarding policies, which meet statutory requirements. They are very careful to ensure that each individual child, whatever their ability or background, has equal opportunity for

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The leadership and management are outstanding

success and no one is discriminated against.  The leadership for improving the quality of teaching is outstanding. The recent training on moving good teaching to outstanding followed by very rigorous checks and highly effective feedback has had a very positive impact with more outstanding teaching and pupil progress improving rapidly. This work is integrated well into the performance management process and is used appropriately by the leaders to make decisions about salary progression.  The leadership’s ability to carry on making high quality improvements is very evident. An excellent example of this is the way in which pupils’ progress in writing has improved since the last inspection. This is because the teaching staff are very clear about what pupils have to do to improve their work. Pupils are reminded about what they need to improve at the beginning, during and at the end of the lesson. The school is already working on improving pupils’ progress

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The leadership and management are outstanding

in mathematics.  The plans for future developments are very well structured and relevant. To ensure that the school gains a very accurate view of its performance, the staff and governing body work with all available means of checking how the school is doing including external verification from parents, the church and the local community. This information is used exceptionally well to develop areas for improvement that are rigorously assessed by the leaders. The school staff work very effectively with other local schools and York St John University. This enables them to share information and ideas and participate in training so as to broaden their experiences and share their good practice with them. An excellent example of this is the meticulous way in which teachers evaluate pupils’ standards and progress in all subjects.  New staff and pupils are very thoughtfully introduced into the ways in which this school works

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and the high standards that are expected of them.  Pupils enjoy a very effective curriculum whereby many practical activities, educational visits and visitors make learning vibrant, meaningful and as the pupils say ‘fun’. These activities provide excellent stimulation for pupils to develop their literacy and communication skills. The school is also very actively involved in local issues such as hatching salmon to be returned to the river Esk in the very near future. Pupils have excellent opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Excellent examples of pupils reflecting are evident through creating spaces for prayer, thank you and saying sorry. Their links with other schools in a nearby town help pupils understand life beyond their village. They also work exceptionally well with other local schools on projects such as their Olympic celebrations where pupils from each of the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

schools researched a range of countries taking part in the Olympics and they then shared their knowledge together.  Parents are highly supportive of the school and particularly of its leadership.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has an excellent understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Members are fully conversant with the quality of teaching and know about the arrangements for managing the performance of staff. This is because the headteacher provides them with detailed information and the governors have a rigorous programme for checking its accuracy. They check data on pupils’ progress, and ensure that pupil premium funding is used to very good effect. The governing body is supportive yet challenging. The members of the governing body are highly effective in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities.

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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 121610 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 411715

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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 aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 48 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Roger Everitt Headteacher Liz Orland Date of previous school inspection 26 May 2010 Telephone number 01947 895369 Fax number 01947 895369 Email address admin@egton.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

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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