St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Knaresborough

Headlands Primary School Oak Tree Lane, Holly Tree Meadows, Haxby, York, North Yorkshire, YO32 2YH

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  From average starting points pupils make good progress throughout the school.  At the end of Year 6 overall standards in reading, writing and mathematics are above average.  Pupils with special educational needs and those known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding make good progress because they are supported effectively.  Teaching is good with examples of outstanding practice in some classes.  High attendance reflects the fact that pupils enjoy school.  Behaviour is good overall and often exemplary. Pupils are friendly and polite and kind to others. They form trusting relationships with staff and so they feel safe and happy at school.  Senior leaders, including the governing body, ensure that improvements are strongly focused on raising pupils’ standards and progress.  Parents are very positive about the school and all that it does to help their children to achieve well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 While most of the teaching is good, not enough is outstanding to drive pupils’ progress more rapidly and make their achievement outstanding.  Occasionally, work in lessons is not always matched entirely accurately to all pupils’ ability, and teachers’ expectations are not high enough of the pupils when they work on their own.  Senior leaders do not always focus sufficiently on how well pupils learn when they observe lessons to determine the quality of teaching.  Subject leaders are not involved enough in checking that the teaching and learning are always good or better in their subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 19 lessons, four of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made other visits to classes, looked at pupils’ work and listened to a number of children read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and one other governor, senior and middle managers and subject leaders, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 58 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s most recent parent survey. They took account of the 23 responses from staff who completed Ofsted’s staff questionnaires.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, the school’s own data on pupils’ progress, planning and monitoring documentation and the records of how the school uses its funding, especially

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Information about this inspection

how the money from the pupil premium is spent. Records relating to behaviour and attendance and documents relating to safeguarding were also taken into consideration.

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Inspection team

Rajinder Harrison, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jan Lomas Additional Inspector Lynne Davies Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average sized primary school. The number on roll has increased by 22% since the school’s previous inspection.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. Of the few that are not, most speak English well.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus is below average. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well below average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after by the local authority.)  The proportion of pupils joining the school at times other than the start of the Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception Year) is low.

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Information about this school

 The school has had a high number of staff changes since the last inspection, including at senior leadership level. The current headteacher was appointed in January 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good and more is outstanding so that the rate of pupils’ progress speeds up and achievement rises in all subjects, but particularly in writing and mathematics, by ensuring that:  the best practice that already exists in the school is effectively shared to influence high- quality teaching throughout  teachers use the assessment information they have about what pupils know and can do to match the work appropriately to the needs of all pupils, particularly during whole-class discussions  teachers ask more probing questions that deepen pupils’ understanding of what they have learned  teachers deploy teaching assistants more effectively in all parts of the lessons  teachers have higher expectations of pupils when they work by themselves.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management further by:  implementing more rigorous systems to check the quality of teaching and its effect on learning throughout the school  involving subject leaders more effectively in checking that teaching and learning in their subjects is always good or better.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in the Reception classes with knowledge and skills that are typical for their age. High-quality teaching in a stimulating and happy environment helps children to make good progress. By the time children enter Year 1 they reach at least average standards and a good proportion gain skills that are above average for their age.  Pupils’ progress is good through Years 1 to 6. Pupils enjoy learning and work hard. Occasionally, when working by themselves, a few do not achieve as much as they could because the work they are given is not hard enough to challenge them sufficiently.  At the end of Year 2 standards in reading, writing and mathematics are at least average and a high proportion of pupils are working at above-average levels. By the time pupils leave the school at the end of Year 6 standards are above average in English and mathematics and an increasing number of pupils exceed these levels, particularly in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Throughout the school reading is taught well. Letters and the sounds they make are taught very effectively in Reception and Key Stage 1, and reading skills are developed well as pupils progress through the school. Many pupils exceed the levels expected for their age and a high proportion are working at well above expected levels.  Standards in writing and mathematics are also above average. Improvements in teaching through topics that link learning across subjects and that hold the interests of boys and girls equally well are proving effective, particularly to ensure that the performance of the boys matches that of the girls consistently. For example, pupils in the Year 3/4 classes enjoyed writing poems based on their studies of Egypt and the work they produced very effectively incorporated good literacy skills alongside factual information they had researched previously.  Effective support, particularly the high-quality personalised planning for individual pupils,

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The achievement of pupils is good

ensures that disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well against their starting points. While these pupils make very good gains when working in small groups, they are not always engaged as effectively during whole-class sessions and so do not achieve as much as they might.  Pupils supported through the pupil premium (all of whom in this school are known to be eligible for free school meals) make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The standards they reach in English and mathematics are no lower than they should be because they are supported effectively. The standards they reach are generally similar to those of pupils who are not eligible for free school meals in the school and of pupils in similar circumstances nationally. The gap between the achievement of these pupils and that of non-free-school-meals pupils in this school and similar pupils nationally has closed. Many of these pupils are working at above

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The achievement of pupils is good

the levels expected for their age.  Overall, the school promotes equality of opportunity well. Other than in the occasional lesson, where a few pupils are not always given sufficiently challenging work, particularly when working on their own, almost all pupils achieve well, and an increasing number are working towards well above the levels expected by the time they leave at the end of Year 6.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching, overall, is good; a significant proportion is outstanding.  Where teaching is outstanding, teachers’ expectations of pupils are very high and lessons are interesting, lively and purposeful. For example, in the Reception classes the teachers used excellent strategies to encourage children to explore two- and three-dimensional shapes, to use the correct mathematical vocabulary and extend their understanding through extremely well- planned and vibrant activities. The children undertook these tasks with delight. Similarly, in a Year 1/2 class pupils buzzed with excitement when selected to read and they tackled words that were new to them confidently because they were keen to get it right.  Most teachers engage pupils well through discussions that help them develop their thinking and ask probing questions to check that pupils understand what they have learned. For example, pupils in Year 3/4 discussed at length how best to describe deserts when composing their

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The quality of teaching is good

poems. However, occasionally, in order to maintain a lively pace, teachers cut this time short, and a few pupils are not always sure of what they have to do when they work by themselves.  Most teachers use information about pupils’ ability and progress effectively in their planning. Occasionally, teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do are not always high enough. In such lessons pupils of all abilities sit through quite lengthy presentations that are too easy for some and too hard for others. Consequently, a few pupils do not achieve as much as they could.  The one-to-one and small-group support provided by teaching assistants is very effective in helping pupils most at risk of falling behind to achieve well. However, while teaching assistants are generally deployed well in most lessons to support teaching and learning, occasionally they are not used to maximum effect during teachers’ introductions, which are sometimes too

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The quality of teaching is good

difficult for lower-attaining pupils to fully understand without help.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is mostly good and on many occasions exemplary. Pupils enjoy learning and try hard. Occasionally, the poor behaviour of one or two pupils spoils the learning for others.  Pupils’ attendance is outstanding. One pupil said that she likes being at school because ‘I learn something new and interesting every day‘.  Parents and staff who contributed their views during the inspection were very positive about the school and about pupils’ behaviour and their eagerness to learn.  Pupils are very friendly, polite and kind; they willingly help each other in lessons and around school. Pupils report that the school is a safe and happy place to be in.  Pupils feel valued and very well cared for at school. They show high regard for staff and these positive relationships give pupils the confidence to ask for help if they need it.  From their lessons and talks from visitors and from activities such as looking after the chickens

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

and designing the outdoor facilities, pupils understand well the importance of looking after the world in which they live and how to stay safe outside school. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and what to do if problems arise.  The school is prompt in tackling any form of discriminatory behaviour. Pupils have a very good understanding of different types of bullying, including name-calling and the threats posed by social network sites. They say that there is no bullying at school and that staff would address any problems straight away.  Opportunities to take responsibility, such as being school councillors, engaging in church and community events, and visits, all provide pupils with purposeful experiences that develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness effectively.  Pupils enjoy many events, including visits that extend their experiences of the wider world.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

Through working with an extensive range of visitors pupils show respect for the different communities and lifestyles in the world beyond school. The school is aware that opportunities are missed to celebrate the increasing range of diverse cultures represented in Britain today.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has an accurate overview of the school’s performance, high aspirations for the pupils and promotes strong teamwork among staff, governors and parents. New staff are integrated quickly into this happy, welcoming and improving school.  Despite many staffing changes in the last year, the school’s current pupil progress data show that pupils are making good progress and a significant proportion are working at well above the levels expected for their age.  The school improvement plan shows that leaders focus effectively on ensuring that the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics are taught effectively. However, not enough of the teaching is of high enough quality to raise achievement to outstanding. This is because not all teachers check sufficiently that pupils understand fully what they are learning and how they might use their learning to full effect when working by themselves.

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The leadership and management are good

 The monitoring of teaching, while effective in identifying where teachers need to improve their skills, is not as effective in checking that learning is of high quality for all pupils. Subject leaders are not involved enough in checking the quality of teaching and learning to ensure that these are both always at least good in the subjects they manage.  Robust procedures that are linked to salary progression are in place to improve teachers’ performance. Where teaching needs improvement, leaders organise appropriate training and support. While teamwork is generally good, the school is not using the outstanding teaching in the school as well as it could do to influence improvement in teaching even more rapidly.  The level of care the school provides is good. Leaders check that pupils have the help they need to achieve well and involve outside agencies promptly when the need arises. Individual pupils’

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The leadership and management are good

progress is reviewed frequently, especially where pupils are in most need. Pupils at risk of falling behind are identified quickly and they receive the help they need promptly to help them to achieve well.  The curriculum links subjects together well through topics that engage pupils’ interests and bring learning alive. For example, the school grounds are well planned to encourage pupils to explore the environment and learn and discover through practical activities such as looking after plants and animals. Opportunities are sometimes missed to give pupils more time to think about their learning so that they do their best work all the time.  Many enrichment activities extend pupils’ learning beyond school and promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. For example, pupils talked enthusiastically about sports activities and using computers to find information in history. Attractive displays about

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The leadership and management are good

current work on ancient civilisations and art work enrich pupils’ love of learning and extend their understanding of the world.  The school involves parents in school activities well. Many parents organise fundraising events to pay for play equipment and other resources and support staff in organising school trips.  The local authority’s involvement with the school, while light touch, nevertheless provides good support in reviewing the school’s performance and good opportunities for staff and governor training.  The governance of the school:  Governors are very committed to the school and the community it serves. They ensure, for example, that they have the relevant, up-to-date training to keep children safe and meet all safeguarding requirements. They ensure that everything possible is done, in partnership with other agencies, to support the children that are most in need. They check that policies are

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The leadership and management are good

up to date and that the finances are managed efficiently. For example, they ensure that the pupil premium funding is used to support the pupils for whom it is intended and they know what difference it makes. The governing body implements effective arrangements to ensure that pay awards are linked to teachers’ performance and knows that teaching is not yet of a high enough quality to raise achievement to outstanding.

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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 121637 Local authority York Inspection number 412437

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 279 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah Fletcher Headteacher Sarah Wright Date of previous school inspection 28 February 2007 Telephone number 01904 762356 Fax number 01904 762356 Email address headlands.primary@york.gov.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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