Markington Church of England Primary & Nursery School

Markington Church of England Primary School High Street, Markington, Harrogate, HG3 3NR

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Pupils’ achievement is outstanding. This is because the headteacher and staff team have maintained and built upon the exceptionally high standards identified in the last inspection report.  The very small numbers of children who join the Reception class arrive with a very wide range of knowledge and skills. In some year groups, all or nearly all children have special educational needs.  Pupils leave Year 6 with standards in English and mathematics that are above and sometimes well above those expected nationally. From pupils’ individual starting points, this represents excellent progress for pupils across the school.  Teaching is outstanding because teachers have exceptionally high expectations of what pupils can achieve and are very effective at ensuring that work set matches pupils’ needs.  Although pupils usually make rapid progress, in a very small number of mathematics

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

lessons in Key Stage 2 the pace of lessons is not as fast and as a result pupils make less progress.  The vast majority of pupils’ behaviour is excellent inside and outside the classroom. They feel that school is a very safe place where, as one pupil commented, ‘We all really like each other’. These positive attitudes are reflected in pupils’ above average levels of attendance.  The outstanding leadership skills of the headteacher are supported well by the small and dedicated staff team. They work extremely effectively together to improve the school. For example, the continual focus on improving the quality of teaching in English has ensured that pupils’ achievement has risen even further.  Governors offer school leaders excellent levels of support and challenge in many areas. However, they are not yet all fully trained in how to review and interpret school performance data which impacts on the effectiveness with which they support and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

challenge leaders on improving pupils’ levels of achievement even further.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed seven lessons and parts of lessons taught by three teachers. A joint lesson observation was undertaken with the headteacher. The inspection team also listened to pupils from Years 1 and 2 read and examined the quality of work in the books of pupils from across the school.  The inspection team held meetings and had discussions with pupils, senior leaders, members of the school staff and the Chair of the Governing Body, and held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspection team had informal discussions with eight parents at the start of the school day. They also took into account the views of 18 parents who made their views known through the on-line questionnaire (Parent View).  Seven members of staff also made their views known to the inspection team via a questionnaire.  The inspection team studied health and safety documentation, teachers’ curriculum planning

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Information about this inspection

documents as well as documents relating to the procedures to check the performance of staff, the quality of teaching and the school’s systems for checking pupils’ progress.

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Inspection team

Marian Thomas, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jonathan Chicken Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Markington Church of England Primary school is a much smaller than average primary school.  The vast majority of pupils who attend are of White British heritage with a very small number from other ethnic backgrounds.  Because of the very small numbers of children in each year group, children are all taught in mixed-age classes.  A lower than average proportion of pupils is known to be eligible for the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in the care of the local authority and those from service families).  There is a slightly smaller than average number of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported through school action.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is almost three times higher than the national average.  The school meets the current floor standards set by the government for pupils’ attainment and

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Information about this school

progress.  The school has a range of awards and accreditations including the National Healthy Schools status.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in a very small number of Key Stage 2 mathematics lessons even further by increasing the pace of learning so that pupils make even more progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide more training opportunities for governors so that they are better able to interpret school data and offer even greater support and challenge to school leaders.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils arrive at this very small school with a very wide range of levels of ability. At the end of Year 6 the vast majority have reached levels of attainment that are above or well above those expected nationally in both English and mathematics. This represents outstanding achievement for the majority.  Over time, school leaders have developed a very caring and inclusive ethos within the school. This is recognised by parents, particularly those of pupils who have disabilities and special educational needs, some of whom travel longer distances than expected to the school. Of last year’s leavers in Year 6, one third of pupils had identified special educational needs. Despite this, attainment in English and mathematics was well above national expectations. Current Year 6 pupils are also making exceptional progress. School data and inspection evidence show that they are on track to improve further on last year’s national test results in both English and

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

mathematics.  Very small numbers of children start in the school’s Reception class each year and those that do have a very wide range of needs. For example, a larger than average proportion of the children currently in Year 2 had identified special educational needs when they joined the Reception class. Because of exceptional teaching, coupled with the wide range of interesting and engaging activities provided, children all make excellent progress in early numeracy and literacy and leave Reception class with skills and knowledge close to and often above those expected nationally.  As a result of excellent teaching, pupils make outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 1, as evidenced by 100% of pupils reaching and exceeding the national average of the expected performance in the phonics screening check (which tests pupils’ ability to link letters to sounds).  Pupils say they love to read and are excited by the planned improvements to the library. Many

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

read regularly to parents and the dedicated volunteers who regularly come to school to listen to readers. Older pupils read a varied choice of books and enjoy choosing from the wide range within the school library. As one commented: ‘Although I find reading hard, I enjoy reading stories about animals and the more I read the easier it gets’. As a result, attainment by Year 6 is above national expectations.  Less than 10% of pupils on roll at the school are known to be eligible for free school meals and none of last year’s Year 6 were in this group. Overall, school tracking data shows attainment for this group across the school is in line with that of their peers. This represented excellent progress overall.  Staff are exceptionally good at identifying pupils’ additional needs and provide excellent support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. As a result this group also makes

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

outstanding progress over time.  The small numbers of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium make excellent progress. School leaders are very effective in their use of pupil premium monies to provide additional support for this group. The school tracks the progress of different groups of pupils extremely carefully and accurately. The needs of this group are clearly identified and a range of individual support has been put in place to improve both their academic and social outcomes. For example, pupils have individual support in reading from trained teaching assistants which has accelerated progress.  Very few pupils who attend the school come from different ethnic backgrounds. However, the few that do make exceptional progress because of school’s very clear commitment to equality for all its pupils.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Progress in pupils’ books and in lessons observed during the inspection confirmed that teaching, overall and over time is outstanding in all areas of the school.  ‘School is brilliant because teachers make learning interesting and every day is different’, commented a pupil. This is because teaching staff are very good at planning opportunities for pupils to learn in a variety of different ways. They also offer pupils a diverse range of experiences, for example, through regular visits to museums and places of interest which develop pupils’ imagination and curiosity well.  As a result of these and other experiences, pupils are given many opportunities to write from first-hand experience and practise their writing skills. As a consequence, attainment in writing continues to be above national expectations.  Children in the Reception and Year 1 and 2 classes benefit from a wide range of activities both in

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

the outdoor area and in the classroom. Teaching is also lively and interesting. For example, at the time of the inspection, pupils had been learning how to develop orienteering skills. The teacher used a novel approach to practising phonic sounds by getting pupils to engage in an orienteering trail in which the clues contained examples of the sounds pupils had been learning. Pupils engaged enthusiastically with the activity and many were bubbling with excited anticipation at the thought of finishing the trail first. Participating in this activity promoted their speaking, listening, reading and running skills exceptionally well. It also promoted excellent team work.  Excellent working partnerships between teachers and support staff are evident across the school and support the learning needs of pupils. This leads to excellent quality provision for all pupils and particularly those with disabilities and special educational needs. As a result, a high

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

proportion of pupils in this group make outstanding progress.  Teachers diligently mark pupils’ work and always provide feedback to pupils on the quality of their work. They skilfully use information gained on pupils’ achievement to plan further learning. However, in a small number of mathematics lessons in Key Stage 2 the pace of learning slows and this reduces the progress of pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Learning is almost never interrupted by incidents of pupils demonstrating difficult behaviour. This is because pupils’ behaviour is excellent both inside and outside the classroom. All pupils spoken to feel the school is a very safe and happy place where everyone gets along with each other.  Parents echo this view and feel that school is a calm and welcoming place to which their children enjoy coming. A comment made by one reflected the views of others, ‘I really enjoy coming into the classroom with my child at the start of school and sharing the first activity with him’. Staff are described as approachable and offering an excellent level of care and support for the children, particularly since the school introduced an open-door policy at the start of the school day.  Pupils say they enjoy coming to school and feel everyone is a valued member of the school community. Those spoken to during the inspection felt school could do very little to improve

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

further and they felt their views were respected and taken into account by school leaders.  A caring philosophy is well-established across the school and enables older pupils to develop responsible and mature attitudes which prepare them well for their transfer to secondary school.  Pupils are very clear about how to stay safe. Some of those spoken to during the inspection voiced concerns about the safety of the road on which the school is located. However, they feel school leaders have taken account of their concerns and appreciate the road and bike safety training provided which they feel has helped them to know how to stay safe.  Incidents of bullying are exceptionally rare in school. Pupils are made aware of the different forms that bullying can take through the school curriculum and policies. For example, Internet safety is understood well because of the excellent quality of the school’s ‘E safety policy’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance has remained above average since the last inspection and is indicative of the consistent approach taken by the headteacher on discouraging holidays taken during term time. Current absences for a very small number of pupils are due to on-going medical needs.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher and staff team have a clear understanding of what makes the school successful. Supported very effectively by the governing body, they have continued to maintain and build upon the school’s performance since the previous inspection. As a result, the school’s overall effectiveness has remained at an outstanding level.  Teaching is monitored very frequently and the headteacher is highly effective in taking action through the management of staff performance to improve any areas of weakness. For example school have already identified that the teaching of mathematics is slightly less effective than English and have already taken action to improve this. As a result, the quality of teaching has remained outstanding since the last inspection.  Performance targets set for staff by the headteacher link directly to improving pupils’ achievement even further and to the school’s improvement plan. Checks on the performance of

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The leadership and management are outstanding

all staff are undertaken rigorously and the headteacher uses this information effectively to make decisions on teachers’ pay awards.  The curriculum is outstanding and offers pupils an exceptionally wide and very rich variety of opportunities and experiences. Pupils clearly enjoy undertaking the many different activities on offer. For example, a recent visit to a museum by pupils studying the Egyptians was described by one pupil as ‘Brilliant, particularly the bit when we saw how bodies were mummified’. The breadth of these experiences develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding exceptionally well.  The vast majority of parents have a very high regard for the work of the school as evidenced by the views expressed through the on-line questionnaire and those who held informal discussions with the inspection team at the start of the school day.  The local authority has a particularly high regard for the abilities of the school’s leadership team

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and has, since the last inspection, offered light-touch support to the school when invited.  The governance of the school:  School governors have a broad range of relevant skills and experience which enable them to offer an excellent level of support and challenge to the headteacher in many areas of the work of the school. However, although they are committed to further training, they are not yet fully skilled in how to review and interpret the school’s data about pupils’ achievement and this hampers their efforts to challenge leaders to full effect. In partnership with the headteacher, governors have developed an effective system for checking the performance of teachers which rewards good teaching and addresses underperformance. Their very careful and measured approach to the management of pupil premium funding has enabled them to give valuable support to eligible pupils and increase levels of attainment and progress. Safeguarding

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The leadership and management are outstanding

procedures and policies within school are undertaken to a very high standard. The health and safety committee carries out regular inspections and has ensured that safeguarding procedures meet current requirements.

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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 121576 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 413285

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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 Mrs J Forsyth Headteacher Miss M Dawson Date of previous school inspection 1 October 2008 Telephone number 01765 677442 Fax number 01765 676761 Email address admin@markington.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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