Huby Church of England Primary School

Huby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Tollerton Road, Huby, York, North Yorkshire, YO61 1HX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 Good 2

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

 Over time, pupils have made inconsistent progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 because not enough teaching has been good.  Pupils make expected progress in their writing. Too few make good progress to raise the standard of their work at a quicker rate.  Teachers do not always plan writing tasks that capture pupils’ interests. This leads to some disinterest, particularly among boys.  Opportunities for pupils to use their skills in writing are limited. There are too few opportunities for pupils to write at length in different subjects.  Teachers do not consistently use information about gaps in pupils’ knowledge to set work that is at just the right level. The more-able pupils are often unchallenged by their work.  Pupils do not have enough opportunity to discuss their thinking because the questions teachers ask do not always allow them to offer longer responses that deepen their understanding.  Pupils do not routinely return to teacher’s

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

comments about their work in marking to make the necessary improvements.

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The school has the following strengths

 Decisive action by leaders to raise achievement in mathematics has improved standards significantly. The quality of teaching is improving quickly.  Disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium achieve well.  Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite, confident and friendly.  The school provides good opportunities for pupils to develop their sporting, musical and artistic talents.  The strong governing body regularly contribute to the work in classrooms so they can fully appreciate the quality of teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons or parts of lessons delivered by five different teachers, including a number of short visits to sessions that teach pupils letters and the sounds they make (phonics).  All lessons or parts of lessons were jointly observed by the headteacher.  The inspector listened to a number of pupils read, observed pupils in lessons, around school and during play and looked at pupils’ work from all year groups alongside the headteacher.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, including the school council, the headteacher, school leaders with responsibility for each key stage and a group of governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. A discussion was also held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspection took account of the 19 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) that were submitted during the course of the inspection. The inspector also spoke to groups of

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Information about this inspection

parents at the beginning of the school day and took account of feedback from nine staff questionnaires.  The inspector observed the school’s work and examined a range of documentation including the school’s own records of pupils’ learning and progress, the checks made on the quality of teaching and performance of staff and those relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Lee Owston, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Huby Church of England Primary is much smaller than the average-sized school.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children looked after by the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and the children of service families, is well below average.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. Of the few pupils from other minority ethnic groups, none are at the early stages of learning English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is lower than that found nationally.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below the national figure.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There has been significant staffing turbulence, including periods of staff absence, since the time

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Information about this school

of the last inspection. A new headteacher took up their post in September 2011 as an acting headteacher and then substantively from November 2011.  Pupils are taught in four mixed-age classes. This includes a mixed Reception and Year 1 class that operates on the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is at least consistently good in Key Stages 1 and 2 by:  ensuring teachers plan activities that are always closely matched to pupils’ abilities, especially for the more able  ensuring that teachers use a wider range of questioning that matches pupils’ varying needs and allows them to think more deeply about their learning  giving pupils time to return to their teacher’s comments from marking pupils’ work so that they act on teachers’ advice and make the suggested improvements  sharing the very best teaching practices more effectively across different classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ progress in writing so that attainment rises more quickly by:  planning tasks that interest all learners, including boys  allowing pupils to talk more frequently with each other so that they can share, extend and reflect upon their ideas  celebrating pupils’ written work more visibly so that all pupils know what good writing looks like and are motivated to improve their own work  ensuring there is a greater range of opportunities for pupils to write at length and for a range of different reasons across subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils make inconsistent progress across year groups and between subjects because not enough teaching over time has been good. While progress in mathematics is improving quickly so that standards are rising securely, too many pupils make only expected progress in their writing and this keeps standards of work in English from being any higher than the national average.  Children arrive in Reception with skills and abilities that are broadly typical for their age. Through access to a wide-range of interesting and imaginative activities and a concerted focus by staff on developing early reading, writing and mathematical skills, children make good progress so that they are well-prepared for Key Stage 1.  Across the school, pupils are now making faster and more consistent progress in their mathematics because leaders have focussed their attention on this subject. Standards of work by the end of Year 2 have risen quickly and securely so that pupils are now working

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

approximately one term ahead of their peers nationally. Pupils have quick, mental recall of number facts and most have secured efficient calculation strategies to help them solve more complex problems by the end of Year 6. This has supported an above-average proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels by the time they leave the school.  Pupils’ reading skills are improving through focussed teaching of letters and the sounds they make and a good range of interesting books. Pupils read frequently and at just the right level for their ability so that they become more fluent and their confidence grows. As pupils get older, they enjoy a broad range of literature by both classic and contemporary authors and show an increasing awareness of authors’ style and language. Standards by the end of Year 6 are average but improving quickly.  Improvement in writing has not been as effective. Not all pupils are motivated to write. Boys in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

particular are not provided with enough interesting or imaginative tasks in which to develop their skills. Pupils generally do not see enough of their work celebrated through display to know what good writing looks like or be motivated to improve further. This prevents faster progress.  The few disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those supported through pupil premium funding make good progress from their individual starting points. This is because additional staffing provides targeted support so that pupils catch-up with their classmates. By the end of Year 6, there is little difference between the standards pupils known to be eligible for free school meals reach and other learners.  Inspection evidence, confirmed by school progress information, demonstrates that the slower progress made by pupils in the past is being effectively tackled. Gaps in pupils’ skills are being eliminated across all groups. Nonetheless, the pattern of pupils’ progress over time is

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

inconsistent and improvements are yet to impact fully on standards of attainment by the end of Year 6.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Over time, teaching has not been good enough to ensure most pupils make good progress in every year group. Significant periods of staff absence have made it difficult for the school to build on improvements to teaching. Staffing is now more stable however and this is enabling the quality of teaching to improve at a quicker rate. Consequently, a higher proportion of good teaching was observed during the inspection.  Where teaching requires improvement, teachers do not always use their knowledge of pupils’ abilities to provide activities that are at just the right level of challenge to enable faster progress. As a result pupils often find their work too easy or too hard with the more-able pupils not being fully stretched to reach their full potential.  Typically, teachers do not ask a varied enough range of questions to involve all pupils actively in their learning. While many quick, short response questions are often asked to check pupils’

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

understanding, too few questions are asked that allow pupils to think more deeply so that they can offer reasoned responses or a personal viewpoint. This slows the pace of learning. During these times, a few pupils, particularly boys, can become bored and disengage. This slows their progress.  In the best examples of teaching, pupils achieve well because teachers have thought carefully about what they want different groups in their class to learn and present this in interesting and engaging ways. For example, in a Year 3 and 4 mathematics lesson, pupils were engrossed in a competitive game to practise multiplication skills. All pupils were challenged by carefully adapted questions and entered into purposeful dialogue with their peers to help them clarify their understanding of different calculation methods. This led to consistently good progress.  The teaching of writing requires improvement. While pupils frequently use and apply their

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

mathematical skills across subjects, there are inconsistent opportunities within writing for pupils to write at length or for real and relevant reasons. Similarly, while pupils regularly talk with their peers in mathematics and science lessons, offering extended responses about their views, there are fewer opportunities in English for pupils to share, refine or extend their thinking through extended dialogue and discussion.  Teaching within the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Strong relationships between staff and high expectations of what children can achieve at this age ensure that children’s needs are fully met. Creative and engaging approaches to learning help pupils to quickly develop confidence and an eagerness to learn.  Pupils receive regular feedback on their learning. They know where they have been successful and where further improvement is needed. Pupils do not have enough time to return to their

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

teacher’s comments and make the suggested improvements, particularly in English. This slows the progress pupils make.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are welcoming, exceptionally polite and show kindness and respect towards adults and each other. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of care their children receive so that they are happy and safe. As a result attendance is above average and pupils are rarely late because they enjoy their experiences at school.  Behaviour is good overall and during play and lunchtimes is often exemplary. During lessons, especially when the pace of learning slows, pupils are not fully involved in their learning or the activities provided are too easy or too hard; some pupils become bored and disengage. This passive behaviour leads to some pupils making slower progress than they should.  Parents and pupils believe that bullying is rare and that, should it ever occur, it would be dealt with quickly. As a group of pupils described during the inspection, ‘Our school is not too big and not too small, so we all know each other very well and this helps us to get along.’ Pupils

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

understand the nature of bullying, although some younger pupils do not appreciate the different forms it may take, including that relating to prejudice.  Pupils feel safe in school, know the risks to which they may be exposed and how to minimise them, especially those related to the internet.  Pupils have a strong sense of responsibility and show good levels of cooperation, collaboration and independence. This is because pupils are given regular opportunities to take the lead and make decisions. For example, the school council and the ‘green team’ are actively involved in making decisions about the school and the local community as a whole, such as when they discussed the need for recycling bins or cycle lanes in the village. This contributes to pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher leads the school with passion, commitment and great care. She is ably supported by two team leaders, who, during a time of significant staffing turbulence, have continued to lead improvements in teaching within their key stages. As a result achievement in mathematics has risen significantly and gaps in pupils’ skills are being eliminated. A committed and enthusiastic staff team share the headteacher’s resolve to sustain improvements. The school has good systems and a good capacity to successfully tackle those areas of the school that still require improvement.  The checking of pupils’ progress is increasingly rigorous and accurate. All leaders have plans in place to tackle the shortfalls in performance they have rightly identified by frequent checking of teaching, pupils’ work and the progress individuals make. The school has not used this information as successfully as it could to share examples of best practice more widely across the

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The leadership and management are good

school, for example through coaching opportunities, to eliminate the remaining inconsistencies in teaching and pupils’ achievement.  The leadership and management of teaching are increasingly effective and the quality of teaching is improving quickly. Performance-management targets are linked to the national standards expected of teachers, the quality of pupils’ learning in lessons and whole-school priorities. Successful teachers are rewarded and where the work of teachers does not meet the school’s expectations, it is addressed through support and training.  The curriculum experiences offered to pupils is good and a strength of the school. Pupils’ learning is frequently enhanced by a range of visits and visitors, including good opportunities for pupils to develop their sporting, musical and artistic talents. This further strengthens pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. Pupils regularly apply their reading and mathematical skills in

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The leadership and management are good

a range of real-life contexts, such as the ‘Dragons’ Den’ project to develop awareness of business and enterprise. Pupils’ writing skills are not developed in a similarly meaningful way.  Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated so that pupils work and play together well. Gaps in the level of attainment between the few pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and other learners have narrowed through good use of targeted money.  The local authority has supported the new headteacher appropriately throughout a period of significant change. A new link adviser has already begun to support the school with initiatives to sustain improvements now that staffing has stabilised.  Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements, with much best practice adopted to support the high quality of care provided for pupils.  The governance of the school:  The governing body are committed to their roles and have the best interests of the school at

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The leadership and management are good

heart. They regularly challenge senior leaders to improve further because they have a good understanding of pupil progress data, including that relating to the impact of the pupil premium funding. They are acutely aware that progress in writing is not as strong as that in other subjects. They have been directly involved in checking the quality of pupils’ work alongside staff to enable them to understand and support new policies and initiatives. Governors make regular, timetabled visits to their link year groups to appreciate the quality of teaching and join in with school projects and activities. This supports them in understanding the decisions made about rewarding good teachers through salary progression.

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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 121501 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 413149

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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 96 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jean Abbey Headteacher Katie Booth Date of previous school inspection 29 June 2010 Telephone number 01347 810432 Fax number 01347 810432 Email address admin@huby.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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