Great Ouseburn Community Primary School

Great Ouseburn Community Primary School Main Street, Great Ouseburn, York, North Yorkshire, YO26 9RG

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Outstanding behaviour is evident throughout the school and pupils cooperate exceptionally well.  Pupils achieve well. All pupils, including the most able, make good progress at all key stages from their different starting points.  By the end of Year 6 standards in reading, writing and mathematics are well above average as a result of good teaching.  Teachers plan lessons to capture pupils’ interest and enthusiasm. They continually provide good opportunities for pupils to use and apply their basic skills, particularly in reading.  Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils’ progress.  Levels of attendance are high and have been consistently so over a sustained period of time.  The curriculum provides for pupils’ different needs and prepares them well for the next stages of their learning.  The governing body knows the school well and is very effective in managing the resources.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and governors ensure that the quality of teaching continues to improve and that standards are rising. As a result, the school is improving.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Sometimes activities provided for pupils in lessons do not precisely match their varying abilities so they do not always make enough outstanding progress.  There are not enough opportunities for pupils to respond to the helpful marking comments made by teachers.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage do not have enough opportunity to learn outdoors.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons including parts of lessons. All teachers were observed at least once. One lesson was observed jointly with the associate headteacher.  The inspector met with staff, pupils and parents. He held a meeting with the Chair of the Governing Body and two other governors. He met a representative from the local authority.  He took into account 11 staff questionnaires. He looked at information from previous surveys carried out by the school to gather views of parents and pupils. Thirty-two responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were also considered.  The inspector talked to pupils in the playground and classrooms and held a discussion with pupils in Key Stage 2. He listened to pupils read and observed them moving around inside and outside the school at different times of the day.  He observed the school’s work and considered a number of documents, including the school’s

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding arrangements, evaluation of its performance, its improvement plan, building plan and minutes from governors’ meetings.

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Inspection team

Jonathan Woodyatt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is much lower than other schools. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also much lower than average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding is much lower than 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 school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The governing body oversees a before- and after-school activity known as ‘The Den’ which takes place in the school library.

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Information about this school

 In September 2012, the school formed a partnership with Boroughbridge High School. It is led by an executive headteacher and an associate headteacher. The executive headteacher is the headteacher at the high school and the associate headteacher is based in this school.  At present, there is a single governing body for this school, although some governors are part of a newly formed joint governing body with governors from the high school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  always providing work that precisely matches the needs of varying pupils  ensuring pupils have more opportunities to carry out the suggestions made in teachers’ marking.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have more access to learning outdoors.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards by the end of Year 6 are usually well-above average, including in reading, writing and mathematics and standards are rising. Pupils make good progress from their previous starting points so that by the end of Year 6 the proportion of pupils that reach the nationally expected Level 4 is exceptionally high. Furthermore, a much higher than average proportion of pupils reach Level 5, especially in mathematics. The most-able pupils achieve well.  Children start school with a wide range of skills, but overall are above those typically expected for their age. Adults help children to quickly settle into school life. Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because of good teaching. Their progress is closely monitored and teachers provide them with activities that enable them to quickly develop their skills, especially in number and reading. However, their choice of activity during those times

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The achievement of pupils is good

when children choose activities for themselves is limited because they do not have enough opportunities to take part in learning outdoors.  Between Years 1 and 6, pupils make good progress. In Key Stage 2 for example, a much higher- than-average proportion of pupils make progress at the expected rate. Furthermore, a higher proportion of pupils also make better than the expected rate of progress than do so nationally, particularly in mathematics.  Mathematics is taught well in all stages of the school. In the Early Years Foundation Stage children use songs and rhymes to help them build up their number skills. In Key Stage 2, alongside classroom teaching, the partnership arrangement with the high school has enabled the school to benefit from specialist teacher support, which has also been successful in ensuring that the most-able pupils reach the much higher than nationally expected Level 6.  Writing is taught well at the school and attainment is consistently above average. Opportunities

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The achievement of pupils is good

for pupils to use their writing skills have been enhanced through extended writing opportunities in Years 5 and 6. Visitors to the school, such as guest authors, enhance pupils’ interest in literacy, especially for boys.  Pupils enjoy using their reading skills. This is well supported through a whole-school approach that encourages pupils to read from a wide range of books available in the classrooms and the library. Pupils are very skilled at identifying the different sounds that make up the words and confidently read out aloud.  In 2013, a national reading check of pupils’ phonic skills (the knowledge of letters and sounds to help read unfamiliar words) carried out in Year 1 shows that a well-above average proportion of pupils exceeded the levels expected for their age. This is a further improvement on the high numbers that reached the expected level in 2012.  The very small proportion of pupils who have special educational needs make good progress due

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The achievement of pupils is good

to their needs being identified accurately and highly effective strategies being put into place to aid their learning, such as small group work.  There are too few pupils eligible for the pupil premium to reliably measure attainment gaps against their peers. However, the progress they make clearly matches that of their classmates. This is because funding is allocated effectively and pupils receive additional support, which is well matched to their individual needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is good and some is outstanding. Teachers create a positive climate for good learning. All teachers plan and provide work in lessons that stimulate a love of learning and generate enthusiasm in writing, reading and mathematics. They ensure that pupils can learn new things regularly and practice skills successfully.  Teachers consistently encourage extremely positive behaviour and attitudes. Pupils respond very well to adults’ requests when carrying out tasks and cooperate fully.  Teachers have ensured that pupils are developing the confidence and skills to pronounce words accurately when reading out loud. This was clear when listening to pupils reading from their reading books. Pupils who fall behind in their reading are identified by teachers and provided with extra support by adults and make good progress in order to catch up.  Teaching assistants are used well to support and challenge pupils so that the learning is good,

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The quality of teaching is good

especially in the small group activities.  Occasionally, in a few lessons the work provided is not precisely matched to the varying abilities of all pupils and this prevents them from making progress at a rapid rate. For example, identical worksheets can sometimes be too easy for some and too hard for others.  Teachers mark books and provide written feedback so that pupils know what to do to improve their work. However, pupils are not always given enough opportunities to carry out these very helpful and appropriate suggestions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Outstanding behaviour is constantly demonstrated by pupils in lessons, around and outside the school. The school’s agreed system to manage behaviour was not used at any time during the inspection. School records, parents and pupils all indicate that there are consistently high levels of behaviour overtime.  Pupils play and cooperate exceptionally well with each other at all times and this leads to a calm and highly purposeful environment in which to learn.  Younger pupils are assigned an older pupil as their ‘buddy’. This means that younger pupils learn about how to behave really well and feel supported. One parent commented that they clearly saw the benefit of this beyond school as children continued to act as ‘buddies’ when playing together in the village.  Attendance is high and has been over time, and this reflects pupils’ enjoyment of everything the school has to offer. Parents say pupils are very happy coming to school and are consistently

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

punctual to their lessons.  Pupils say that they feel very safe in the school. Older pupils were able to talk expertly about the different types of bullying, such as e-safety and awareness of the inappropriate use of terms relating to homophobic bullying. Even so, the school’s records show that any misbehaviour or bullying is extremely rare. No pupils have been excluded for many years. Pupils say that they are very happy to go to adults because they know that they will deal with any issues quickly.

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The leadership and management are good

 The recent innovative partnership arrangement put in place by the governing body has made a successful contribution to the performance of the school. Both headteachers are highly committed to developing and improving the school and evidence in the school’s performance supports this. Staff are unanimously proud about being at the school. Recent changes to leadership are having a positive influence on accelerating improvement across the school as new leaders improve their skills and expertise.  The leadership of teaching is good and, as a result, teaching is improving. The partnership arrangements have led to opportunities for staff in the two schools to work together and this has increased their understanding of how to raise standards and further improve teaching. For example, the teaching of mathematics has improved following support from the partner school’s mathematics teachers. More pupils are now reaching the higher levels in mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders use the wide range of information that they gather on the performance of pupils to ensure that they quickly spot if they start to fall behind. Where this happens, they intervene effectively and provide support through initiatives, such as, adult-led small-group activities in reading, speech and language and mathematics.  Teachers’ performance is well managed through straightforward, measureable targets which are linked to pupils’ progress, other school priorities and salary progression. The provision of regular, good quality training opportunities for all staff, together with a strong team approach to sharing good practice are improving the quality of teaching. However, leaders are yet to ensure that teaching always precisely matches the needs of varying pupils and that pupils are given enough opportunities to respond to comments in teachers’ marking.  Parents are very positive about the way that the school supports their children. In conversation

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The leadership and management are good

with the inspector they were highly supportive and commented on the difference that it makes for children to access learning when they have special educational needs. This is also reflected in the school’s own surveys and on Parent View and demonstrates the school’s commitment to providing equal opportunity and tackling discrimination.  The headteachers and governors have ensured that the curriculum provides a range of opportunities for pupils to learn and develop skills well and prepares them for their next stages of learning. Pupils learn about other cultures, such as the Year 5 residential course learning Mandarin and Chinese culture. ‘The Den’ is a before- and after-school activity which is well organised and enjoyed by pupils.  The school has a strong sporting focus. Parents acknowledge that access to different sports is a reason why their children enjoy school. The school is using the new primary school sports

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The leadership and management are good

funding to provide more visits from sports specialists to work with pupils and develop staff skills to ensure sustainability and provide more opportunities for pupils to enter competitions.  The local authority has carried out a number of visits, particularly in the last year, in order to support the school while it develops its partnership. This level of support has been increased from the ‘light touch’ support it provided previously.  The headteachers and the governing body fully recognise that the building limits access to outdoor activities for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Plans and funding are in place to build a new provision, with building work due to commence at the start of 2014.  The governance of the school:  The governing body works hard to ensure that the school maintains the highest standards. Over a number of years, the governors have taken time to consider how best to make

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The leadership and management are good

improvements, resulting in the partnership with the high school. It knows how well the pupils are doing because it has a wide range of performance information available, which it understands, and governors visit classrooms in order to check for themselves. This also ensures that they are aware of the performance of teachers. The governors are aware of linking pay to performance and use appropriate targets to ensure improvements are being made by the associate headteacher and teachers in the school.  In their meetings, governors consider all the important aspects of the school, including the arrangements for ensuring that safeguarding meets the required standards. The governors are clear about using the pupil premium to improve the learning for those to whom it applies and know that the small group activities on offer make a positive difference. They manage the school’s finances well, for example, they have secured the funding to build the new outdoor

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The leadership and management are good

facilities for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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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 121393 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 425948

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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 55 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Farida Grout Headteacher Elaine Dixon Date of previous school inspection 10 December 2008 Telephone number 01423 330296 Email address admin@greatouseburn.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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