Masham CofE VA Primary School

Masham Church of England VA Primary School 1 Millgate, Market Place, Masham, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 4EG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  In 2012 the Secretary of State for Schools took the time to write to the school applauding the fact that its results at Year 6 placed the school amongst the top performing schools in the country.  Inspection findings confirm that pupils make rapid and sustained progress and reach standards that are above and at times well above, average. Throughout the school, the standards in reading are high and pupils do very well in mathematics. In writing, pupils are confident but standards are slightly below other subjects.  An excellent foundation for learning laid in the Early Years Foundation Stage builds children’s enthusiasm and knowledge. This prepares them very well for learning as they move through the school.  The large majority of teaching is of the highest quality. Teaching is never less than good. Lessons inspire pupils, releasing their creativity and ability to be independent.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Supporting the outstanding teaching is an excellent curriculum. Pupils are enabled to achieve well in a variety of subjects including science, music, aspects of sport and history. A wide range of clubs, visits and visitors enrich learning.  A major strength of the school is the pupils’ excellent spiritual, social, moral and cultural development. The school’s high standard of care and expectations of conduct and effort foster in pupils a sense of pride in themselves and in their school. Pupils feel safe and secure.  Parents are amongst the school’s strongest advocates. They applaud the hard work of the staff and headteacher. Recent events such as the science evening and the ‘cyclathon’ to raise funds for children in Tanzania are highly valued. Parents are unanimous in recommending the school to others.  Links with the community are excellent. Pupils are regular attendees at church and perform plays at the Town Hall.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher has unbounded ambition for the success of pupils both in their academic and personal development. Because of this excellent leadership, staff and governors are fully behind all decisions made. Everyone is unstinting in their commitment to the school and constantly seek ways of bettering their professional skills.  A strong governing body, coupled with high morale and eagerness for success of the staff, indicates that the school is very well set to develop further in future.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed seven lessons, one of which was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were conducted with governors, the staff team and two groups of pupils. In addition, a telephone conversation was conducted with a representative of the local authority.  Information from the scrutiny of a range of school documentation added to inspection judgements. This included the details relating to safeguarding, the improvement plan, the school’s procedures for gaining an accurate view of its performance and records of pupils’ standards and progress.  The views of parents were ascertained by analysing 21 responses posted on the online questionnaire (Parent View). In addition, an evaluation was made of the recent questionnaire of parents’ views carried out by the school.  An analysis of four staff questionnaires, together with an ongoing dialogue with teachers and teaching assistants, gave the inspector an insight into the views of the staff.

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Inspection team

David Byrne, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement or special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is below average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and children who are looked after by the local authority.)  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement further in writing so that it is as good as that of reading and mathematics by: – raising the profile of writing across the school – devising and implementing an effective strategy to raise standards which is monitored to check on its impact on pupils’ achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Inspection findings support the very positive picture in the school’s performance data. From starting points that are close to those typically found, pupils make outstanding progress overall, leaving at the end of Year 6 with standards that are above average and in some cases well- above average.  The levels of development of children starting the Early Years Foundation Stage vary from year to year but are generally typical for their age. They make good progress and reach good levels of development by the end of the Reception class.  In Key Stages 1 and 2 progress is rapid and sustained. In Key Stage 1, progress has accelerated quickly in recent years and standards at Year 2 have risen as a result. In 2012 standards were above average overall. Provisional data for 2013 indicates these high standards have been maintained with particularly high results in reading and mathematics.  In Key Stage 2, a much higher proportion than average make more than the expected rates of

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

progress in English and mathematics. Standards in 2012 were above average. Provisional data for 2013 indicates that progress was again higher than national expectations. A well-above average proportion of pupils achieved levels that exceeded the expectations expected of them for their age in reading and mathematics.  Pupils reach standards in reading that are well-above average across the school. Pupils enjoy reading and benefit from a well-planned and carefully structured curriculum for reading. From the Early Years Foundation Stage upwards, pupils develop an understanding of the sounds that letters make (phonics). This helps them to read new words and to use their skills to spell accurately. Reading takes place regularly in all classes and pupils regularly read at home.  Pupils write well but assessment data indicates that standards are not as good as the high standards gained in reading. The teaching of mathematics is a key strength of the school. This

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

leads to pupils developing a good understanding of number; they are competent in applying this knowledge to solve mathematical problems.  The number of pupils known to be eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium grant is too small to make a comparison with similar pupils nationally. Data held by the school indicates that the attainment of such pupils is similar to other pupils in the school but that their progress, although good, is slightly slower.  Pupils’ involvement in sport is good and enhances their health and well-being. Pupils participate in a range of inter-schools sports events. The school sport fund is allocated to widen the curriculum for all pupils.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Outstanding teaching is the reason for the outstanding achievement. Throughout the school teachers have high expectations of pupils. They have a good insight into pupils’ needs and set work which extends their knowledge and understanding. Teaching is a team effort, with teaching assistants playing a vital part.  Pupils are very attentive in lessons. They get underway with tasks very quickly. They are keen to please their teachers. Their appetite for knowledge and skills is palpable. Pupils’ commitment to learning is a key factor in their outstanding progress.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage the provision and teaching are excellently managed. Children make good progress because of detailed planning and a thorough knowledge of the needs of each child. A good balance is struck between enabling children to make choices within their learning and benefitting from adult-led guidance. Children explore, play and learn within a

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

finely tuned curriculum tailored to their needs. Children were bursting with enthusiasm to make their own didgereedoo after watching a video clip of an Australian Aborigine playing the instrument; independently children decorated and painted their own version of the instrument and proudly tried it out.  In Key Stage 1, teaching is very good. The wide spread of ages and abilities are very well catered for and pupils make good progress. In Key Stage 2, teaching is quite exceptional. Very good subject knowledge of mathematics and English ensures that lessons are exciting and relevant, which captures the pupils’ interests. During an excellent literacy lessons, pupils were totally engrossed in a short video clip related to a cloud descending on a city. This led to pupils musing over ways of writing complex sentences using different types of clauses. Every learner was totally engaged in the work and strove to compose high quality sentences.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Across the school, lessons move along at a fast pace and there is rarely ever any time wasted. Pupils know exactly what they need to do and work industriously displaying great satisfaction when they achieve their targets. Adults respect the pupils’ ideas and their opinions are actively encouraged. All adults offer pupils an excellent role model for them to aspire to. In day-to-day practice, they speak with good diction and show respect to pupils, they take care to write with the school’s desired handwriting style and they encourage a culture where to say, ‘I don’t know.’ is positive because it drives improvement.  Pupils know how well they achieve in lessons and are in many ways their own greatest critics. Their desire to improve is impressive. They respond very positively to the marking in their books. Positive comments by teachers encourage and reward high quality work as well as giving pupils

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

targets for improvement.  Strong partnerships with parents are very successfully promoted through regular use of homework and home-based activities. The ‘explore rucksacks’ and ‘story sacks’ offer excellent involvement of parents with their children’s learning. In Key Stage 1, class bears are welcomed home. They become part of the family for a time which prompts writing for a real purpose.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils benefit from outstanding levels of support and guidance from a dedicated and talented team of staff. A strong family atmosphere pervades the school and even a visitor quickly feels part of a community which values each person within it, including teachers, all staff, pupils, governors and parents.  At all times pupils are well behaved and show care for others. Bullying of any type is almost unheard of and pupils are adamant that if there are any disagreements, staff deal with them swiftly and fairly. Parents rate behaviour very highly and feel that their children benefit from an extremely safe and secure environment.  Pupils reach advanced levels of personal development and excellent levels of spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness and this has a very positive influence on their academic and personal achievement.  The mixed-age classes and the excellent levels of integration of pupils with learning difficulties

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

and/or disabilities result in mature pupils who understand the importance of putting others before themselves. They are very much part of the school and willingly take responsibility for aspects of its day-to-day life.  Pupils enthusiastically help others at lunchtimes, organising the sports equipment and helping each other throughout the day; they are full of ideas for improving the school in their role as pupil councillors.  Pupils have a very good knowledge and understanding of the choices required to live safe and healthy lives. They talk at length about how to avoid the dangers of modern living, for example of smoking, abusing medicines and the risks posed to them by roads and vehicles. Pupils are very aware indeed of the dangers of misusing computer technology and internet services.  Attendance is consistently above average and is an important factor in pupils’ high achievement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leadership and management are excellent. The headteacher knows exactly the needs of the pupils, their parents and the community in which the school is situated. Over time, the school has improved significantly due to the excellent decisions made by the headteacher supported by a strong governing body.  A very effective staff team has been created, all of whom have a high morale and the ambition to do as well as they can. From the very effective school administrator, to the class teachers, to the support staff, to the pupils and parents everyone is valued and has their part to play. Leadership in the Early Years Foundation Stage, mathematics and reading are particularly strong. Initiatives to raise the profile of writing are currently underway. The skills of the headteacher and other staff are recognised beyond the school; their skills are sought to work with other schools in the locality.  The performance of staff is regularly reviewed and their impact on pupils’ learning evaluated.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

The individual skills of staff are valued and harnessed to benefit the pupils. The headteacher, supported by a skilled senior teacher, is determined to make sure staff are as well trained as they can be and to seek career progression. Links with the local authority and other schools secure good quality training which widens the staff’s knowledge and expertise.  Sensible structures exist which enable the school to make accurate evaluations of its strengths and areas for development. This information informs pertinent targets for improvement in the school’s development plan. These focus on raising not only pupils’ academic achievement but also on developing their personal qualities. This desire to develop all aspects of each pupil demonstrates the school’s commitment to ensuring every pupil is treated equally and making sure discrimination of any sort is banished.  At the heart of the excellent achievement of pupils is the outstanding curriculum. An array of

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The leadership and management are outstanding

educational visits and visitors bring learning alive. A real Viking has visited and pupils participated in a ‘battle’, some pupils completed a six-mile hike around the area and older pupils can access residential visits to places such as London and to an outdoor activity centre.  Productive links with local schools enable pupils to participate in a wide range of sports including competitive events. An excellent range of extra-curricular clubs including physical education, dance, drama and singing gives pupils the confidence to perform in front of others. They recently performed ‘The Pirates of the Curry Bean’ at Masham town hall and the choir are soon to sing at the Sage Events venue in Gateshead. Such enrichment broadens pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the wider world and gives pupils an advanced understanding of the richness and diversity of modern society.  Parents are full of praise for the school. They are unanimous in saying they would recommend

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The leadership and management are outstanding

the school to others. From before the time their children join the school in the Early Years Foundation Stage, good quality information keeps everyone abreast of how the school works and how it values working in partnership with them. The convivial relationship with parents is an important element in securing the high quality outcomes for the pupils.  The local authority offers good support to staff and governors. It secures the accuracy of the school’s assessments, offers an objective review of the school’s academic performance and enables staff to pursue training to move their careers forward.  The governance of the school:  Governors staunchly support the school and are very keen for its success to continue. They are rigorous in keeping abreast of local and national developments and access training by the local authority and diocese. The governor team share responsibilities very effectively between

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The leadership and management are outstanding

three committees. A close eye is kept on the performance of pupils and any changes in standards are challenged to seek reasons why. They ensure that safeguarding policy and practice meet requirements. The management of finance and building matters is astute and very effective in securing the best possible resources within its budget. Governors are vigilant in checking the appraisal of the headteacher and staff and its connection with pay. They have made sensible decisions on the use of pupil premium funding and regularly check on its impact on removing any gaps between pupils’ performances.

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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 121613 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 425953

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 91 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jim Dalton Headteacher Ruth Davies Date of previous school inspection 18 November 2008 Telephone number 01765 689200 Fax number 01765 688266 Email address admin@masham.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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