Burnsall Voluntary Aided Primary School

Burnsall Voluntary Aided Primary School Burnsall, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 6BP

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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.  Pupils’ achievement is good. They make excellent progress in reading and good progress in writing and mathematics.  Teaching is good overall and occasionally outstanding, especially in mathematics in Key Stage 2.  Teachers plan lessons which have interesting topics and a range of activities. They use questions well and check pupils’ understanding as lessons progress. Lessons have a brisk pace.  The curriculum offers pupils many stimulating opportunities to see the links between subjects and to develop their skills in reading and mathematics.  Teaching assistants are very skilled at teaching and supporting pupils’ learning.  The school offers excellent care and support and provides extremely well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. They care exceptionally well for one another and say they feel extremely safe. Attendance is above

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

average.  The headteacher and the governing body have a very clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They have improved teaching, pupils’ achievement and the leadership skills of other teachers.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 While teachers plan lessons to meet the needs of different groups of pupils, work is not always well-matched to the level at which individual pupils are working.  Pupils are given too few chances to write at length in English and other subjects.  Teachers do not always make it clear to pupils what they need to do to reach the next level in their learning.  Targets for pupils’ progress in the school development plan and teachers’ performance management are not rigorous enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with staff, groups of pupils and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body. The inspectors also met with the school’s local authority education development partner.  They looked at a range of evidence including the school’s improvement plan; the school’s data relating to pupils’ progress; the work in pupils’ books and the school’s documentation relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors observed teaching and learning in four lessons taught by two teachers. They listened to groups of pupils in Years 2 and 6 read. In addition, the inspectors made a number of short visits to lessons.  Despite being on maternity leave, the substantive headteacher participated in the inspection alongside the acting headteacher, attending meetings and conducting joint observations with the lead inspector.  The lead inspector conducted two joint observations with the headteacher and the acting

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Information about this inspection

headteacher. The lead inspector also observed the headteachers reporting back to the teachers on their findings regarding the quality of teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement in the lesson.  Too few parents had responded to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) for their opinions to be published. However, inspectors analysed the school’s own of survey of parents and received one letter from parents.

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Inspection team

Gordon Potter, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Ellwood Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is very much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  All pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is above average.  The proportions of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are average.  There are after-school clubs which take place in other local schools.  The school has had too few pupils in its last three Year 6 classes for them to be measured meaningfully against the current government floor standards. These are the minimum

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Information about this school

expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.  There are two classes: one for pupils in Reception and Years 1 and 2; the other for pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. The headteacher teaches the Key Stage 1 class on a 0.3 basis.  The headteacher has been on maternity leave since April 2013. In her absence the school has been led by the headteacher of a neighbouring school on a 0.6 basis and the Key Stage 2 teacher.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is outstanding, to further raise standards and rates of pupils’ progress, by:  using teachers’ understanding of the level at which pupils are working to plan work that is specifically linked to the skills and abilities of individual pupils  offering pupils a clear understanding of the level of their work and what they need to do to reach the next level in their learning  offering pupils even more opportunities to write imaginatively and at length in English and other subjects  raising the expectations for pupils’ progress in the school improvement plan and teachers’ performance management.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The abilities of different year groups vary in this very small school. Teaching has improved for pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. As a result, they now make good progress to reach standards which are average or slightly above average at the end of Year 2.  Attainment at the end of Year 6 is typically average in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2012, too few pupils made the progress expected of them in mathematics and attainment in mathematics was below average.  A clear focus on improving the leadership, curriculum and teaching of mathematics has ensured that progress is now good. As a result, in 2013, attainment was above average in mathematics. It was above average in writing and well above average in reading. Pupils had made outstanding progress in reading and good progress in writing and mathematics.  Inspection evidence shows that progress in reading is outstanding and attainment is typically

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The achievement of pupils is good

above average by the end of Year 6. There is a consistent focus on reading across school. Pupils have a clear understanding of how letters are linked to sounds and this helps them to read words they are not used to. They read very often with great enjoyment, in school and at home, and welcome the excellent range of books available to them in school.  Pupils currently in Year 6 are making good progress from starting points at the end of Year 2 that were below average. They are on track to attain standards that are in line with age-related expectations at the end of Year 6.  Very few pupils who were known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding, including those who were known to be eligible for free school meals, have taken the national assessments at the end of Year 6 in the past three years. As a consequence, it is not possible to make any meaningful comparisons about their attainment with that of similar groups nationally. Those

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils currently in school who are eligible make good progress similar to that of other pupils in school in English and mathematics.  There were no pupils with special educational needs who took the national assessments in 2013. Teachers and teaching assistants are extremely skilful at identifying the needs of those pupils with special educational needs who are currently in school. They teach and support them very well in their learning so they can make good progress.  Similarly, the school has had too few high-achieving pupils in recent years. It is now identifying its most-able pupils and evidence seen during the inspection indicates that more pupils currently in school than has been the case in the past are working above the expectations for their age, indicating that the most-able pupils are making good progress.  The school is very clearly focused on identifying any pupils who are at risk of falling behind and

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The achievement of pupils is good

concentrates on ensuring that all pupils make at least good progress. This clearly shows the school’s commitment to promoting equal opportunities and tackling discrimination.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good overall, with some outstanding teaching of mathematics in Key Stage 2. All lessons have interesting topics and a range of exciting activities that engage pupils and allow them to see the links between subjects. Teachers question pupils well and encourage them to talk through ideas and solve problems with their partners.  Teachers are very skilful at explaining what pupils are to learn and leading them through ways to do tasks. Teachers are good at identifying where pupils have misunderstandings and adapting their lessons to help them as work proceeds. On such occasions, teaching assistants are used very well to support and teach all groups of pupils.  All of these approaches were seen in outstanding teaching of mathematics in a lesson for pupils in the Key Stage 2 class. The teacher offered pupils a range of challenging activities appropriate to their abilities in estimating and measuring. Pupils used their mathematical skills, knowledge

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The quality of teaching is good

and understanding to investigate different approaches and test their answers. Pupils were engaged by the task and determined to succeed. As a result, they made outstanding progress in investigating and problem-solving techniques.  However, there are not enough examples of excellent teaching to result in outstanding progress for pupils. Because pupils are not clear about the level of their work and their targets are not specific enough, they do not fully understand what they need to do to reach the next level in their learning. While pupils’ work is regularly marked, teachers do not always make it clear to pupils how they can improve their work or give pupils time to act upon any advice that is given.  Although work is matched very well to the learning needs of different groups of pupils in these mixed-age classes, it is not always so well-directed or targeted specifically enough to each individual pupil’s level.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use pupils’ reading, their visits and the many exciting topics they cover in a range of subjects, such as life in Ancient Egypt, as the starting point for writing activities and progress in writing is good.  This good approach was seen in a lesson for pupils in Years 1 and 2 where their interest in sharks was used as a stimulus for their writing. The most-able pupils were encouraged to write independently, research on the Internet and develop their sentences using adjectives and connectives. The least-able were given recorders to help them express their ideas before writing them. Accordingly, pupils made good progress in their writing.  However, progress in writing is good rather than outstanding because pupils have too few opportunities to develop their creativity and imagination by writing at length in English and other subjects. Occasionally, some low-level activities are planned at the expense of writing.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are extremely happy in school. They respect one another and are extremely polite to adults. They say that behaviour is excellent in their lessons. The school’s records of behaviour confirm that behaviour has been outstanding in the past three years.  Indeed, outstanding behaviour was evident in lessons where pupils support and encourage one another in exciting learning activities. Pupils also conduct themselves exceptionally well around the school. They play extremely well with each other and show exemplary manners when they eat lunch together and with their teachers.  Pupils feel exceptionally safe and are aware of different forms of bullying, including cyber- bullying. They say that there is no bullying, although on rare occasions friends fall out. Even here they are mature and sensible enough to sort out problems for themselves.  The very few pupils who find it difficult to behave well are managed exceptionally well by the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

school and their behaviour has improved rapidly. This is as a result of the outstanding, sensitive care they and all other pupils receive from adults in the school.  Older pupils look after younger children and help pupils play safely and enjoyably together. Indeed all pupils flourish under the school’s ‘5c Code’ of care, consideration, courtesy, concentration and co-operation.  Pupils develop social skills through the many opportunities to learn together and in the extra- curricular activities they do with pupils from other schools. The school council is chosen by other pupils and represents their views and offers ideas to improve the school playground. Attendance is above average because pupils enjoy coming to school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has high aspirations and expectations for her staff and pupils, and a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and relative weaknesses. In response to a dip in attainment in mathematics, she acted resolutely to tackle the problem, encouraging the teacher in charge of mathematics to develop her skills both in teaching mathematics and in leadership.  As a result, leadership across school is good. Training is effectively conducted by school leaders and ensures a consistent approach to teaching in the school. All teachers welcome and thrive upon the responsibility and accountability offered to them. As a result, standards in mathematics have risen and teaching across the school has improved.  There is also effective training to help teachers gain a clear understanding of how to teach pupils to link sounds and letters and to develop their skills in teaching writing. As a result, pupils now

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The leadership and management are good

make excellent progress in reading and good progress in writing and mathematics.  The headteacher and the mathematics leader have clear expertise in using data to measure pupils’ progress. However, while the school improvement plan has appropriate areas for development, the measures for pupils’ progress are not rigorous enough. As a result, while good teaching has helped pupils make good progress, progress is not yet outstanding.  Likewise, while teachers are very clear that they will be rewarded only when their pupils have done as well as, or better than, they should have done, their performance management targets are not yet rigorous enough.  The headteacher regularly monitors the quality of teaching, clearly understands what constitutes good teaching and judges it accurately. She is clear in her feedback to teachers who welcome and act upon her advice. The acting headteacher and the mathematics leader are also clear

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The leadership and management are good

about the quality of teaching.  The acting headteacher has encouraged the independence of the teachers, offered her own advice about teaching based on her great expertise and introduced some refinements to target- setting and the measurement of progress. These are giving teachers a clearer view of how progress can be accelerated, but have not yet had time to ensure that progress is outstanding.  Funding to support the learning of those pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium has been used to purchase appropriate resources and to offer support to develop their basic skills and offer them cultural opportunities through visits and extra-curricular activities. As a result, they make the same good and outstanding progress as that of other pupils in the school.  The new primary school sports funding has been used effectively to develop competitive sports with similar-sized schools, to enhance the links with the local secondary school and to introduce

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The leadership and management are good

new sports such as dodge ball.  While no physical education lessons were seen during the inspection, pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 were being taught by specialist teachers at the secondary school. Pupils say they enjoy these lessons and the facilities available to them. These are contributing well to pupils’ physical development and well-being.  The curriculum is very exciting and contributes strongly to pupils’ extremely well-developed spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. While it is focused on developing pupils’ basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics, it also provides very many opportunities for pupils to develop their love of history, art, music, science and geography. It uses the beauty of the local environment highly effectively and is particularly good at helping pupils to apply their mathematical skills in real-life problem-solving activities.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school welcomes the support and advice it receives from the local authority and successive education development advisers. They support the school and have been engaged in helping the school to improve the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics and to develop teachers’ leadership skills.  The governance of the school:  The governing body offers strong support and challenge to the school and governors are regularly involved in school activities. The Chair and Vice-Chair have recently swapped roles but both are extremely knowledgeable about the school and the achievement of pupils. They have been determined that it should improve and have introduced systems to monitor the curriculum and teaching. As a result, teaching and achievement have improved. They have managed the headteacher’s absence remarkably well and encouraged all teachers to develop their leadership roles. They receive clear information about how the new primary school sports

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The leadership and management are good

funding and pupil premium funding are allocated and are knowledgeable about their impact. They ensure that the school fulfils its statutory responsibilities for safeguarding. All staff have been vetted and are trained appropriately to keep pupils safe and free from harm. The budget in this very small school is managed well and governors are well-informed about future budget projections.

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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 121622 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 431777

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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 34 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Robert Stockdale Headteacher Helen Jameson Date of previous school inspection 8 February 2011 Telephone number 01756 720273 Fax number 01756 720273 Email address admin@burnsall.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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