Thornton in Craven Community Primary School

Thornton in Craven Community Primary School Cam Lane, Thornton-in-Craven, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 3SX

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well from their individual starting points in English and mathematics.  By the end of Year 6, standards are above average.  Teaching across the school is good. Teachers know pupils very well and provide interesting and exciting activities to ensure that they make good progress.  Children make a good start in the Reception class as a result of good teaching and well planned activities both indoors and outdoors. The quality of teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage has improved since the last inspection.  Teaching assistants provide good support for those pupils who find learning difficult so that they make as much progress as their classmates.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They are polite and well mannered. Pupils all agree that they are ‘one happy family’ and are proud of their school.  Excellent relationships and a welcoming, happy atmosphere are found everywhere in the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school. Pupils feel safe.  The headteacher, staff, and a strong governing body work well together as a team. They have made sure that teaching and achievement are at least as good as they were at the time of the last inspection. The school is well placed to improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Over time, pupil’s progress in mathematics has not been as good as in English. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise their skills by solving problems.  In mathematics, marking does not always help pupils to improve their work.  Middle leaders are not yet fully involved in checking the quality of teaching and learning across the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed six lessons, including one joint lesson with the headteacher.  The inspector held meetings with pupils from Year 2, Year 4 and Year 6, the headteacher, two members of the governing body and subject leaders. The inspector had telephone conversations with the Chair of the governing body and the local authority representative.  The inspector listened to Year 1 and Year 6 pupils read.  The inspector took account of 28 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as well as having informal discussions with parents at the start of the day.  The inspector observed the school’s work and analysed a range of documents and policies, including the school’s view of its own performance, school improvement plan, information about pupils’ progress, attendance records, safeguarding documents, performance management documents and a sample of pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Mark Randall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Thornton in Craven Primary School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in three mixed age classes.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action plus or a statement is well below average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium (which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, in local authority care and those with a parent in the armed services) is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which sets the minimum expectations for pupil’s attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is outstanding and enables pupils to make rapid progress in mathematics, by:  making sure that all teachers give clear advice to pupils on how to improve their work  giving pupils time to respond to their teachers’ comments and improve their work  providing more opportunities for pupils to practise and apply their skills by solving problems.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by providing opportunities for subject leaders to check more regularly the quality of teaching and learning across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children generally join school with skills that are typically expected for their age in most areas other than communication and language where they are lower. They make good progress in the Reception class as a result of good teaching and the variety of exciting activities offered to them both indoors and outdoors. At the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage many are working at and above the level expected for their age. Children are confident, work well with their classmates and listen well to their teachers. They learn new skills quickly and are well prepared for Year 1.  Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1. The standards pupils reach at the end of Key Stage 1 have risen recently in English and mathematics to well above average.  Pupils continue to achieve well in Key Stage 2. Standards have been above average for the last five years in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. More-able pupils make good

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The achievement of pupils is good

progress and achieve the higher levels, especially in reading and writing.  Reading is taught successfully across the school and pupils have access to a wide range of books. Older pupils enjoy reading, read widely for pleasure and talk avidly about books written by their favourite authors. They read fluently and with expression.  Younger pupils use their phonics (knowledge of the sounds that letters make) to help them read unfamiliar words. These skills are taught effectively. In a lesson observed in the Reception class, children worked well in teams to read, write and match words containing ‘ee’ and ’oa’ sounds with their corresponding pictures. These pupils enjoyed working together and made good progress.  Teachers give good attention to teaching basic skills in writing and from an early age pupils apply their skills as they write for different purposes. The more-able pupils produce imaginative,

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The achievement of pupils is good

well-constructed pieces of writing.  Although pupils make good progress in mathematics it is generally not as fast as in English. Pupils are confident carrying out calculations but less confident in applying their skills because teachers do not always provide enough opportunities for pupils to practise their number skills in a real-life context. However, the recent introduction of ‘Fun Friday problem solving’ is providing opportunities for pupils to practise their number and reasoning skills through open ended problem solving activities. Consequently, pupil’s progress is improving.  There is no difference in the performance of boys, girls or different groups of pupils. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their classmates because close checks are made on their learning and steps are swiftly taken to provide an extra boost for those who need it. These pupils receive effective support from teaching assistants in

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The achievement of pupils is good

class. Consequently, they achieve well.  Pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium funding make good progress given their starting points. There were too few of these pupils in 2013 for their attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 to be compared with that of their classmates without identifying individuals.  All pupils make good progress from their individual starting points. The school’s own data and pupil’s work confirms this. The school, therefore, promotes successfully equality of opportunity.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good and pupil’s progress over time reflects this. Teaching throughout the school encourages pupils’ interest in their learning and supports their good progress.  Teachers prepare interesting work for pupils and have good relationships with them. Lessons are managed well and routines well established, so pupils know what is expected of them. A positive working atmosphere and a sense of enjoyment of learning are evident in all lessons.  In the best lessons, teachers have strong subject knowledge and make good use of questioning. They often ask pupils to explain their thinking, which helps the teacher to assess pupils’ understanding. A good example of this was seen in a Year 2 history lesson when the teacher asked pupils to identify which sources of evidence they would use to find out about the past encouraging them to give reasons for their choice. Pupils then moved on to identify very specific

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The quality of teaching is good

questions that they would want to ask Samuel Pepys to find out more about the Great Fire of London.  A variety of strategies and resources are used imaginatively to involve all pupils and to maintain their interest. Pupils are given good opportunities to discuss ideas together, which help them to organise their thinking and develops co-operation. This was seen in a Year 4 English lesson when pupils of all abilities worked together well to plan a story based on a historical event. Pupils used a variety of resources to help them plan their characters, setting and plot effectively. They then very successfully wrote their own stories.  Teachers track pupils’ progress regularly and identify quickly those who need more concentrated teaching and challenge further pupils who are doing particularly well. They identify pupils who are not learning as well as they should and take swift action to ensure that make better

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The quality of teaching is good

progress. This has had more effect in English than mathematics although evidence suggests an improving picture in mathematics.  Teaching assistants are skilled and effective in supporting teachers in the classroom and providing help for individuals or groups of pupils. Consequently, pupils who find learning more difficult make good progress.  There are some examples of excellent marking, especially for the younger pupils. However, this is not consistent across the school. In mathematics, older pupils are not always clear about how to improve their work or given time to make improvements after teachers have commented.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well around the school, in lessons and at break times. The school is a very friendly, orderly and harmonious learning community. Pupils are polite and courteous towards each other and to adults.  Pupils say that they feel very safe. They all say that bullying is extremely rare and feel confident that if incidents did occur, adults would help them. Pupils have a good knowledge of internet safety and know the importance of keeping safe on the internet. The majority of parents agree that their children are kept safe in school.  At playtimes, pupils of all ages play well together. Older pupils help younger pupils if they are hurt or upset. An example of this was seen during the inspection when a younger pupil slipped on the playground. Immediately, a number of older pupils rushed to check that the pupil was unharmed. Pupils all say that they are ‘like a happy family’.  The school’s behaviour policy is understood clearly by all. Pupils know that there are

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

consequences for poor behaviour and can see the need to have rules and routines to keep them safe and happy. They feel this works well and that behaviour in the school is consistently good. Pupils describe how good behaviour is promoted by rewarding them with ‘Gotcha’ and Headteacher’s awards.  Pupils love coming to school. They arrive on time and attend regularly. Attendance has improved over recent years and is now above the national average.  Fund-raising events to raise money for charities are popular features in the school. Pupils have recently raised money to send to children in Africa. Members of the School Council are proud to describe their planned fundraising events, which includes packing bags in the local supermarket, to raise money for some new laptops.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has a clear view of the many successes of the school and how it can be improved. Her commitment to continue to improve standards further is shared by staff and governors. Strong teamwork has ensured that the school has continued to improve since the last inspection.  The headteacher makes regular checks on the quality of teaching and uses her records to identify the strengths in teaching and where further improvements can be made. Support is provided especially to tackle the weaker aspects of mathematics.  There are very clear systems for checking on the progress of all pupils. This information is used to identify any pupils who are not achieving as well as they should. As a result, well-focused teaching, help and guidance mean that all pupils are making good progress.  Arrangements for managing teachers’ performance are well organised and rigorous. Objectives for teachers are linked to the progress of pupils they teach and decisions about pay are closely

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The leadership and management are good

linked to how successfully teachers meet their targets. Consequently, the quality of teaching is now consistently good and has improved since the last inspection.  Subject leaders play a role in the evaluation of the strengths of their subjects and regularly compare pupils’ performance against national data. However, as yet they are not given enough time to check on the quality of teaching by monitoring lessons and looking at pupil’s work.  The school cares well for its pupils. The small size of the school ensures that families and pupils are known very well by all staff. The school has very positive relationships with many parents and carers who are very supportive of the school’s work.  The curriculum promotes effectively pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Subjects are linked together and staff ensure that pupils benefit from a good balance of interesting and exciting activities. However, opportunities for pupils to use and apply their

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The leadership and management are good

mathematics skills to solve open-ended problems have only recently been introduced. A range of visits, visitors to the school and residential stays from Year 3 upward make pupils keen to learn.  The new primary school sports funding is used carefully and is directed at training for staff, play equipment and the use of sports coaches to work directly with pupils. It is closely monitored by the headteacher and governors with the aim of ensuring high quality teaching and pupils’ increased participation in a wide range of sporting activities.  Safeguarding procedures are rigorous and meet statutory requirements.  The local authority knows the school well and provides an appropriate level of support.  The governance of the school:  Governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise to the school. They provide strong support and challenge for leaders in order to ensure that the school continues to improve and

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The leadership and management are good

move forward. Governors have an accurate picture of how well the school is doing and use data well to compare its performance to that of schools nationally. The governing body plays an active role in the school’s self-evaluation, monitoring and improvement planning processes. Regular visits to the school check closely on the school’s progress towards its identified priorities. Evaluations on the quality of teaching are reviewed in detail. Governors ensure that performance management processes for teachers, including the headteacher, are rigorous and teachers are only rewarded for sustained, high-quality performance. They ensure that the funding for pupils eligible for the pupil premium is used wisely to enable those pupils to make good progress.

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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 121421 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 425949

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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 78 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christopher Morris Headteacher Karen Hawkins Date of previous school inspection 19 November 2008 Telephone number 01282 843381 Fax number 01282 841463 Email address admin@thornton-in-craven.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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