Goathland Primary School

Goathland Primary School Beckhole Road, Goathland, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO22 5ND Inspection dates 3 December 2013

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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.  Children get a very good start to their schooling as they settle quickly into this caring, close-knit school. They make good and sometimes better progress across the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils continue to achieve well and make good and sometimes better progress. The school knows its pupils exceptionally well and by the time they leave in Year 6 they reach standards that range from average to above average according to their individual starting points.  Teaching is consistently good and sometimes outstanding. Teachers meet pupils’ needs successfully through well-tailored activities and stimulating experiences that inspire pupils to learn. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and use questioning well to promote pupils’ progress.  Pupils with specific needs are very well catered for in the school. All staff meet their needs very well and, as a result, they make

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

good and sometimes better progress.  Pupils’ behaviour and their understanding of how to keep safe is outstanding. Behaviour at playtimes and lunchtimes is exemplary. Pupils say there is no bullying and everyone gets on well together. They work together harmoniously and attendance is above average.  The school’s curriculum provides activities that give pupils a real thirst for learning. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a particular strength of the school and underpins pupils’ daily work.  The headteacher provides inspirational leadership. She is exceptionally well supported by all staff who strive to ensure pupils achieve well. Teaching continues to improve and this is having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement.  Governors have high aspirations for the school. They know the school well and challenge and support the school in its drive to improve teaching and achievement further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding so that pupils can make outstanding progress.  Marking does not always enable pupils to improve their progress or reach a higher standard in their work.  Pupils do not always know how to be successful in lessons so they can check on their own learning and make faster progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 10 lessons or parts of lessons, of which one was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors looked at groups of pupils working with teaching assistants and specifically listened to Year 2 and Year 3 pupils read, and other year groups in lessons.  Inspectors talked to a range of pupils about their work and play in school. They also looked at a range of pupils’ work across the school.  Meetings were held with four governors as well as teaching staff, including subject leaders and the headteacher.  Inspectors observed the overall work of the school and studied a number of documents including the school’s data about pupils’ current progress. They also examined documents relating to safeguarding, governance, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors took account of a discussion with three parents as there were insufficient responses to parent view. They also considered the school’s staff questionnaires.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at a range of other evidence including school displays, its website and work representing the school’s wider achievements beyond the classroom.

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Inspection team

David Shearsmith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Peter William Harrison Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller in size than an average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in two mixed-age classes. They sometimes have different teachers for different subjects.  Year groups are very small. Most have fewer than three pupils. Sometimes there are no pupils in a particular year group.  A below-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. This 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.  An above-average proportion of pupils are supported at school action. An above-average proportion of pupils are supported at school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The school sometimes experiences significant mobility of pupils leaving and entering at different

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Information about this school

times during the school year.  The school has achieved Healthy Schools status and the Science Silver Awards.  The government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics, do not apply to this school. When results are reported at the end of Year 6 the number of eligible pupils has been consistently below 11.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching so that achievement is improved further by:  ensuring the marking of pupils’ work gives clear guidance on how pupils can improve their work and allowing time in the next lesson to act on this  making sure pupils understand how to be successful in lessons in order that they can check on and accelerate their own learning and progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good. The school knows its pupils very well and this helps to ensures that all pupils receive an equality of opportunity to achieve. Pupils make good and sometimes even better progress across the school because teaching is consistently good and sometimes outstanding. Staff are particularly adept at meeting the needs of those pupils who enter the school at various times during the school year and helping them to make rapid progress.  Most children enter the school with skills that are typically below what you might expect for their age. The very small numbers of children in a year group means that this can vary widely from year to year. . They make good and sometimes better progress across the Early Years Foundation Stage, particularly in their personal development and speaking and listening skills.  They continue to make good and sometimes better progress in Years 1 and 2. Staff are able to

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The achievement of pupils is good

tailor learning to each individual. By the time they leave Year 2, pupils generally reach standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are average, but as their starting points often vary significantly one or two are sometimes below.  Progress continues to be good and sometimes better across the school. Again the school utilises its knowledge of pupils to ensure they achieve well. By the time they leave the school in Year 6 a good number achieve standards above the national average while others, having made good progress from their starting points, match the national average.  The school has developed a good system for teaching phonics (the sounds that letters make). Consequently, in the 2013 Year 1 reading check, pupils’ results were close to the national average, showing an improvement on 2012 results.  Pupils who are more able typically make good progress across the school and reach standards

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The achievement of pupils is good

that are commensurate with their abilities. The school meets their needs well and challenges them to reach higher levels in their work.  Pupils known to be entitled to the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, typically make good and sometimes outstanding progress. However, there are far too few of these pupils to make any meaningful comparison with national data. The school uses its funding well to ensure that their needs are well met so they can achieve at least as well as their peers.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good and sometimes better progress. This is due to the school tailoring support to meet their very specific needs and to good teaching from all staff.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good and some is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Lessons are well-planned and meet pupils’ needs. Questioning is used effectively to promote pupils’ understanding. Pupils are given very good individual support during lessons so they can achieve well.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage children have access to a good range of indoor and outdoor activities that allows them to initiate their own learning. They also get regular group teaching to develop their basic literacy and numeracy skills. They make good progress owing to the effective level of challenge presented to them. Support staff are used profitably and this enhances pupils’ learning even further.  Teachers plan work that meets all pupils’ needs well. This was observed in a mathematics lesson involving Reception children as well as Year 1 and 2 pupils. Reception children were given a

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The quality of teaching is good

challenging activity involving weighing, while the rest of the class were provided with work at varying levels based on money and calculations. Work was challenging for all groups of pupils and progress was good, with some making outstanding progress in their learning.  Teachers typically inspire pupils to learn. A science lesson in the Key Stage 2 class saw pupils challenged by excellent questioning and inspirational teaching to solve problems and develop their scientific thinking. Pupils made outstanding progress overall. The lesson was well- structured and pupils were allowed to work independently so they could accelerate their own learning and progress.  In some lessons, although pupils are allowed to work independently they are not given enough information about what they are going to learn and how to judge whether they have been successful or not in their learning. In these instances, pupils become over-reliant on the teacher

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The quality of teaching is good

and do not have the opportunity to accelerate their own learning and progress.  Teachers mark pupils’ work diligently. They also give relevant verbal advice to pupils as they work and this ensures that pupils make good progress in their learning. Marking, however, does not always enable pupils to reach higher levels in their work or make outstanding progress. Written points for improvement are not always explicit enough to help pupils improve and time is not given so they can respond to the specific advice.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to this school, which provides a caring and safe place for them to learn in. Consequently, attendance is above average. The school has good systems in place to support pupils’ good attendance and, as a result, attendance continues to rise.  Pupils work hard in lessons and enjoy their learning. Consequently, pupils concentrate well in lessons as they really want to learn. They work well together in pairs and in groups and their attitude to learning is outstanding.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary because relationships across the school are strong. Everyone in the school is respected and each pupil is treated as an individual. Pupils support the work of the school well. They take on responsibility for various jobs around the school.  At lunchtime older pupils serve the food at the tables. Pupils’ behaviour during lunch is excellent. They are extremely well-mannered and lunchtime is a high quality, social experience. It further

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

enhances pupils’ health and well-being as all pupils have a good, healthy school meal provided by the school.  Pupils have a very good understanding of how to keep safe in a variety of situations. They understand about keeping safe when on the internet as the school builds this aspect into its curriculum. The school also visits the ‘Crucial Crew Event’ which explores, with pupils, a range of different safety risks.  Pupils state there is no bullying in the school. Everyone gets on well with each other at the school. Pupils have a good understanding of different forms of bullying.  The school has a very strong commitment to pupils’ personal development. Pupils have a strong understanding of right and wrong. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a great strength of the school. Pupils get opportunities to participate in activities such as a ‘Macbeth’ presentation in Whitby where their performance was outstanding. Consequently,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

pupils’ confidence was highly enriched.  The school has a wide range of sporting activities that have been further improved by the sports funding received from the government. All pupils participate in the sports offered and they thoroughly enjoy lessons led by sports coaches who come to school. They also take part in competitions with local schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher the school has sustained its previous good performance and is continuing to improve. She is very well supported by a committed and strong team of staff who work to ensure pupils partake in rich and varied learning experiences.  The headteacher and other staff are well-regarded by the local authority. Consequently, the headteacher’s leadership expertise has been used particularly successfully to support leadership in other small rural schools. The local authority also gives light touch support to this good school.  Middle leaders support the work of the school well. They work with colleagues from other local schools in the Esk Valley where the school has strong partnerships. This enables the school to benefit from working with other subject leaders, particularly in mathematics and English, and so improve teaching and pupils’ achievement.  The arrangements to check the performance of teaching are used well to bring about

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The leadership and management are good

improvement. Teachers are appropriately rewarded for their endeavours in the classroom as well as supporting a wide range of subjects as leaders. This has sustained good teaching and is bringing about further improvements to the school’s performance.  The school’s curriculum provides rich and imaginative experiences that inspire pupils to learn about the world around them. Pupils display a thirst for learning because of this. They are able to practise their literacy and mathematical skills in other subjects and this enhances their achievement in these subjects.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences are paramount to pupils’ development in this school. The school ensures they get access to quality musical, artistic and cultural events that widen their horizons.  The school gives good regard to pupils’ health and safety and safeguarding meets requirements.  One of the school’s strengths is its partnership with parents and the local community. Parents

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The leadership and management are good

spoken to during the inspection were very complimentary about the school. One parent commented, ‘Pupils are happy in the school and make good progress.’ The school also organises events for parents to understand how reading and mathematics are taught. These are valued by parents.  The governance of the school:  Governors are ambitious for this very small school. They are appropriately challenging but also supportive as they know their school well and the demands that it presents. They regularly visit the school and know about the quality of teaching. They look at pupils’ work and the progress pupils are making. Governors have specific responsibilities for different aspects of the school’s work. They use their varied skills to good effect in supporting the school’s work. They have used the pupil premium money well to support pupils with specific needs through one-to- one teaching. They know that this has had a positive impact on those pupils’ progress. The

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The leadership and management are good

school also uses its sports funding wisely to improve the teaching of sport, and to give pupils the opportunity to experience a range of sporting activities. They understand the school’s and national data and realise the implications of small numbers of pupils in each year group. Performance management has been used effectively to sustain good progress across the school and promote further improvements.

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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 121296 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 425947

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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 20 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stuart Knight Headteacher Susan Chadwick Date of previous school inspection 13 October 2008 Telephone number 01947 896230 Fax number Not applicable Email address admin@goathland.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

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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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