Kirk Hammerton Church of England Primary School

Kirk Hammerton Church of England Primary School St John's Grove, Kirk Hammerton, York, YO26 8DE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement.  Too few pupils make good enough progress to reach the expected standard for their age by the time they leave Year 6. Not enough pupils attain the higher levels, especially in writing, by the end of Key Stage 1 and 2.  Teaching over time has not been good enough to ensure that all pupils, including those with disabilities and special educational needs and those entitled to support through the pupil premium, make good progress and achieve well.  There are differences between the performance of boys and girls.  The quality of teaching overall is still not good enough. The most-able pupils are not always given work that is hard enough for them to achieve to the best of their ability. Teachers’ marking does not always ensure that pupils know how to improve their work.  Not enough opportunities are provided for pupils to practise their writing skills across the curriculum.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Too few opportunities are provided for pupils to learn about and further develop their understanding of life in multicultural Britain.

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The school has the following strengths

 Girls’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is well above the national average in mathematics and reading.  Boys’ achievement in mathematics and reading is good. By the time they leave Year 6 their attainment is well above the national average.  Pupils behave well. They have good attitudes to learning and attendance is above average. Pupils say they feel safe and well cared for.  The effective leadership of the headteacher, with the full support of governors, has ensured that staffing is now stable and achievement is improving for all groups of pupils.  Teachers and teaching assistants work very well together and are committed to ensuring continued improvements in learning.  Parents who completed Parent View report that their children are happy and well taught and that communication with the school is good.

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Information about this inspection

 Five lessons, as well as small group activities, parts of lessons, and phonics sessions (the links between letters and the sounds they make), were observed by inspectors. Three lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils read from Years 2, 3, 4, and 5, and held discussions with pupils from across the school. Pupils’ work in books was scrutinised during lessons.  Inspectors took account of 18 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and held a telephone conversation with a parent.  A meeting was held with a representative from the local authority school improvement service, and the views of 14 members of staff who completed the inspection questionnaire were taken into account.  A meeting was held with three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body.  Various school documents were examined. These included data on pupils’ progress, external

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Information about this inspection

school evaluations , monitoring records of the quality of teaching, minutes of the governing body meetings, the school’s development plan and review of its own performance, records of pupils’ attendance, behaviour records and safeguarding documentation.

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Inspection team

Lenford White, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Mark Hilton Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium is well below the national average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after by the local authority.)  The school has no pupils from minority ethnic groups, and none speak English as an additional language.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school has a ‘3.30 club’ which offers services to pupils before and after school.

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Information about this school

 Because the school only has 37 pupils on roll, it is not always possible to make meaningful national comparisons relating to achievement. For example, at the end of the academic year 2013 the school had only five pupils in both Year 2 and Year 6. Currently, the largest year-group is in Reception, with 10 pupils, and the smallest is Year 5 with only one pupil.  The executive headteacher shares her time between two schools. Several governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, have been appointed since the last inspection. The school has three mixed-year classes. Two of these classes are taught by teachers new to the school since the last inspection. During the inspection the third class, mixed Reception and Year 1, was being taught by two part-time teachers, covering for a colleague on maternity leave.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so it is consistently good or better by:  ensuring that when marking pupils’ work all teachers indicate to pupils what they need to do to improve and that teachers check that pupils have responded to the advice  providing as many opportunities as possible for pupils to work independently and find things out for themselves  ensuring that all teachers have the highest possible expectations as to what pupils are able to achieve  planning lessons and setting tasks which are at the right level of difficulty to fully engage pupils of all abilities, particularly the most able.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise levels of achievement by establishing a sustained pattern of year-on-year improvement, particularly in writing by strengthening the focus on developing pupils’ writing across the school and stepping-up current initiatives aimed at creating more opportunities for pupils to practise and enhance their writing skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that pupils are given more opportunities to explore and develop their understanding of life in multicultural Britain through, for example, visits, assemblies, circle time.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter Reception with skills and abilities which are broadly in-line with those expected for their age. When they join Year 1 just over half have achieved a good level of development.  Overall attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2013 improved considerably on the previous year. However, while girls’ performance was significantly above the national average in writing and mathematics, boys’ performance was broadly average overall.  The progress of pupils through Key Stage 2 is variable. For example, in 2013, three out of five pupils made the progress expected of them in mathematics and writing, while four out of five pupils made the progress expected of them in reading, with one making more than the progress expected of them. Two pupils attained the higher levels in mathematics and reading and one in writing.  Current data indicates that pupils are now making better progress. Greater stability in staffing,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

better and earlier interventions to support pupils at risk of falling behind and improved teaching have all helped to ensure that pupils are now on track to achieve stretching targets.  The school is now monitoring pupils’ progress more closely and providing appropriate support when it is needed. Such support is available to pupils of all abilities, including the most able who are beginning to make better progress through taking the lead in their learning and heading up group discussions in class.  The school’s small cohorts make gaps between boys and girls appear to be wide, as is the case in both Key Stage 1 and 2. During the inspection the school was able to provide good evidence indicating that there is no trend between the performance of boys and girls. Observations of teaching and discussions with pupils and teachers confirmed that the curriculum is of equal interest to both boys and girls and that the school is now promoting equality of opportunity well.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of pupils entitled to support through the pupil premium is closely monitored. In 2013 one pupil made better than expected progress, the other did not make the expected progress. Currently, there are no significant differences between the performance of these pupils and their class mates.  Recent strategies are helping to ensure that disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are now making good progress. Parents speak very highly of their children’s achievement and of the good care that they receive.  Pupils are well read. They are familiar with a wide range of authors and are especially keen on fiction books. The less able readers who read for inspectors used their phonic skills well to sound out and read unfamiliar words.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Most teaching observed during the inspection was good with some requiring improvement. However, teaching is not yet good enough because teachers do not always plan lessons which engage and challenge all pupils, especially the most able. Over time teaching has not raised standards for all pupils at a quick enough pace.  The vast majority of pupils, particularly those in Key Stage 2, can say what they need to do to improve their learning and can quote their targets in English and mathematics. Pupils also know their personal targets relating to, for example, getting more involved in discussions in class. However, advice given through marking in pupils’ books is less clear, particularly in relation to how pupils can take the next steps in their learning. When teachers do make suggestions on how pupils can improve their work they do not always check to see if these are acted upon.  In the best lessons teachers are careful to ensure that pupils are clear about what they will learn

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

and that tasks are planned to ensure that pupils of different ages and abilities are fully engaged. This was the case in a good Year 4, 5 and 6 English lesson where pupils were engaged in a range of different activities aiming to improve their reading and punctuation skills through a discussion about an extract from ‘A Christmas Carol’. However, in some lessons pupils do not always make the progress that they should because teachers do not have high enough expectations as to what they can achieve.  Teaching of pupils in Reception and Year 1 has much improved during this academic year. Staff regularly develop pupils’ understanding through using open questions, which encourage them to think carefully and reflect before discussing their ideas with their class mates. These pupils regularly plan their own activities and learn together.  Pupils work exceptionally well together in class and enjoy their learning because teachers plan

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

lessons which are of interest to them. Teachers are enthusiastic and have good relationships with pupils. On the rare occasions that behaviour needs to be checked, this is done calmly and with the minimum of fuss.  Typically teachers share lessons objectives with pupils and invite them to evaluate how well they think they have done at the end of lessons and provide opportunities for them to say what they would like to focus on in future  Teachers are now offering a wider range of opportunities for pupils to practise and further develop their writing skills. This is evidenced through pupils’ homework tasks, their active participation in writing in the school’s ‘blog’ and in the thoughts and ideas in their writing ’jotter’ books.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy coming to school, as evidenced by their above-average attendance. They say that they like the fact that their school is like a family, that everyone knows each other and that everybody is friendly. They are fully appreciative of the school’s grounds, especially its generous green spaces and outdoor class room.  Pupils are very sensible and respectful towards each other and staff. They take great delight in talking to visitors and were very excited in telling inspectors all about their school.  Pupils who spoke to inspectors indicated that bad behaviour is very rare and that bullying ‘almost never happens’. Parents share this view and so do staff, all of whom agree that behaviour is exceptionally well managed and that the school is a place of safety.  Pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of cyber bullying and know how to stay safe while using the internet. Older pupils can provide good advice for their younger fellow pupils on

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

the best rules to follow to ensure that they are safe whilst ‘online’.  However pupils’ knowledge and understanding of prejudice-based bullying and discrimination and how this can impact on the lives and experiences of people from different groups is less well developed.  Various visitors to the school, including the police and fire fighters, help to ensure that pupils are aware of the potential dangers of, for example, approaching strangers or playing with fire. The school’s SEAL (social and emotional aspects of learning) programme and circle time help to ensure that pupils understand the dangers of drugs, alcohol and smoking.  Pupils are very supportive of each other. They enjoy taking on board responsibility and behave exceptionally well during lunch time where they regularly help with setting out chairs and putting them away.  Pupils’ behaviour in class is never less than good, even in lessons where they are not fully

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

engaged. However, their potential to use their considerable skills and abilities through, for example, regularly engaging in discussions and sharing their ideas in class, is yet to be fully realised.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management are not yet good because the quality of teaching over time has not been quite good enough to ensure that all pupils make good progress, particularly in writing.  The headteacher, supported by the governing body, has taken decisive action to ensure stability within the teaching staff. Due to a number of unforeseen circumstances the school has had to act quickly to ensure all classes are taught by suitably qualified teachers.  The school has also had to manage poor quality teaching and unreliable assessment data provided by teachers, no longer in the school, across both key stages. This has meant that pupils in Years 2, 3 and 4 for example, have had to catch up and have significant gaps in their learning addressed.  The effective leadership of the headteacher with the support of the local authority has ensured that rapid improvements have been made in the quality of teaching and that pupils are now

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The leadership and management requires improvement

making better progress.  All staff are committed and supportive of the school in its aims. They say that their professional development has helped them to improve their practice. They are very appreciative of opportunities to work with staff in neighbouring schools, including the headteacher’s second school.  Due to the small size of the school, it does not have a middle management structure as such. However, governors have agreed to the internal promotion of a knowledgeable and experienced member of staff to deputise for the headteacher while she is in her second school. All teachers and non-teaching staff work exceptionally well together and have a full understanding of what the school is trying to achieve.  The school’s newly qualified teacher is well supported through the mentoring that she receives from the deputy headteacher and the support offered through the local authority support programme for new teachers.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Most aspects of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are strong. However, pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the culturally diverse nature of British society is less well developed.  More opportunities are now being provided for pupils to practice their reading, writing and mathematical skills across the curriculum. This is evidenced through, for example, extended writing linked to the theme of the Victorians in topic work, and an improved focus on literacy for Reception and Year 1 pupils who now have a ‘weekly word’ and ‘sound of the week’.  The school’s system for managing the performance of teachers and teaching assistants is good. The headteacher does not make recommendations to governors for teacher promotion or pay awards until targets have been met.  The school has a very good relationship with the local authority which has recently conducted a much appreciated and timely full review of pupils’ achievement, teaching, behaviour and

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The leadership and management requires improvement

leadership and management.  Safeguarding procedures are followed closely and meet requirements .  The governance of the school:  Governors have a good knowledge and understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are aware that pupils’ performance in writing is weaker than in other subjects and have approved the school’s action plan for raising levels of achievement in this subject. Governors are less aware of how well the school’s overall performance compares with other schools. New governors are taking advantage of various training to support them in their roles. Governors have approved the school’s plans to spend its grant for physical education and sport on, for example, pupil and staff training, the purchase of new equipment and on promoting inter-schools competitions. This has led to pupils’ renewed interest in sports and greater take-up of after school activities. Governors know that pupils entitled to support

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The leadership and management requires improvement

through the pupil premium are now making good progress due to carefully planned interventions, and one-to-one support. Governors ensure that parents know who they are through the production of a newsletter and can approach them should they need to. Those who have class responsibilities regularly come into school to meet pupils and discuss teaching and learning.

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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 121572 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 430905

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 37 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Boothman Headteacher Emma Miller Date of previous school inspection 26 March 2012 Telephone number 01423 330460 Fax number 01423 331706 Email address admin@kirkhammerton.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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