Kirkby Malzeard Church of England Primary School

Kirkby Malzeard Church of England Primary School Kirkby Malzeard, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3RT

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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 reach well above average attainment. Pupils make excellent progress in reading throughout the school and in all subjects in Year 6.  Teaching is good overall and occasionally outstanding in Years 5 and 6.  Teachers make it very clear to pupils what they are learning and why they are learning it. They use questions well and check pupils’ understanding as lessons progress.  Teachers plan lessons which have interesting topics and a range of activities.  The curriculum offers pupils many exciting opportunities to see the links between subjects and to apply their skills in real-life situations.  The school offers excellent care and support and provides extremely successfully 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 has a very clear view of the quality of teaching. As a result, teaching and achievement have improved and attainment has risen.  The headteacher and the governing body have a very clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for further improvement. They have improved the leadership skills of other teachers and the school is well-placed to move forward.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The school does not yet make the most of opportunities to share the outstanding practice of some teachers with all teachers.  Work is not consistently well-matched to the level at which individual pupils are working.  Pupils are given too few chances to develop their imagination, creativity and writing skills by writing at length in English and other subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector held meetings with staff, groups of pupils and the Chair and four members of the Governing Body. The inspectors also met with the school’s local authority education development adviser.  The inspector 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.  The inspector observed teaching and learning in nine lessons taught by five teachers and made a number of short visits to lessons. In addition, the inspector listened to a group of pupils in Year 1 read.  The inspector conducted nine observations jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also observed the headteacher reporting back to the teachers on her findings regarding the quality of teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement in the lesson.  The inspector took into account the 29 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), and

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Information about this inspection

spoke informally to parents.  Thirteen staff completed questionnaires and the responses were analysed.

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Inspection team

Gordon Potter, Lead inspector 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 well-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 that are looked after by the local authority.)  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is well-below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  There are morning-, lunchtime- and after-school clubs which are managed by the governing body and run by school staff, governors and external coaches.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year

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Information about this school

6.  There are four classes for pupils in Reception; Years 1 and 2; Years 3 and 4; Years 5 and 6.  The headteacher is the executive headteacher of this and another local school. She spends three days each week in Kirkby Malzeard. In her absence, the school is managed by the senior 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, especially in writing, by:  sharing the outstanding practice that is already in school  offering pupils even more opportunities to develop their imagination, creativity and writing skills by writing at length in English and other subjects  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 and has appropriate pace and challenge.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The abilities of different year groups vary in this very small school. Teaching is good for pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, they make good progress from starting points on entry that are typical for their age so that at the end the Early Years Foundation Stage, they are well-prepared for Key Stage 1.  Good progress continues in Key Stage 1 and by the end of Year 2 standards are slightly above average in reading and mathematics and well-above average in writing.  Attainment has risen rapidly in Key Stage 2 over the past three years. The results of national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2012 and 2013 were well-above average in reading and mathematics and above average in writing. Pupils had made outstanding progress in reading and mathematics and good progress in writing in Key Stage 2.  Currently, pupils make good progress overall in Key Stage 2 and in Year 6 progress is excellent

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The achievement of pupils is good

from their starting points at the end of Year 2, which were above average. Many become very proficient readers and mathematicians. Progress is most rapid in Year 6 because teaching builds successfully on the good progress pupils have made across school. However, progress in writing, although good, is not as fast as in other subjects because pupils have too few opportunities to develop their imagination, creativity and writing skills by writing at length in English and other subjects.  Pupils currently in Key Stage 2 are working at levels of attainment which are already above the expectation for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, they are on track to attain standards that are well above those expected at the end of Year 6.  Inspection evidence shows that progress in reading is outstanding throughout the school and attainment is typically well-above average by the end of Year 6. Teachers sustain a consistent

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The achievement of pupils is good

focus on reading across school. Good teaching of how to link sounds and letters enables pupils in the Reception class and Years 1 and 2 to tackle new words. Older pupils apply their skills for research and very often with great enjoyment, in school and at home. They make good use of the excellent range of books available to them in school.  No pupils who were known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding have taken the national assessments at the end of Year 6 in 2012 and 2013. The very few pupils currently in school who are eligible, including those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, make similar good progress overall as that of other pupils in school in English and mathematics.  Similarly, there were too few disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who took the national assessments in 2102 and 2013 to make any meaningful comparisons about their attainment with similar groups nationally. However, the very few pupils who were in school

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The achievement of pupils is good

made outstanding progress and had attainment in line with that of other pupils in school.  Teachers and teaching assistants are extremely skilful at identifying the needs of disabled pupils and 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 excellent progress.  The most-able pupils make outstanding progress in reading and mathematics and good progress in writing. They reach high standards because teachers check that work is always extending their learning, although in writing these pupils could be challenged even more.  The good and occasionally outstanding progress at the end of Key Stage 2 made by all groups of pupils shows the school’s commitment to challenging all pupils and promoting equal opportunities and tackling discrimination.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good overall, with some outstanding teaching in Years 5 and 6. Teachers are very skilful at explaining what pupils are to learn and why they are learning it. They question pupils very well and encourage them to talk through ideas and solve problems with their partners. All lessons have interesting topics and a range of exciting activities that engage pupils and allow them to see the links between subjects. There are many opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in real-life activities in mathematics and English.  All of these approaches were seen in excellent teaching for pupils in Year 5 and 6. In mathematics, thorough subject knowledge enabled the teacher to challenge pupils to design a garden and to measure perimeter and area. Pupils were confident to include circular structures and had the high-level skills required to calculate the area and perimeter of a circle. In an English lesson, the teacher enthused pupils and encouraged them to develop their

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The quality of teaching is good

understanding of characters in Private Peaceful through drama exercises which helped them develop their confidence, questioning skills and knowledge.  Pupils are clear about the level of their work and have targets which help them know how to move to the next level. Their work is marked regularly, teachers make it clear to pupils how they can improve their work and give pupils time to act upon any advice that is given.  The teaching of basic skills in writing is effective and teachers use the books pupils read and the many exciting topics they cover in a range of subjects as the starting point for writing activities. This is increasing pupils’ motivation to write, but overall teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to use their imagination to produce a longer piece of work in English and across other subjects.  While there is good teaching in all classes, there are not enough examples of excellent teaching

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The quality of teaching is good

to result in outstanding progress for pupils in individual classes across school. Occasionally, teachers plan work that is not targeted specifically enough to each individual pupil’s level. As a result, work is occasionally too hard for some pupils and too easy for others.  Lessons move at a brisk pace and teachers challenge pupils to think and extend their ideas. However, the pace of lessons is occasionally too fast for all groups of pupils as they are not given time to consolidate their learning or practise new skills. Occasionally, teachers intervene too quickly before pupils have had sufficient time to get on with their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils show great respect for one another and are extremely polite to adults. They say that behaviour is excellent in their lessons and around school. Indeed, outstanding behaviour was evident in lessons where pupils are extremely keen to do their very best. They support and encourage one another in learning activities they clearly enjoy and are very happy in school.  Pupils also conduct themselves exceptionally well around the school. Older pupils look after younger children and help pupils play safely and enjoyably together, for example as dinner monitors and when they read with younger children. They also care for one another on trips out of school. As a pupil who has recently arrived at the school, said: ‘At my last school, it took me a year and a half to make new friends. Here, it took me an hour and a half.’  Pupils feel exceptionally safe and are aware of different forms of bullying, including cyber-

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

bullying and racism. They say that there is no bullying, although on rare occasions friends fall out. Even here they are mature enough to sort out problems for themselves.  The extremely few pupils who find it difficult to behave well are exceptionally well-managed by the 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. The school’s records of behaviour confirm that behaviour has been outstanding in the past three years.  Pupils develop social skills through the many opportunities to learn together, in the school clubs and in the sports activities they do with pupils from other schools. The school council is very influential. It offers ideas to improve the school playground, raise money for the school and for charities and was involved in the recent appointment of a new teacher.  Attendance is above average because pupils enjoy coming to school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher offers excellent leadership. She has high aspirations and expectations for her staff and pupils, and a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and relative weaknesses. She is highly-respected and her calm and measured approach encourages all staff to develop their leadership skills. All teachers welcome and thrive upon the responsibility and accountability offered to them and leadership across school is good. For example, the senior teacher manages the school extremely well in the absence of the headteacher.  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. Training to improve teaching is managed well and is clearly aligned to teachers’ performance management. Teachers are very clear that they will be rewarded only

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The leadership and management are good

when their pupils have done as well as, or better than, they should have done.  As a result of these approaches, attainment has risen and teaching has improved. However, while teaching is good, it is not yet outstanding because the school has not yet shared the outstanding practice that exists in school and a few aspects remain to be resolved.  The headteacher also has clear expertise in using data to measure pupils’ progress and this is shared by leaders at all levels. The school improvement plan has appropriate areas for development and clear measures for pupils’ progress. However, these targets and the targets for pupils’ progress in teachers’ performance management, are not yet rigorous enough. As a result, pupils’ progress is good, rather than outstanding, in most classes across school.  Funding to support the learning of those very few pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium has been used to purchase appropriate resources and to offer support to develop

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The leadership and management are good

their basic skills and offer them cultural opportunities through visits and extra-curricular activities. As a result, they make the same good and, occasionally, outstanding progress as that of other pupils in the school.  The new primary school sport funding has been used effectively to develop competitive sports with local schools, such as cross-country running, to provide playground sports equipment and to employ coaches to teach physical education.  While no physical education lessons were seen during the inspection, pupils say they enjoy these lessons and teachers welcome the development of their skills alongside the coaches. 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

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The leadership and management are good

develop their love of history, art, music and science and develop skills in the Forest School.  It is particularly good at helping pupils to apply their mathematical skills in real-life problem- solving activities and to develop their skills in information and communication technology (ICT).  The school welcomes the support and advice it receives from its education development adviser. She supports the school and has been engaged in helping the school develop teachers’ leadership skills, particularly in the analysis of data in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The governance of the school:  The governing body offers highly effective support and rigorous challenge to the school. It has made a telling contribution to improvements in attainment and teaching. The Chair of the Governing Body offers excellent leadership and all governors are very knowledgeable about the school, including the influence governors have had on provision for disabled pupils and

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The leadership and management are good

those with special educational needs. They have clear systems to monitor the achievement of pupils, the quality of teaching and the curriculum and teachers’ performance management. They receive clear information about how the pupil premium funding and the new primary school sport funding are allocated and are very 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 extremely well and there are clear procedures to monitor and develop the relationship between the two schools where the headteacher works. Governors are also highly involved in the life of the school, for example, running after-school clubs and organising functions with the Friends of the School.

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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 121570 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 425951

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 90 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Charlie Noble Headteacher Andrea Peacock Date of previous school inspection 1 October 2008 Telephone number 01765 658329 Fax number N/A Email address admin@kirkbymalzeard.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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