Sicklinghall Community Primary School

Sicklinghall Community Primary School Main Street, Sicklinghall, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS22 4BD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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 make good progress and achieve well throughout the school.  The school develops pupils’ speaking and communication skills very effectively.  Teaching is consistently good. Pupils learn well because they respect their teachers and find the work they are given interesting and stimulating.  Pupils are very proud of their school. They are respectful and polite to each other and to the adults working with them.  The school prepares pupils well for future success.  Pupils feel safe in school. The school provides strong support for their personal development and welfare.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. It is enriched by learning through much-enjoyed visits to the countryside around them and the world beyond.  The headteacher leads the school well and with a clear sense of purpose. The quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement are improving securely.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The governing body knows the school well and is very supportive. It has stepped up its level of challenge to hold the school to account.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of pupils making more than the progress expected of them in English and mathematics is not high in comparison to national figures because work set for pupils is not always challenging enough.  Targets for the progress that pupils are expected to make are sometimes not high enough.  Middle leaders are not yet fully effective in improving the school further.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in five lessons taught by three teachers. One of the observations was carried out jointly with the headteacher. An inspector listened to a group of pupils read and observed a one-to-one support lesson in mathematics led by a teaching assistant.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a range of documentation, including the school's view of its own performance, safeguarding and child protection arrangements, behaviour and attendance, the quality of teaching and minutes of the governing body meetings. Pupils’ work in books and files was also examined.  Inspectors held a series of formal and informal discussions with pupils to discuss their experience of school, and particularly their learning, behaviour and safety. Discussions were also held with the headteacher and other staff.  The lead inspector spoke with the Chair of the Governing Body. An inspector also spoke to a

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Information about this inspection

representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of 30 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as well as 31 parental responses to a questionnaire sent out by the school in the 2013 autumn term. An inspector also spoke to eight parents at the start and end of the school day. Inspectors also considered five questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Stephen Wall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Michele Crichton Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Sicklinghall is a very small village school. In total there are 59 pupils, many of whom travel a significant distance to attend the school.  Pupils are taught in three mixed-age, mixed-ability classes.  Nearly all pupils are White British. None speaks English as an additional language.  Very few pupils are supported by the pupil premium; none in Key Stage 2. (The pupil premium provides additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children looked after by the local authority.)  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is well below average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  The proportion of pupils who join the school at other than normal times is well above average and has grown significantly in recent years.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum

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Information about this school

expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There has been some significant disruption to leadership and staffing since the previous inspection. Currently, the class for pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 is taught by a temporary teacher.  There has been a new Chair of the Governing Body since September 2013 and membership of the governing body has undergone several changes since the previous inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Enable more pupils to make better than expected progress by ensuring that all work is challenging enough for pupils of different ages and abilities.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leadership and management on raising achievement further by: - making sure that the targets set for pupils’ progress are more challenging - ensuring that middle leaders are fully involved and effective in improving teaching and driving up achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Reception Year with skills that are generally typical of those expected for their age. However, the profile varies significantly from one year to the next because of the small numbers of children involved.  Good teaching and a good range of stimulating activities in Reception ensure that children get off to a good start and make good progress.  Pupils in Key Stage 1 continue to make good progress. Attainment by the end of Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics is generally above average.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is also generally above average.  In Key Stage 2, the proportion of pupils who make the progress expected of them from their individual starting points is consistently high in comparison to national figures. However, disruption to teaching and an influx of pupils from other schools into Key Stage 2 in recent years has caused the proportion of students making better progress than this to fluctuate.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The situation has now stabilised and school data, confirmed by inspection evidence such as discussions with pupils and scrutiny of work, show that the proportion of pupils making good progress is growing securely and, in the current and coming years, is on course to be at least similar to the 2013 national figures.  The majority of most able pupils achieve well. The proportion of most able pupils attaining the higher level in national tests at the end of Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics is above average. However, the school is conscious that not enough of them attain the highest level because teaching does not always challenge them enough.  There have been no pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium support in Key Stage 2 in recent years. School data show that the few eligible pupils in Reception and Key Stage 1 are achieving as well as their classmates.  Most pupils who join the school at other than normal times generally make good progress from

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The achievement of pupils is good

their starting points because of the effective support that they receive.  Pupils who are disabled or with a statement of special educational needs also achieve well from their individual starting points because of the school’s strong and successful commitment to making sure that all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed.  The school caters well for the development of pupils’ reading, writing and numeracy skills. Pupils of all ages read every day in school and most read at home. Pupils enjoy writing. By the end of Key Stage 2 the vast majority of pupils use an extensive range of vocabulary and write creatively in a range of styles. Pupils have good basic number skills. Increasingly, they are applying these skills to solving problems.  Pupils’ speaking and communication skills are impressive. They are articulate and confident in talking in front of their classmates and to adults.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching throughout the school is consistently good.  Teachers know the pupils well and forge strong working relationships with them based on respect and patient understanding.  Pupils are expected to work hard and rarely disappoint with their response.  A good variety of activities sustain pupils’ interest. Pupils work together well in groups and pairs where they enjoy sharing their thoughts and ideas.  However, sometimes activities and learning are not always planned to sufficiently stretch and challenge pupils. Some pupils find the work too easy and others too difficult. This acts as a brake on accelerating progress at a faster pace for some pupils.  The very skilful use of questioning makes pupils think deeply and give extended answers. Questions such as ‘Why?’ ‘Why do you say that?’ and, ‘Tell me why you think that’ play a pivotal role in extending and developing pupils’ reasoning skills and in developing their ability to

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The quality of teaching is good

communicate their thoughts and ideas confidently and articulately.  For example, in geography in Year 2/3 on the theme of rivers, skilful questioning took pupils on a step-by-step approach to understanding and using specialised vocabulary such as ‘confluence’ and ‘estuary’. After 20 minutes pupils were able to describe, without prompting, the course of a river using the specialised vocabulary knowledgeably and confidently in front of their classmates.  Teaching assistants are active participants in all lessons in supporting pupils in their learning. They check understanding and are especially helpful in supporting pupils who find work more difficult than others.  Homework is set regularly to reinforce learning. Pupils say that this helps them learn and do not resent having to do it. However, some parents feel that their children receive too much.  Pupils’ written work is marked regularly. Their comments are of consistently high quality in

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The quality of teaching is good

showing pupils what they need to do to improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. In lessons and around school, pupils behave sensibly and with good levels of regard for others.  Pupils say that behaviour has improved and that there is little disruption in lessons. ‘We come here to learn, not mess about’, was the opinion of one pupil that summed up the situation in a nutshell.  Occasionally, when pupils find work too easy or too hard in lessons, a few become inattentive but this rarely expresses itself in disruption to others’ learning.  Pupils are adamant that bullying or name-calling of any kind simply does not happen. As one pupil put it cogently: ‘We’re like a big family here. You don’t get bullying in families, do you?’ School records confirm that bullying is very rare.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and that teachers ‘are always there for us’ if they have a problem.  Pupils talk knowledgeably about potentially unsafe situations and how to deal with or avoid

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

them. They are fully aware of the risks presented by using the internet and social networking sites.  The school knows its pupils as individuals. It provides strong and effective support for those whose circumstances make them vulnerable and for those with special educational needs.  Attendance is average and improving. Leaders and managers, including the governing body, do all they can to emphasise and promote the importance of good attendance to parents. Despite this, a few parents do not ensure that their children attend regularly enough or that they are punctual to school in the mornings.  The majority of parents are satisfied with the standard of behaviour and safety at the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher knows what the school does well and where it could do better. Planning for future improvement is sharp and purposeful.  Her return after a period of unavoidable absence has stabilised the school and renewed its sense of purpose. Staff morale is high in the pursuit of improvement.  The headteacher checks on the quality of teaching regularly and appropriate opportunities for staff training and development ensure that relative weaknesses are tackled. However, other staff who take on responsibilities of middle managers in this small school are not yet involved effectively enough in the process of monitoring and developing the quality of teaching and raising achievement in their areas of responsibility.  The school is rigorous in tracking the progress of individual pupils and in dealing quickly with any signs of underachievement. However, the targets for the progress that pupils are expected to

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The leadership and management are good

make are generally not as high as they could be to encourage more pupils to make good progress.  The performance of staff is managed well. The links with salary increases are firmly set and effective.  The curriculum meets students’ needs. It provides pupils with an abundance of opportunities to write at length. Opportunities for pupils to apply their basic mathematical skills to solving problems are growing and are enabling more students to make good progress in mathematics.  There is an impressively wide range of enrichment activities for such a small school. The new primary school sport funding is being used very effectively to improve pupils’ adoption of healthy lifestyles by extending the range of sporting activities to include, for example ‘tag rugby’ and cricket.  Other activities such as trips out into the local rural landscape, residential trips to the Lake District and to the Jorvik Centre in York broaden pupils’ horizons and stimulate their interest in

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The leadership and management are good

the world around them. Older pupils enjoy taking on a range of responsibilities by, for example, becoming school councillors, eco councillors and ambassadors for the school. Such a wealth of opportunities plays an important part in pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Policies and procedures for safeguarding pupils are fully in place and adhered to.  In recognition that this is a good and improving school, the local authority provides ‘light touch’ support.  The majority of parents are strongly supportive of the school. ‘Why pay for private education when you can get just as good here’, was the opinion of one parent that summed up the parental confidence that the school enjoys.  The governance of the school:  Under the leadership of the new Chair of the Governing Body, governors have stepped up the rigour with which they hold the school to account. Governors have undertaken extensive

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The leadership and management are good

training to equip them with the necessary level of understanding to interpret data relating to the school’s performance so that they know how well pupils are achieving in comparison to other schools both locally and nationally. Regular visits to classrooms and detailed reports from the headteacher ensure that have a firm grasp on the quality of teaching. They are fully aware of procedures for managing the performance of staff and are rigorous in applying the school’s procedures to decide on salary increases. They keep a close eye on the school’s finances making sure that the small amount of pupil premium and the extra sports funding are spent to best effect.

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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 121415 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 440854

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 59 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Zarana Moon Headteacher Claire Pascoe Date of previous school inspection 27 June 2011 Telephone number 01937 582494 Fax number Not applicable Email address admin@sicklinghall.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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