Darley Community Primary School

Darley Community Primary School Darley, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3 2PZ

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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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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Too few pupils are making good progress. As a result, standards in writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6 are below average.  Teaching over time has not been good enough to ensure that pupils make good progress.  Expectations are not always high enough of pupils and what they can achieve, particularly the most able, nor of how pupils present their work.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to use and apply their skills and knowledge of writing and mathematics in other areas of the curriculum.  Marking does not consistently tell pupils what they must do to improve their work or make close enough links with pupils’ learning targets.  School leaders have not yet fully implemented or evaluated plans aimed at raising standards and improving the quality of teaching.  Information on pupils’ progress has not been used well enough to hold teachers to account  Middle leaders have not had enough impact on

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The school has the following strengths

 Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage because teaching is consistently good or better.  Pupils develop a love of reading.  Relationships between staff and pupils are good. Pupils feel safe and are cared for well.  Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to learning.  The headteacher and governors have a clear view of what the school needs to do to improve. They have tackled weak teaching and underachievement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons taught by six teachers. Three lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also visited classrooms to look closely at pupils’ work.  The inspector talked with pupils and listened to some Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils reading.  Meetings were held with staff, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector looked closely at the school’s work, including minutes of meetings of the governing body, the school’s analysis of how well it is doing and its improvement plan, documents relating to behaviour and safeguarding and the school’s data on pupils’ progress.  The inspector took account of the 16 responses from parents recorded in the online questionnaire (Parent View). Inspectors also had informal conversations with groups of parents at the start and end of the school day.  The inspector took account of the nine responses to the staff questionnaire provided by Ofsted.

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Inspection team

Michael Hewlett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above the national average.  No pupil is currently at an early stage of learning English as an additional language.  Pupil mobility is above the national average and more children leave or join the school midway through their primary education than is typical.  Only a very small number of pupils is supported by the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children looked after by the local authority, and children from service families.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs 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.  Pupils are taught in four mixed-aged classes.

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes in staffing since the last inspection and a new leadership team was established in September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and pupils’ achievement and the standards that they reach by:  ensuring that work is set at the right level of difficulty and challenge for all pupils, including the most able  making sure that marking provides clear and helpful guidance for pupils so that they know how to improve their work  requiring pupils to always present their work to the best of their abilities  providing more opportunities for pupils to apply and extend their writing and mathematical skills in other areas of the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, including governance by:  ensuring that all plans aimed at raising standards and improving the quality of teaching are fully implemented and evaluated  making better use of the pupil progress information that is available to hold teachers to account for the progress of their pupils  ensuring that middle leaders are fully supported in their work and that they are provided with suitable training to enable them to carry out their roles effectively.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because the progress made by pupils between Year 1 and Year 6 is uneven. Achievement in writing and mathematics is too low across both keys stages and not enough pupils achieve the higher levels in Key Stages 1 and 2.  Children generally enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are typical for their age. However, the small numbers in each year group means that this can vary considerably. Nevertheless, most children make good progress from their starting points and are well prepared for Year 1.  In 2013, standards in Key Stage 1 were broadly average and showed an improvement from 2012. Pupils achieved particularly well in their reading but not enough reached the higher levels in writing and mathematics. Work in the current Year 2 class shows that standards are improving and more pupils are on track to reach the higher levels.  Standards at the end of Year 6 have fluctuated in recent years. In 2013, pupils’ performance

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

was broadly average in reading but below average in writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils making or exceeding the expected levels of progress was below average. Too few pupils reached the higher levels in all subjects.  The work of the current pupils in school and an analysis of how well they are doing show that pupils are making better progress than in the past and that standards are rising. However, teaching across the school is not good enough to ensure that all pupils make at least good progress.  The school’s focus on improving pupils’ reading skills is paying off. Standards in reading across the school are higher than in other subjects because reading is well taught and pupils receive good quality support from staff.  Results in the 2013 Year 1 check on reading showed that pupils attained lower levels than pupils nationally but the majority of pupils within the class were new to the school. Most have caught

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

up during their time in Year 2, and current Year 1 pupils have a better grasp of phonics (the linking of letters to their sounds). Pupils’ enjoyment and love of reading is evident across the school. They were keen to talk to the inspector about books and authors they liked and why.  Pupils’ ability to spell and use punctuation is improving. However, they do not have enough opportunities to use and improve their writing skills in subject areas other than English.  A similar picture is emerging in mathematics where a concentration on basic number skills has resulted in pupils’ having a growing confidence in tackling number calculations. Their ability to use and apply this knowledge in other areas of the curriculum to solve problems is weaker.  School test results and current work seen by the inspector show that the progress of pupils supported by the extra pupil premium funding, including those entitled to free school meals, is

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

improving in reading, writing and mathematics in a similar manner to other pupils in school. In Year 6 in 2013, there were too few pupils supported by this extra funding to draw statistically significant conclusions about the attainment and progress of these pupils in relation to others in school.  Disabled pupils and those pupils with special educational needs receive good support to improve their speaking, reading, writing and numeracy skills well. Pupils who receive additional support make similar rates of progress to their classmates.  Most pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds also make similar rates of progress to their classmates due to the good quality of the additional support they receive from school and at home.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because not enough has been good or better over time. The quality of teaching is still not yet good enough to make up the lost ground in pupils’ learning so that all pupils achieve well throughout the school.  Pupils’ learning is too slow because not enough account is taken of previous assessments to plan work. As a result, much of it is insufficiently challenging for pupils of different abilities and different age groups within the class.  Expectations of pupils, particularly the most able, are not always high enough. Consequently, pupils sometimes spend too much time on work that is too easy for them.  Work in pupils’ books is not always presented neatly enough or to the best of pupils’ abilities. In some classes, writing that is untidy and hard to read is too readily accepted.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly but the comments do not always make it clear what pupils need

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

to do to improve still further.  Despite the higher-than-average levels of pupil mobility, staff know the pupils well and provide very strong support for them as they join or leave the school during the school year. This enables pupils to settle quickly to their learning. Parents are very complimentary about this aspect of the school’s work.  On a growing number of occasions, pupils learn well and their good progress is evident. This happens when pupils are motivated by interesting and challenging work, when their knowledge is checked regularly and adjustments are quickly made to the tasks that they are asked to complete.  A good example of this approach was observed with pupils from Years 3 and 4. Pupils were clear about what they were expected to learn and they were in no doubt about the ‘non-negotiables’ as they described them. These included working hard at all times, persevering on a task and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

demanding the very best from themselves. Pupils’ excellent finished work demonstrated the effectiveness of this teaching.  Pupils commented how much they enjoyed activities where they were challenged to work harder because, as one pupil commented, ‘It means I learn more quickly and know exactly what I need to do next, it works for me.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They enjoy school, attend regularly and arrive on time.  Behaviour in lessons is good and this has a positive effect on pupils’ achievement. Just occasionally, when the teaching is not demanding enough of them, some pupils lose interest and begin chatting. Pupils say there are very few occasions when they see poor behaviour in lessons or around the school.  Pupils are friendly, considerate and confident. They take a great pride in their school. Their behaviour in the dining room and on the playground illustrates this. ‘We are very good at taking care of ourselves.’ was how some pupils described their growing levels of independence.  The school is an inviting and friendly place where visitors are made to feel welcome and valued. This is confirmed in the comments made by both pupils and their parents. ‘My child has only just joined the school but I already feel part of the family.’ was a comment made by one parent.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy the numerous opportunities that they are given to take on responsibilities around the school. For example, school council members decide what playground equipment should be purchased and they are keen to say how much they enjoy gathering the views of others around the school.  Pupils show respect for the many cultures and faiths represented in the school. They understand the rights of people to hold different beliefs and report that there is no discrimination in any form.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe and enjoy coming to school. Parents’ responses in the Parent View questionnaire and in conversations with the inspector confirmed this and many said how happy their children were in school.  Pupils say that incidents of bullying, such as name-calling and cyber-bullying, did happen occasionally but were always dealt with well. ‘We either sort it out for ourselves or tell an adult.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

is how they described it. Pupils report that they know where to turn for help if they need it and were confident any concerns they raised would be taken seriously.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because they have not ensured that both pupils’ achievement and teaching across the school are good  The headteacher and governors demonstrate a clear understanding of the improvements that need to be made to steer the school in the right direction.  School leaders have not yet fully implemented or evaluated plans aimed at raising attainment levels and improving the quality of teaching. Nevertheless, they have tackled the right priorities. Decisive action has been taken to eradicate weak teaching and address previous underachievement. This is already paying dividends, with improvements evident in teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement during this school year.  Good support has been received from the local authority school improvement service, which has recently reviewed teaching and learning. This review has helped school leaders to prioritise the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

areas of the school that need to be improved.  Some middle leaders are new to their posts. They have good subject knowledge and a commitment to improve the provision for pupils, but not all are trained in how to evaluate the quality of pupils’ learning when observing colleagues teach. It is too early to demonstrate any impact that they have had so far.  The progress of pupils is closely tracked and this reflects the school’s commitment to providing all pupils with an equal opportunity to learn. However, this information is not always used to plan pupils’ work and move them on in their learning. Until recently, teachers were not routinely held to account for the progress made by pupils in their class. This has changed and rigorous monitoring systems have been introduced which are directly linked to teachers’ performance reviews.  The curriculum offers a wide range of subjects, often taught through themes and topics. It

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The leadership and management requires improvement

provides a suitable emphasis on English and mathematics but plans do not always ensure that the skills that pupils learn in these core subjects are practised in other areas of the curriculum. The school provides a good range of enrichment activities for pupils including after-school clubs and residential visits.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well and this contributes to pupils’ good behaviour.  Good use has been made of the additional sports funding to build on the high-quality teaching of physical education that already exists within the school. The funding has enabled pupils to take part in and improve their skills levels in a wider range of sporting activities as well as attending a greater range of tournaments held in Harrogate and surrounding areas. Regular sports clubs contribute well to pupils’ health and well-being.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has an able governing body which is well-led and highly committed to improving the school. Governors check teachers’ performance and pupils’ achievement paying particular attention to progress made by pupils eligible for pupil premium funding.  Governors ensure that there is a strong link between teachers’ performance and pay progression and have taken tough decisions when necessary. They are fully aware of the school’s priorities, they check for themselves how well the school is doing and hold the headteacher and teachers to account for pupils’ performance. They successfully recruit people to the governing body who can contribute key skills and regularly seek further training to enable them to carry out their duties more effectively. School finances are managed efficiently. Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements.

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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 121410 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 430907

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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 75 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Louise Porter Headteacher Nicholas Coates Date of previous school inspection 8 March 2012 Telephone number 01423 780234 Fax number 01423 780234 Email address headteacher@darley.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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