Seamer and Irton Community Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 12 Jun 2014

School report Seamer and Irton Community Primary School Denison Avenue, Seamer, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 4QX

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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 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’ achievement is good. Pupils make good progress. Attainment is rising across the school.  Teaching is good. It has improved and continues to do so. There is some outstanding teaching of pupils in Year 2.  Pupils are encouraged to answer questions and to develop their ideas.  There are many opportunities for pupils to enjoy exciting activities and to see the links between subjects. There is a successful emphasis on developing pupils’ skills in art, music and sport.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They care extremely well for one another and say they feel very safe. Attendance is above average.  The school offers highly sensitive care and support and makes sure pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is developed well.  The headteacher and the governing body have a very clear understanding of the school’s strengths and relative weaknesses. They have clear systems to check how well the school is

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

doing.  They have acted rapidly to reverse a decline in standards. They have put plans in place which have resulted in improved teaching and ensured pupils make good progress. There has been a particularly successful focus on improving pupils’ skills in mathematics.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils are not always clear about what they need to do to improve their work or given enough time to act upon any advice given.  School leaders do not effectively share the excellent practice that exists in school on how pupils can be helped to make outstanding progress.  Work is not always hard enough for all groups of pupils.  The targets for pupils’ progress, identified in the school’s plans for the future, are not specific enough or closely enough matched to the targets set for teachers in the management of their performance.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with staff, groups of pupils and the Chair and other members of the Governing Body. The inspectors also spoke to a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors 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 inspectors observed teaching and learning in 13 lessons taught by 13 teachers. They listened to groups of pupils in Years 1 and 2 read. In addition, the inspectors made a number of short visits to lessons.  The inspectors conducted two lesson observations jointly with the headteacher. They also observed the headteacher reporting back to the teachers on his findings regarding the quality of teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement.  The inspectors took into account the 62 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View).

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors also spoke to parents informally.  Twenty six staff completed questionnaires and the responses were analysed.  During the inspection, pupils in Year 6 and their teachers were out of school. Inspectors scrutinised the work in the pupils’ books and analysed the school’s data about their attainment and progress.

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Inspection team

Gordon Potter, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jan Lomas Additional Inspector Lynne Davies Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils 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 and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  There are lunchtime and after-school clubs which are run by school staff and external coaches and volunteers.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to further raise standards and rates of pupils’ progress by:  ensuring that work is always hard enough for all groups of pupils  ensuring that pupils are given clear information about how they can improve their work and time to act upon that advice.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the impact of leaders at all levels on pupils’ attainment and progress by:  sharing the excellent practice that exists in school on how pupils can be helped to make outstanding progress  including specific expectations for pupils’ progress in the school improvement plan and ensuring that these expectations are closely matched to the targets set for teachers in the management of their performance.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start school with skills and knowledge that are below those typically expected for their age. Good teaching helps pupils make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, more pupils than in the past are in line with the expectations for their age and have a good level of development when they enter Year 1.  Further good and occasionally outstanding teaching in Key Stage 1 helps pupils to make good progress. Standards at the end of Year 2 are average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Standards at the end of Year 6 are average in mathematics, reading and writing. In 2013, standards were below average in writing, reading and mathematics. Pupils’ progress had not been rapid enough in Key Stage 2.  The school has introduced plans which have been highly successful in ensuring that pupils across school are now making good progress in their reading, writing and mathematics. As a result,

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils currently in Year 6 are on track to attain average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. They have made good progress in Year 6, particularly in mathematics, which has helped to make up ground on some learning lost in earlier years.  In 2013, too few of the most able pupils attained above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The most able pupils currently in Year 6 have been clearly identified and they are on track to attain above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  In 2013, most of the pupils supported by the pupil premium, including those pupils who were known to be eligible for free school meals, made the progress expected of them. However, too few of them did better than this. While the gap between those pupils and other pupils in the school was not wide in 2013, this was because all groups of pupils had not done as well as they should in reading, writing and mathematics. At the end of Year 6 eligible pupils were one term

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The achievement of pupils is good

behind other pupils in the school in writing. They were half a year behind in reading and mathematics.  The school has recognised this issue and now has clear plans to improve the learning and check their progress of this group of pupils. The additional funding has been spent to employ a pupil premium ambassador to ensure that the needs of these pupils are met. There are programmes to develop reading, writing and mathematics and extra time for one-to-one and small group teaching, where this is necessary.  As a result, eligible pupils currently make similar good progress overall as other pupils in school in English and mathematics. This ensures that the gap between those pupils and other pupils in the school is now narrowing in Year 6, while standards are rising for all groups of pupils.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because of the good teaching and support they receive from teachers and highly skilled teaching assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is good

There is some outstanding provision for a range of pupils who have significant learning needs.  The school is now very clearly focused on identifying any pupils who are at risk of falling behind and concentrates on ensuring that all pupils make at least good progress. This demonstrates that the school spends the pupil premium funding effectively and clearly shows the school’s commitment to promoting equal opportunities and tackling discrimination.  Phonics teaching (the sounds that letters make) is good. As a result, almost all pupils have a clear awareness of letters and the sounds they make and understand how this helps them to read words which are new to them.  The development of pupils’ skills in reading is good over time with some outstanding learning in Year 2 where pupils are encouraged to share their love of reading. They enjoy interesting activities that challenge them to read harder books and develop their understanding of

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The achievement of pupils is good

characters and how writers develop stories.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good over time in reading, writing and mathematics in all classes and for all groups of pupils. The work set helps pupils to enjoy their learning whatever their ability. They are allowed time to answer questions, develop their ideas and practise the skills they are learning.  For example, in mathematics, pupils in Year 5 were helped to extend their understanding of how to multiply and do addition of money through having to solve real-life problems related to planning a party. They were able to develop their understanding of the steps to take to succeed in their work and they made good progress.  Good and increasingly rapid progress is made in writing by pupils across school. For example, in Year 4, pupils were learning how to express characters’ feelings in their writing at the same time as developing their skills in using adjectives and adverbs. They were clear about the skills they

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The quality of teaching is good

were learning, encouraged to plan their ideas and helped to think about how they could improve their writing.  However, pupils’ progress is good rather than outstanding because work is not always hard enough for all groups of pupils. The school does not yet effectively share the outstanding practice that exists in school on how pupils can be helped to make outstanding progress.  While marking is regularly done and praises pupils for the successes they have achieved, it does not always show pupils how to improve their work or give them time to act upon advice given.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils say that behaviour is good around school, in the dining hall and in their lessons. Where pupils are fully interested in their learning, their behaviour is outstanding. On occasions, though, some younger pupils find it difficult to listen for longer than a short time.  Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities. Older pupils look after younger children and pupils play safely and happily together. They are very polite to adults, show great respect for one another and are very proud of their school. They take great care to ensure that their own work is very neatly presented.  They develop social skills through the many opportunities to learn together in the classroom, on residential visits, in school clubs and in sports activities with pupils from other schools. The school council works with the governing body to ensure pupils are safe. It has offered ideas to improve the playground and the school environment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Parents and pupils are certain that pupils are safe and happy in school. There are rigorous procedures to ensure that this is indeed the case. The single central record is maintained in an exemplary manner and all adults offer highly sensitive care to pupils.  Pupils feel very safe. They are very aware of different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying, racism and homophobic name-calling. They say that there is no bullying and they are able to solve problems between themselves or by asking their friends or adults to help them.  The school’s records show that instances of poor behaviour are extremely rare. While there have been no permanent exclusions, there been a very few unavoidable fixed-term exclusions. The very few pupils who find it difficult to behave well are extremely well managed by staff and their behaviour has improved rapidly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is above average. This is because pupils feel extremely safe and enjoy their lessons, extra activities and visits.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has a very clear view of the school’s strengths and the areas where it needs to improve further. He has acted quickly and skilfully to address a decline in standards by using the expertise of established leaders while developing new leaders who are keen to improve their effectiveness and put new ideas into action. This process is to be strengthened further by the appointment of new leaders of mathematics and literacy in September.  There is strong teamwork and high morale and all teachers welcome taking on responsibilities and the accountability for their own classes and subject areas. There is also highly effective ongoing training for all teachers.  As a result, the school is a caring, safe and vibrant environment which allows good learning to take place and which enables teachers and pupils to thrive and give of their best.  Salary progression has been used well to improve teaching and raise standards because teachers

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The leadership and management are good

are very clear that they will only be rewarded when their pupils have done as well as, or better than, they should have done.  The school’s plans for the future have appropriate areas for development and clear procedures to check their impact regularly. The headteacher has a clear understanding of how to use data to measure pupils’ progress. As a result, there have been improvements to teaching and pupils’ achievement, especially in mathematics.  However targets for pupils’ attainment and progress are not specific enough and do not yet match the targets for pupils’ progress set for teachers in the management of their performance. Therefore, while the targets set for teachers have helped pupils to make good progress, there is not yet a full focus on pupils making outstanding progress.  The headteacher and other leaders regularly check the quality of teaching. They understand what constitutes good teaching and judge it accurately. They are extremely clear in their

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The leadership and management are good

feedback to teachers, who respect and welcome their advice. However, there is not yet a shared understanding of what constitutes outstanding learning.  The primary school sports funding has been used effectively to develop competitive sports, to use coaches and teachers’ own skills to develop expertise in teaching physical education and to introduce new sports such as tennis. Pupils say they enjoy their lessons, including the catching, movement and space lesson seen during the inspection. Teachers welcome the focus on developing their skills alongside the coaches. These are contributing well to pupils’ physical development and well-being.  While the school focuses on developing pupils’ basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics, it also provides many interesting opportunities for pupils to broaden their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness through, for example, the study of art, music, history and science and

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The leadership and management are good

through a range of educational visits.  The school welcomes the support and advice it receives from the local authority and from its education partner. This has helped to improve the quality of teaching and learning and the skills of school leaders in planning improvements.  The governance of the school:  Governors have rigorously reviewed their impact so that, while they have always offered strong support, there is now more robust challenge to the school. The Chair of the Governing Body is very knowledgeable and is well supported by other governors who understand the school because they have clear areas of responsibility which they regularly check, through a programme of school visits. They have clear systems to check closely plans for the future, the quality of teaching, the achievement of pupils and the curriculum.  In addition, they understand the arrangements to check on teachers’ performance and any

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The leadership and management are good

rewards for good teaching. The budget is extremely well managed. Governors receive clear information about how the pupil premium funding and the new primary school sports 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.

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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 121357 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 439740

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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 396 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Helen Mallory Headteacher Jonathan Wanless Date of previous school inspection 7 March 2011 Telephone number 01723 863489 Fax number 01723 864568 Email address admin@seamerirton.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 and 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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