Kilham Church of England Voluntary Controlled School

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 This is a happy and caring school where pupils thrive and achieve well.  Pupils’ behaviour in the classroom and around the school is exemplary. They have extremely positive attitudes to their learning and this helps to accelerate their progress.  Pupils feel very safe in the school’s caring environment. The school’s work to keep them safe is outstanding.  Teaching is good. Conscientious staff instil a desire for learning and achievement in their pupils. From their individual starting points, pupils make good progress through the school and standards are consistently above the national average by the end of Year 6.  Children in the early years settle quickly and make a good start to their learning because of the good quality provision and teaching.  The headteacher’s inspirational leadership and unrelenting drive for high standards is infectious. This sets a positive tone for the whole school. Governors are knowledgeable and supportive of the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school and make a valuable contribution to improving teaching and pupils’ achievement.  The curriculum, with its emphasis on exciting topics, harnesses pupils’ enthusiasm for learning.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. The atmosphere throughout the school reflects a strong sense of community and mutual respect. The school’s values of ‘learning, caring and friendship’ are central to the work of the school and equip pupils well for life in modern Britain.  Parents are highly satisfied with what the school does for their children. They all say their children are happy at school, and that the school keeps them safe.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching does not ensure outstanding achievement for pupils.  Not enough of the most able pupils attain the higher levels at the end of Key Stage 1.  Progress and standards in writing are not as high as in reading and mathematics.  The roles and responsibilities of middle leaders are not sufficiently developed in order to further improve the quality of teaching in their subject areas.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in seven lessons, four of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. All teachers and class groups were observed. In addition, the inspector made a few short visits to observe pupils in small group support sessions.  He also reviewed the work in pupils’ books, observed pupils’ activities in the breakfast club, the dining hall and the playground, and listened to pupils from Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 read.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher, middle leaders and representatives of the governing body. He had a telephone conversation with a local authority representative. He also met informally with parents that attended the school’s Easter fair.  The inspector spoke informally to pupils in lessons and around the school, as well as having a more formal meeting with a group of pupils from Key Stage 2.  The inspector observed the work of the school and looked at a range of documents including: the school’s

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Information about this inspection

own information about students’ progress; planning; the monitoring of learning and teachers’ performance; organisation of the curriculum; records relating to behaviour and attendance; safeguarding information; how the money from pupil premium is spent and the minutes of governing body meetings.  The inspector took account of the 38 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the 22 responses to the inspection questionnaire returned by staff.

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Inspection team

Peter Bailey, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below average.  Children in Nursery attend part time until they reach the Reception class.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is in line with the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is below the national average. (The pupil premium funding is additional funding to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority.)  There are five classes in the school, three are mixed age. Class One – early years, Class Two – Year 1, Class Three –Year 2, Class Four- Years 3 and 4, Class Five – Years 5 and 6..  The school operates a before-school breakfast club.  The number of pupils who join or leave the school partway through the year is much higher

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Information about this school

than usual.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school works cooperatively with other small primary schools in their local cluster group.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in order to bring about outstanding achievement for pupils by: - sharing the outstanding practice that exists within the school in order to develop teachers’ skills further - increasing the use of high quality questioning which extends pupils’ understanding and challenges their thinking.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment further, particularly for the most able pupils in Key Stage 1 and in writing across the school, by: - raising expectations to provide the required level of challenge in the work given to the most able pupils in Key Stage 1 and hence increase the proportion of these pupils that achieve the higher levels of attainment - ensuring that pupils are given sufficient opportunities to write at length, with depth and quality and are encouraged to be mindful of their writing targets when doing so - ensuring the recently implemented strategies to improve pupils’ understanding of letters and sounds and writing skills are fully established across the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: - developing the role of middle leaders in supporting school improvement through raising standards in the subjects for which they are responsible - sharpening school planning so that it is more specifically focused and prioritises key areas for improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides the school with dynamic leadership. He is extremely committed and passionate in engendering a positive approach to driving improvement. It sets the tone for the whole school. At its root is the headteacher’s unwavering determination to provide every child, regardless of background or ability, with a solid foundation for future success and happiness. Teamwork across the school is strong in pursuit of the headteacher’s fundamental beliefs.  The headteacher is held in high regard by the pupils, parents and staff. Comments on all the staff questionnaires returned indicated a high level of confidence in the school’s leadership. Staff morale is high. Staff commented ‘Kilham is a lovely place to work, with happy enthusiastic children and staff and a very considerate and supportive headteacher’ and ‘Our school is a friendly, happy place and I love coming to work! Our children make us proud!’

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is robust in his monitoring of teaching. Pupils’ progress is carefully tracked and this data are used to ensure that planning for improvement is founded on good evidence and accurate data.  The leadership of early years is good. The leader is relatively new to the role but has made a good start in developing the curriculum and involving parents in supporting their children’s learning.  The roles and responsibilities of middle leaders are not yet fully developed. At present there is not enough delegation of responsibility and involvement in conducting observations of teaching. Similarly, there is not enough sharing of good practice across the school to enable them to make a greater contribution to school improvement and to raise pupils’ achievement further in their subject areas.  The school’s view of itself is accurate. However, the school improvement plan is not sufficiently focused in

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The leadership and management are good

prioritising the key strategic areas to further improve the school.  The school has reviewed its curriculum provision in the light of the changes to the new National Curriculum and ensures it provides the pupils with a broad range of interesting and exciting learning experiences through a themed approach to topic work. Pupils enjoy the extra activities such as trips and visits which extend learning outside the classroom. Classes in Key Stage 1 enthusiastically linked the previous day’s experiences from a visit to The Deep to stimulate and develop their writing skills in the classroom. The school also makes good use of its excellent outdoor facilities in extending the curriculum. The school was quick to respond to the proposed changes for computing. This area is a strength in the school. The school shares this through providing advice and training to local schools.  The school is currently implementing, in liaison with other local schools, new systems of assessment to

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The leadership and management are good

gauge pupils’ attainment.  Procedures to manage the performance of teachers have been reviewed and are now more effective because a good range of information relating to pupil performance data is used to set challenging targets for teachers. There is a clear link between pay levels and the quality of teaching.  The school is committed to equality of opportunity for all pupils and positively tackle any forms of discrimination. The pupil premium funding is used well to increase staffing levels and to target relevant support for individuals. This ensures disadvantaged pupils receive additional help and support appropriate to meet their needs and have access to the wide range of extra activities and visits that take place. School data show that all groups of pupils across the school, including disadvantaged pupils, are currently making similar progress. Discussions with pupils show their understanding and appreciation of what the school

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The leadership and management are good

does to promote equality of opportunity, fairness, care and respect for each other.  The school promotes pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development in a highly effective way and this is a strength of the school. Many opportunities for pupils to reflect on their work, relationships and behaviour are included in their learning. The impact of this is seen in the children’s respect for others and understanding of their rights and responsibilities. This reinforces an appreciation of British values and life in modern Britain. During the inspection, pupils from Years 5 and 6 organised an Easter fair in the school as a fund-raising venture and were responsible for operating a variety of stalls and activities. This was extremely successful and well attended.  The primary sports funding is used well to enhance the quality of sports coaching, enhance teachers’ skills, improve the school’s hard surface play area and to promote pupils’ greater participation in sport.

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The leadership and management are good

Pupils have benefited from increased confidence and enjoyment of new sports and more opportunities to participate in inter-school activities.  Safeguarding procedures, including child protection training, meet all current requirements. The school is extremely vigilant in ensuring the pupils are safe and acts promptly if any concerns are raised.  The local authority has a good awareness of the school’s strengths and areas for development. It has worked well with the headteacher in providing an appropriate level of support.  Comments from parents during the inspection and responses to Parent View were unanimously positive about the work of the school.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is extremely supportive of the school and committed to its success. The governors bring considerable skills and expertise to the role. They are knowledgeable and ensure that the school is on a pathway to further improvement. They are fully involved in evaluating the school’s strengths and

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The leadership and management are good

weaknesses and in development planning. They have undertaken training and are extremely effective in holding the school to account including through their knowledge of performance data. They are determined to tackle the weaker aspects of the school quickly. Governors evaluate the quality of teaching and understand how teachers are rewarded for their effectiveness. Governors are fully aware of the systems in place to tackle underperformance in teaching should it ever occur. Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s finances, including sport funding, and are aware of the impact of decisions about the use of pupil premium funding and how gaps in pupils’ achievement are closing. The governing body ensures that safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  There is a calm, organised learning culture. Relationships between pupils are excellent; they are acutely aware of the importance of good manners and treating each other with respect. Pupils move around the school courteously and are well mannered and considerate of each other. The school’s ethos has a strong sense of fairness and is rooted in the Christian beliefs that permeate through all aspects of the school’s work.  The management of behaviour is consistent. Pupils, staff and parents speak highly of the typically high standards of behaviour and strong relationships in the school. When asked about the school’s code of conduct pupils spoke eagerly about ‘The Golden Rules’, and also added the importance of following the school’s motto of ‘learning, caring and friendship’.  Evidence from the school’s behaviour records shows that poor behaviour is extremely rare and that the

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Behaviour

school responds appropriately and effectively when it does occur.  Pupils play a significant role in the school. They take on a wide range of responsibilities, helping to build their maturity, confidence and social skills. These include being representatives on the school council ensuring pupils’ views are heard and organising fund-raising activities such as coffee mornings and the Easter fair. They also take on the roles of junior road safety officers and junior sports leaders, leading activities at lunchtime. The Year 5 and 6 pupils have introduced a New Starters Service at the local church to celebrate and welcome children from early years into the school. They are immensely proud of their school and what they do there, as are their parents and staff.  The excellence of pupils’ behaviour and their deep respect for each other testify to the outstanding quality of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are excellent ambassadors for the school and are very well prepared for the next stages of their education, both academically and personally.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  School leaders make sure that pupils are safe in school. Entry to the premises is well managed and staff that are recruited are rigorously checked.  The pupils, staff and parents all say they feel the school is a safe place and behaviour is well managed.  The school’s safeguarding policies and practices are robust and comprehensive, meeting all requirements. The school gives a high priority to ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy school and succeed. The school’s records show that there is no discrimination or serious bullying.  Pupils have a good knowledge of how to keep safe. For example, they know the dangers posed by social network sites and cyber-bullying and to report such threats to their parents and teachers. They can talk about various types of bullying, but do not regard any of them as significant issues for this school.

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Safety

 Pupils say there is no bullying at the school. One pupil commented ‘We are a big family here, and bullying doesn’t happen because everybody’s good friends’.  Pupils’ attendance is consistently above average. Persistent absence is well below the national average.  In their questionnaires, all staff and an overwhelming majority of parents and carers agree that pupils are happy, well behaved and safe at school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and achievement is good overall and sometimes outstanding. This enables most pupils in all year groups to learn well and make good progress. Work in pupils’ books and pupil tracking data support the view that the impact of teaching over time is good.  Teachers and teaching assistants work together well. They give help and support in response to the accurate assessment they make of pupils’ individual needs.  Teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach and plan effectively for the needs of their mixed-age classes. In some lessons pupils are grouped by ability. This challenges and extends the learning of the most able younger pupils. Teachers use a variety of activities which engage the pupils and stimulate learning, such as visits, information technology and pictures as the starting point for writing activities.  Teachers have a clear focus on improving pupils’ reading skills. The teaching of phonics (learning letters

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The quality of teaching is good

and sounds) has been revised, additional resources purchased and guided reading activities further support the development of pupils’ reading skills and love of books. However, the strategies for improving pupils’ understanding of letters and sounds are not fully established across the school.  Marking of pupils’ work is of a high quality. Throughout the school, teachers and teaching assistants provide detailed written and verbal feedback for pupils about what they have done well and how they could improve their work. Pupils indicate that they have read the comments and are given time to respond. In addition, teachers often set pupils extra challenges as part of their marking and make sure pupils practise anything they have found difficult.  Progress in reading and mathematics is good and pupils’ individual target cards, displayed in pupils’ books accurately record pupils’ learning and promote progress in these subjects. However, pupils rarely refer to

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The quality of teaching is good

their writing targets when given the opportunity to write at length.  Classrooms are orderly, well organised and attractive. Imaginative displays inspire pupils to learn. Good relationships and the use of praise are strong features in lessons and most pupils are keen to do well. The positive atmosphere in lessons makes a significant contribution to improving pupils’ progress.  Teachers use time well in lessons, so that little time is lost. As a result, pupils settle quickly to their tasks, work productively and maintain high levels of concentration.  In some lessons teachers skilfully ask searching questions that expect pupils to explain their reasoning, which further extends their learning and understanding. However, this is not consistent across all classes. Sometimes the quality of questioning is variable and pupils’ thinking is not always challenged.  The special needs coordinator makes sure that groups or individual pupils with special educational needs

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The quality of teaching is good

are tracked carefully and receive good quality support to promote learning. However, the more able in Key Stage 1 are not always sufficiently challenged to attain the levels of which they are capable.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good because pupils make good progress, particularly in Key Stage 2. Achievement is also enhanced because of the exemplary attitudes pupils have towards their learning.  In this small school, standards can vary depending on the range of ability of children involved and comparisons against national averages for attainment are to be treated with caution.  However, children generally start school with a level of development that is broadly typical for their age. They settle quickly and make good progress in the early years of school. In 2014, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development on entry into Key Stage 1 was above average.  By the time pupils leave Year 6, they have made good progress, with a high percentage making more progress than expected in reading and mathematics.  At the end of Year 1, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the phonics reading

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The achievement of pupils is good

check (letters and the sounds they make) has been broadly average. However, in 2014, the number achieving the standard dropped and was below average. This was a lower ability group on entry into Year 1. Pupils currently in Year 1 are already working close to above average standards in phonics with a term still to go to achieve even more.  In 2014, pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 was broadly in line with the national average. However, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels was below average as expectations of the more able pupils were not sufficiently high.  Pupils at the end of Key Stage 2, in 2014, made better than the progress expected of them. Attainment in writing was broadly in line with expectations and attainment in reading and mathematics was above the national average. The school has taken effective action to improve outcomes in writing and the gap between progress in writing and that made in reading and mathematics is beginning to close.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 School tracking data and work in pupils books show that pupils overall are making more than the progress expected of them in all year groups.  Because of small numbers in each year group there are too few disadvantaged pupils to comment meaningfully on their attainment and progress in comparison with others in the school or nationally. The school identifies their needs accurately and quickly puts in place effective support for their particular needs so that the majority achieve at least as well as other pupils.  The school caters well for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. They receive good support from teachers and well-briefed, well-trained support staff. As a result, they make good progress and achieve well. Pupils who join the school partway through their education settle quickly in this welcoming environment and benefit from the good quality teaching.  Additional challenges are also provided for the most able pupils to help them make faster progress and

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The achievement of pupils is good

reach the higher standards of which they are capable. This is particularly effective in Key Stage 2 where an above average number of pupils attained the higher levels in the national tests. However, this is not the case in Key Stage 1, where a lower than average proportion of pupils attained the higher levels.

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The early years provision is good

 Provision in the early years is well led and managed. Imaginative learning activities are planned and provided. These promote enjoyment, enthusiasm and good progress for all children. There are highly effective systems in place for assessing and recording children’s attainment and progress.  As numbers in the early years are low, there are variations in the overall skills that the groups of children have on entry. Mostly, however, the majority of children enter with knowledge, skills and understanding that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress and by the end of Reception Year, in 2014, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is above average. Ongoing assessments indicate that a high proportion of children are making good progress. This is because the children are well taught. All staff have a secure knowledge of the skills that children need and ensure they

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The early years provision is good

are well prepared to start Year 1.  Staff check carefully the children’s abilities when they first start and quickly identify any who may have specific needs so that additional support is planned early. Staff use a variety of methods to record closely what children achieve. An electronic system of recording the children’s ongoing progress has been recently introduced which has further enhanced the monitoring and tracking of children’s progress and planning for the next stages of their development.  Parents contribute to the assessment process through the children’s ‘Wow’ books, where experiences in the home environment are recorded to inform the ongoing assessment. The high quality recording in children’s ‘learning journeys’ (a collection of children’s work and adult comments) means that their progress is regularly and accurately assessed. This information contributes to the ‘next steps tracking

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The early years provision is good

system’, which is displayed on the classroom wall and helps to ensure a consistent approach to planning for individual children’s needs.  The children enjoy school. Staff have created a bright and lively setting that promotes children’s social development and communication skills well. The outdoor area has been further developed and offers an excellent resource in promoting children’s learning. Children were enthusiastic and well equipped, with magnifying glasses, to develop their observation skills and go hunting for minibeasts and spoke excitedly about their weekly ‘welly walks’.  Children settle quickly into school due to well-planned admission arrangements and they benefit from having children from Nursery and Reception mixing in the early years setting. The older children show the nursery children good behaviour and how to use well-developed language with a good range of vocabulary.  Teaching is consistently good and staff plan interesting and fun activities that help children make good

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The early years provision is good

progress in acquiring a wide range of skills and understanding. The teaching of letters and sounds has been revised and new resources purchased. This is beginning to have a strong impact on developing children’s reading skills.  The positive relationships children form with staff and one another help them gain confidence and independence as they go about their choice of activities sensibly and safely. Behaviour is outstanding and children are kind and considerate when sharing resources.  Arrangements for keeping children safe are highly effective because well-trained teachers and teaching assistants are extremely conscientious in their monitoring to ensure that children are kept safe.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the provision in early years, particularly the high level of care and support. There are strong links between home and 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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 117980 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 461284

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 132 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Zerny Headteacher Simon England Date of previous school inspection 6 July 2010 Telephone number 01262 420214 Fax number 01262 420214 Email address kilham.primary@eastriding.gov.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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