Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Hackness, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO13 0JN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 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

 Pupils in all classes and key stages make good progress from their individual starting points. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is higher than in most schools nationally. This is not reported in published data as there are so few pupils in each year.  Early years provision is good and children make good progress in the Reception Year.  Pupils are eager to learn. Lessons are exciting and pupils are fully involved in deciding what they what to find out within each topic. Teachers build upon the knowledge the pupils already have and use the surrounding environment effectively to make learning meaningful.  The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics is good. This is very well supported by the new curriculum. Pupils also have lessons where they focus on particular skills such as reading for meaning.  The headteacher meets with other adults in the school regularly to check the progress of each individual pupil carefully. She offers very specific

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

advice to teachers about how to improve the progress for that pupil.  Behaviour and safety are outstanding. Pupils care very much for one another. Older pupils see part of their role as setting a good example to younger pupils. Procedures for keeping pupils safe are rigorous and staff training is given the highest priority.  Relationships are outstanding and staff, parents and pupils are exceptionally positive about the school.  Strong links with a school in Kenya provide outstanding opportunities to discuss values and culture. Pupils talk in detail about what they learn from this link.  The school environment is very well cared for and pupils are proud of their school. They look after it carefully and treat resources with great respect. They take pride in their appearance.  Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher and governors know the school and every pupil exceptionally well. They continually

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

strive for excellence in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. They use all available information about the school and the pupils to check that they are providing the best possible support and resources for each child and are improving the school further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Spelling throughout the school is not good. Pupils do not always spell common words correctly as they are not given sufficient guidance.  In the early years, children are not always helped effectively to extend their learning within creative play. Inspection report: Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 April 2015 2 of 11

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed a number of lessons, three of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also observed break and lunchtime and listened to pupils reading.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, school staff, groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, and a local authority representative.  To ascertain parents’ opinions, the inspector took account of 31 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  The inspector received 12 completed inspection questionnaires from staff.  The inspector examined a number of school documents. These included information about pupils’ progress, school development plans, documents used by the school to measure its own performance and records of reports to the governing body. The inspector also reviewed work in pupils’ books and records relating to the quality of teaching, behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Karen Foster, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Inspection report: Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 April 2015 3 of 11

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Information about this school

 Hackness Church of England Primary School is a much smaller than average-sized primary school. It has three classes: one for early years and Key Stage 1; one for Years 3 and 4; and one for Years 5 and 6. There are only small numbers of pupils in each year group.  All pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is lower than that found in most schools.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium funding is lower than that found in most schools. The pupil premium is additional government funding to provide extra support for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or for children in the care of the local authority.  Pupil mobility is higher than in most schools.  Children enter the school in the Reception Year and are encouraged to attend part-time for the first four weeks. After this, they attend full time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that the overall quality is outstanding and leads to pupils making outstanding progress by: - improving the teaching of spelling throughout the school by adopting a structured and progressive approach - providing further training for the adults in the early years so that they understand how to extend learning opportunities for the children during creative play. Inspection report: Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 April 2015 4 of 11

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The staff team, led by the headteacher, works highly effectively together to improve standards and achievement in the school. The headteacher has supported staff very well to ensure that all classes have good teaching over time. She has plans in place to ensure that more pupils make outstanding progress over time.  Staff treat each pupil as an individual and support them to do the best they possibly can. The headteacher has exceptionally high ambition for all pupils.  The headteacher carefully checks the progress each pupil makes. This information is shared with staff and is used to identify any further support needed. The headteacher observes individual pupils in class so that she can give very specific advice to teachers about how to support individual pupils effectively.  The headteacher has correctly identified areas to improve and has taken very rapid action where she has felt there were weaker aspects of provision. In writing, for example, the headteacher looked at how to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

adapt the curriculum to improve opportunities to write. The range and quality of writing since last September shows a significant improvement from the previous year.  The headteacher is aware that the very small numbers of pupils in each year group makes it difficult to compare groups of pupils with other schools nationally. However, she still does this to ensure that she is continually checking to see if there are any aspects of learning and progress that she needs to improve.  The headteacher meets with teachers to agree what they need to do each year. She meets with them again in the middle of the year to check if they need any further training or support to achieve their ambitious targets. Expectations are very high. Teachers understand that they are accountable but they are also highly ambitious for the school and its pupils. They work very well as a team.  The school has an outstanding curriculum that is continually adapted. The school makes full use of its local

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The leadership and management are outstanding

area and pupils have opportunities to say what they want to find out within each topic. The pupils have lots of additional opportunities through the Forest School work, where they go outside for a lot of their learning across the curriculum. The main aim of the headteacher is to give all pupils a love of learning. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The school has strong links with a school in Kenya. The headteacher has been out to visit the school and leaders from there have been on a return visit. This has enabled pupils to clearly understand that not all schools are like theirs.  The local authority has given very good support to the school. It has worked effectively in partnership with the headteacher to improve provision, particularly in the early years.  As this is a very small school, the headteacher is also the leader for mathematics and English at the moment. She has started to train other staff to take on these roles in the future. They currently work

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The leadership and management are outstanding

alongside the headteacher so that they will fully understand these roles when they take on these responsibilities of middle leadership. Improvement plans show that teachers and leaders know the subjects very well and have identified the correct areas to improve.  Leadership of special educational needs is outstanding. The leader sees her role as supporting both academic and social needs of the pupils so that they do well and thoroughly enjoy the life of the school. Parents and families of these pupils are very well supported.  Leaders use very effectively the pupil premium funding to improve learning and achievement in all subjects for disadvantaged pupils. The headteacher and governors regularly check that this provision is the most appropriate and that it is allowing them to achieve as well as other pupils.  Equality of opportunity is given a very high priority and this is seen as fundamental by the headteacher

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and her staff. Discrimination in any form is not tolerated. The staff foster good relations with all those who come into contact with the school.  Statutory requirements relating to safeguarding are well met and arrangements are outstanding. This is because training is given high priority and policies are reviewed regularly.  The primary school physical education and sport funding is used well. A teacher is responsible for this area and he has devised a system where every pupil goes swimming and is entered onto his full tracking system. This makes it easy for staff to know exactly what skills each pupil has and what needs to be taught next. Pupils have lots of opportunity to enter into competitions and to join in a good range of sporting activities.  The headteacher ensures that health education is taught across the curriculum. Pupils know about the importance of eating healthy food and taking exercise.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school: Inspection report: Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 April 2015 5 of 11

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The leadership and management are outstanding

- Governors know the school exceptionally well and provide outstanding challenge and support to the headteacher. They carried out a skills audit and know the strengths of one another; they use these to support the school effectively. Minutes of meetings show that governors ask searching questions. They are able to discuss progress and achievement in great depth. They work with the headteacher to set priorities for improvement and to check their progress against these priorities. They use a wide range of sources to get their information, including data, about the school so that they can check it is accurate and up to date. - Governors know how the pupil premium funding has been spent and are fully involved in spending decisions. They know that there are no gaps in the achievement of these pupils and other pupils in the school. - Governors are clear about the links between pay and the performance of staff, including how leaders

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The leadership and management are outstanding

would tackle any underperformance. They are given regular information about the quality of teaching. They know where strengths in teaching are and where further support has been needed to maintain the high aspirations for all.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. The pupils are exceptionally polite and considerate. They take very good care of one another. Older pupils wait very patiently for younger ones to climb the stairs and are ready to assist them if they need it, for example. They know they are expected to be good role models to younger pupils and say that they ‘have a responsibility to do this’.  School lunches are served in the classroom. Each term, pupils are given the opportunity to name three others they would like to share a table with and they sit chatting politely with others of different ages. They wait patiently for the whole table to finish eating before they leave. The school aims to create an atmosphere similar to family mealtimes and this is achieved very well.  At playtimes, the older pupils share the outdoor learning area with children from the early years. They play happily together. Older pupils delight in being able to play with equipment such as water trays and

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Behaviour

purple sand.  Pupils have an outstanding understanding of respect and relish first-hand opportunities to meet a range of different people and ask questions to deepen their understanding. They are very excited that they have been able to meet leaders from their link school in Kenya and ask them questions about school life over there.  In lessons, pupils are eager to learn and have outstanding attitudes to learning. They thrive on being challenged to work hard and try their best. They work exceptionally well on their own, in pairs and in groups. Pupils work well even when not directly supervised as they are highly motivated by their teachers and the curriculum.  The culture of not being afraid of making mistakes is embedded throughout the school. Pupils are not afraid to give answers to questions and others encourage them, even if they are unsure. Pupils know that all their responses will be given due consideration by both adults and their peers.

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Behaviour

 A group of pupils met with the inspector. They were keen to talk about the school, but took turns and were careful not to talk over one another. They were very proud to be part of the school and felt very happy there. A typical comment was that this was the best school pupils had been to.  Pupils take pride in their appearance and look after their school environment very well. They appreciate all that they have.  There are no exclusions despite the school welcoming pupils from other schools where they have previously struggled with behaviour and attitudes. This is because the school has outstanding systems in place to support these pupils and because the other pupils in the school do their very best to help too. They want all pupils to be as happy as they are and enjoy being at school as much as they do. Therefore, they forgive them when they make mistakes and suggest ways they can do things differently in the future.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is similar to all schools nationally. The vast majority of pupils attend school very well but, as it is a small school, any absences impact more noticeably on the overall attendance statistics. Some of the pupils are unable to attend everyday for very specific reasons. Pupils want to come to school as they enjoy it so much.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. There are outstanding systems and routines in place to keep pupils safe and these are reviewed regularly. For example, as the school field is Inspection report: Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 April 2015 6 of 11

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Safety

across the road, the teaching staff happily spend their lunchtimes with the pupils to make sure they are safe. Pupils say they feel very safe at school. They say ‘the staff do their best for us!’  Pupils have regular reminders about internet safety and understand it very well.  The pupils say that there is no bullying. They say that mishaps are sorted straight away. Name-calling is exceptionally rare as pupils say that all members of the school community are friends; as it is a small school, they feel close. They have a deep understanding that racism exists in the world but know that they would not tolerate it happening in their school. Almost all parents agree with them about behaviour.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good. It is sometimes outstanding in Key Stage 2. Teachers use the exciting curriculum they have devised to enthuse and motivate pupils. Subjects link together very well and the school has worked hard to ensure that writing across the curriculum is as good as writing in English books. Teachers are careful to build on the knowledge and skills that pupils already have.  Parents agree that their children are taught well, make good progress and almost all agree that they have appropriate homework.  Pupils take a very active part in lessons and, when asked questions, many wish to volunteer their answers. Teachers ask very good questions which probe knowledge and deepen understanding. They continually ask questions to check understanding. This was previously an area that the school wanted to improve upon; it is now highly effective.  In the upper part of Key Stage 2, pupils are continually challenged in their thinking. They use non-fiction

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The quality of teaching is good

texts to think about the importance of clarity for instructions. A group read a text on the use of the recovery position in first aid. The pupils followed the instructions in the text and tried them out at the back of the classroom to see if they had all the necessary information.  Reading is taught well. Teachers have considered how to motivate pupils to read with some new and interesting books. Older pupils are proudly responsible for the library area and were very keen to explain to the inspector about their roles and responsibilities. These are taken very seriously. There is a ‘Reading Rocks’ club which encourages pupils to read. Older pupils read with expression and sometimes even with different accents for each character. Younger ones are able to use their knowledge of letter sounds to read unfamiliar words. All say they enjoy reading.  The quality of writing in pupils’ books is good. They write well in a range of subjects. In their Forest

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The quality of teaching is good

School work, they use log books. These books have been made by the pupils and are actual pieces of log for the front cover. Work in these is laminated so that they can take their books with them in all weathers.  The teaching of mathematics is good and pupils have lots of opportunities to learn mathematical skills in different subjects. The teachers started to teach the new curriculum before last September so that it is now embedded. Pupils enjoy the subject.  Marking and feedback are helpful and give the pupils good ideas about how to improve their work.  Teachers plan lessons that meet the learning needs of all pupils. As classes are small, they know the pupils very well. Pupils say they like the small classes as they all get to spend time with the teacher on their own. Pupils who have special educational needs have their learning needs met well. This is enhanced by support for their social and emotional needs so that they are able to concentrate on their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The most-able pupils have good provision, particularly in upper Key Stage 2. A specialist teacher of mathematics teaches a small group of pupils to tackle mathematics at a level usually expected in secondary schools. This provision is outstanding and pupils are excited and engaged by the challenges set.  The teaching of spelling is not good. Throughout the school, pupils make mistakes in spelling common words. There is no whole-school approach to spelling for teachers and pupils to follow.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress across the curriculum. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  In 2013, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics check was below average. In 2014, it was above average. The proportion of pupils re-taking the check in Year 2 did better than other pupils nationally. Low pupil numbers affect the data significantly from year to year. However, following the 2013 result, the school revised the way it taught letter sounds and leaders now feel this is more secure. Inspection evidence supports this view. Inspection report: Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 April 2015 7 of 11

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement in Key Stage 1 has been improving for the last three years. In 2014, all pupils reached expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. This is higher than in most schools nationally.  The few pupils in Year 6 makes it is difficult to compare test results with all schools nationally in a meaningful way. However, pupils make good progress individually and achieve well. All pupils reached the level expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils did particularly well in mathematics, with most achieving above the level expected for their age. Evidence in pupils’ books suggests that more of them are currently on track to exceed expected levels in reading and writing this year than those in 2014.  School data show that progress for all pupils is good in reading, writing and mathematics. As it is a small school, pupils are closely monitored for their individual progress rather than in groups. The school is aware

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The achievement of pupils is good

of progress of groups but the aim is that all pupils do as well as they should.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make at least good progress in all subjects. They are well supported by specialist provision where it is needed.  There are too few pupils to make comparisons between disadvantaged pupils and others nationally. However, school data show that, as a result of effective spending of the additional pupil premium funding, these pupils do as well as other pupils in the school.  The most-able pupils are making good progress and achieving well; this has improved further over the last year. Predictions for 2015 for both key stages indicate that this is likely to continue to improve. The most- able pupils did better in mathematics than in reading and writing. There has been a focus on provision for the most able in reading and writing this year; current school information shows that more pupils are on

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The achievement of pupils is good

track to reach higher levels this year in these subjects.

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The early years provision is good

 Almost all children, including disabled children and those who have special educational needs, make good progress from their starting points. When children enter the school, they usually have skills and knowledge typical for their age. However, very small numbers of children in each year group mean that this overall picture can vary from year to year.  The children develop the skills they need ready for entering Key Stage 1. As the children share the teacher and the classroom with pupils in Years 1 and 2, this transition is very easy. Children in the early years have time as a group to work on their own and also have times where they mix with the pupils in Key Stage 1.  Social skills are very strong as children mix with others throughout the school at different points during the day. They enjoy spending time with older pupils and have buddies from Key Stage 2 who look after them. They learn to share very quickly and are happy to share their resources with children their age or

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The early years provision is good

with older pupils.  The children get on well together and understand the difference between right and wrong. Outstanding worship provision supports this for them. Children behave exceptionally well and understand about taking turns. They take care of the equipment put out for them.  The children are excited and motivated by all the activities. Despite the small area outside, there are plenty of opportunities for physical development. Resources have significantly improved over the last year, following good advice and support from the local authority and there is now a wider range of activities on offer which further extend the learning opportunities for the children.  Adults make sure that children can read, write and count by the time they leave early years. This is because teaching is now good due to the support from the headteacher and the local authority.  Leadership of the early years is good. Staff have responded well to support from the local authority on

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The early years provision is good

how to improve the early years provision further.  All adults contribute to deciding how well children are doing and this is recorded well. Information from pre-school settings is helpful and is used to make sure that learning continues seamlessly. Adults check what children can do when they start school, throughout the year and again at the end of the year. Staff have an accurate picture of how well each child is progressing.  The most-able children have the opportunity to extend their learning by being included in activities more typical of Key Stage 1 pupils. This means that reading skills for example, are extended and more children are working at higher levels than previously.  Children are safe and adults regularly check that the learning environment is kept safe. The front play area is close to the road and, although children cannot get out of this area, they do not play there without close adult supervision.

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The early years provision is good

Inspection report: Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 April 2015 8 of 11

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The early years provision is good

 Sometimes, adults miss opportunities to extend learning for children within their creative play. This prevents more children from making outstanding progress. Inspection report: Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 April 2015 9 of 11

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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. Inspection report: Hackness Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 April 2015 10 of 11

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School details

Unique reference number 121497 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 449654

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 75 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ed Smith Headteacher Christine Wilkinson Date of previous school inspection 5 May 2010 Telephone number 01723 882212 Fax number 01723 882212 Email address admin@hackness.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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