Youlgrave, All Saints' CofE (VA) Primary School

Youlgrave All Saints CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School Alport Lane, Youlgrave, Bakewell, DE45 1WN

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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

 Pupils from all abilities and backgrounds achieve well. They make good progress in a range of subjects including reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching is good because teachers know their pupils and their abilities well. Teaching assistants play a valuable role in supporting learning.  Provision in the early years is good. Children make a good start in Reception. Adults work well together to provide skilled support.  Staff, parents, governors and pupils share a strong belief in the values of the school.  Pupils feel very safe and know that they are well cared for by staff. Parents have full confidence in the school to look after their children.  Pupils’ behaviour is excellent in lessons and around school. Older pupils take pleasure in carrying out their responsibilities and all pupils are welcoming and polite. Everyone is included and respected.  The school’s creative approach to topics provides

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

exciting learning opportunities which inspire pupils and contribute strongly to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, as well as their awareness of British values.  The governing body has taken decisive action to ensure that pupils’ education has not been affected by brief periods of temporary leadership. The school is now led well by experienced staff. As a result teaching and achievement are improving.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The teaching of letters and sounds is not always good enough to promote good reading skills.  Teachers’ comments when marking do not always help pupils to improve their work. Some teachers are not setting high enough expectations for the presentation of work.  Subject leaders are not yet fully involved in checking on the quality of teaching or pupils’ achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed pupils learning in all year groups, both in class and when working in smaller groups. Three of the observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  The inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 6 reading, met pupils at playtimes and attended an assembly.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, members of staff, a representative of the local authority, a representative of the diocese and members of the governing body.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at development plans, records of pupils’ progress, arrangements for safeguarding and systems to check on the quality of teaching and learning.  The inspector looked at the work in pupils’ books in all year groups and in a range of subjects including English, mathematics, science and topic work.  The view of parents were gained from the 32 responses to Parent View, the online questionnaire, the

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Information about this inspection

school’s recent survey in April and from talking to parents bringing their children to school.  The views of staff were gained from meetings and from a scrutiny of the 14 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Judith Straw, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. Some year groups have fewer than 10 pupils. Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes. Children join the school full time in the Reception class.  The very large majority of pupils come from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is broadly average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the pupil premium provides support is well below the national average. The pupil premium provides additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.  The usual judgement on the government’s floor standards does not apply, because there were too few pupils in Year 6 in 2014 to qualify.  Since the previous inspection the school has had two acting headteachers. A permanent headteacher took up the post in April 2015.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that:  teachers’ comments in marking show pupils clearly how they can improve their work  teachers routinely insist on the highest standards of presentation  the teaching of letters and sounds (phonics), particularly in the early years, is suitably challenging for all pupils and particularly the most able.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further develop the role of subject leaders by:  giving them more opportunities to check on teaching and learning  involving them more in data analysis, tracking progress and checking school improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors have been proactive in ensuring that staffing has been stabilised and that temporary leaders have the necessary skills to continue to improve and develop the school. They did not appoint a headteacher until they were confident that they had the right person for the role. They secured good temporary leaders who took the school forward rather than just ‘holding the fort.’ As a result the progress of pupils across the school is faster and progress targets set for pupils in all classes are more challenging.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new headteacher has quickly got to know her school and her staff. Her presence around the school at the start and end of the school day is highly effective in cementing strong relationships with parents. She has reviewed and strengthened the rigour of safeguarding procedures, improved the tracking of pupils’ progress and developed closer links with pre-school providers and the local community.

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The leadership and management are good

 The acting headteacher, senior class teachers and the new headteacher have a very clear picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Their record of improvement shows that leaders have the capacity to improve the school further.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have carried out regular observations of pupils’ learning this year, followed by detailed feedback to teachers. This has helped to ensure that teaching is consistently good. Teachers’ performance is checked against how much progress their pupils make and how well they fulfil their duties. The outcomes of this affect how the teacher progresses up the pay scale.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders are developing a tracking system linked to their creative curriculum. Staff already check routinely on whether pupils are making good progress towards their targets but the new system will provide greater detail and rigour.

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The leadership and management are good

 Most teachers in this small school take on leadership roles. During the interim period of acting headship they were not given full opportunities to develop their roles and expertise, which require improvement. In particular, these middle managers have not had sufficient opportunities to observe lessons or analyse information on pupils’ progress for themselves.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes equality of opportunity well and tackles discrimination effectively and this is reflected in the good achievement of pupils. The headteacher and governors have successfully established a culture where the highest standards of behaviour are expected and encouraged.

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The leadership and management are good

 Topics bring together subjects in a way that pupils enjoy and that promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Striking examples include Years 5 and 6 Alchemy Island, which has provided the inspiration for science investigations, understanding of geography and some imaginative writing. Part of their classroom is set up as an apothecary shop and this has inspired some wonderful research into the properties of gold. In Years 3 and 4 mathematical baking has successfully improved accuracy in measuring. The autumn term’s whole-school focus on life 100 years ago led to fascinating research into the local and wider community after a visit from a local archivist.

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The leadership and management are good

 Awareness and appreciation of traditional British values are threaded through the school’s work. The school council is democratically elected. Its members manage a suggestion box system and represent the pupils during interviews for new appointments to the school. Pupils learn about key aspects of British culture through a celebration of special events such as St George’s Day and a mock election in April. They learn to appreciate other cultures through activities such as a club on African drumming and visits to inner cities and mosques. Older pupils feel well prepared for secondary school because they have many opportunities to visit before they join. The school is effective in raising aspirations and producing useful citizens of the future, well equipped for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 Very few pupils at the school are disadvantaged and supported by the pupil premium. The funding is spent on additional teaching resources and enrichment activities to support the learning of eligible pupils. There is often no gap between the attainment of these pupils and others within the school.  Pupils take part in a very wide range of sporting activities and are very enthusiastic about the coaching sessions they have, as well an numerous tournaments organised by the rural sports partnership. Good use of the sports premium funding has had a positive impact on pupils’ well-being, confidence, fitness and enthusiasm for sport. Staff are better trained to teach physical education and there are wider opportunities for gifted and talented pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and governors make sure the school meets statutory requirements for safeguarding pupils, and that all related procedures and practices are rigorous and highly effective. Further improvements have been made to the security of the site since the appointment of the new headteacher. Links with outside agencies are strong. Governors undertake regular checks and ensure that staff training is fully up to date.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority and the diocesan advisers provide regular support for leaders and governors that has helped them to manage a period of transition and secure good leadership. The school works with others in the local area to provide training for teachers and to check the accuracy of assessments.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They are clear about how well pupils are achieving in comparison with other schools. Governors question and challenge how well all pupils are making progress. They are very active in gaining knowledge about the quality of teaching through observing learning and examining the work in pupils’ books. Many have a professional background in education and are well placed to support the school. They understand recent developments in education including early years learning, new assessment systems and the new curriculum. Governors are very rigorous in the way they manage the budget. They know how pupil premium funding is allocated and check that it is helping disadvantaged pupils to achieve well. They oversee the performance management of staff and ensure that good teaching is rewarded and underperformance is challenged. They have wide ranging links with the local community and their

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The leadership and management are good

leadership has ensured that the school has prospered and developed during a period of change. Governors have the full confidence of parents, as summed up by one who wrote in response to a questionnaire, ‘The school is one of the foundation blocks of the community.’

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They are courteous to adults and to each other. Pupils enjoy spending time together and as some commented; ’We never leave anyone out.’ Pupils are proud of their school and feel great loyalty to it: ‘We may be a small school but we have big adventures.’

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Behaviour

 Pupils have a great desire to learn and this contributes to their good progress and the calm and purposeful learning atmosphere in the school. Pupils strive to do their best and enjoy learning new skills. For example, as part of their work on Britain in the last 100 years, every child in the school learned to knit in the autumn term. They presented the residents of a local care home a blanket made from their various knitted squares.

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Behaviour

 Behaviour around the school is excellent. At the end of playtimes there is no litter anywhere. Pupils are instantly silent when a bell is rung in order to listen to instructions from staff or return to lessons.

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Behaviour

 The members of the school council are proud of their work in representing the whole school. They produce a magazine called The Telegraph every term, recounting events from the pupils’ perspective. They are actively involved in the appointment of new staff and older pupils act as buddies, playground leaders and reading partners with younger ones.

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Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy supporting many community events such as the local carnival and well-dressing festivals. Last year the gardening club’s sweet peas took first prize in the junior section of a national competition. In the VE day commemoration service in church in May, each class contributed with music, dance and words before a celebration for the whole village.

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Behaviour

 Pupils arrive on time and attendance is consistently at least average and often above. Over 70% of pupils this year have achieved above average attendance, a reflection of their enjoyment of school life. They do not want to miss it.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils feel very safe in school and parents agree that their children are safe. Pupils are confident that staff care for them exceptionally well and know that if they have any concerns, there would be an adult to help them to sort it out.

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Safety

 Pupils have a clear understanding of the different forms of bullying, including ‘cyber-bullying’ and name- calling. They agree that this does not happen at Youlgrave. Pupils are confident that no one has been bullied in the school and that there is no name-calling or unkindness. They regard their school as a large and happy family. A recent focus on rules for e-safety has reinforced the importance of this both for pupils and their parents. Pupils show a very strong understanding of the importance of using the internet sensibly and are aware of the possible dangers.

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Safety

 Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe in a wide range of circumstances, such as on the road, and around water. They are acutely aware of situations where they may be encouraged to take part in risky behaviours.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work in pupils’ books and school tracking data show that pupils learn at a good rate and teaching over time is good.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All teachers have mixed age groups in their classes and are adept at planning work for a wide range of different abilities. Teachers make learning lively and interesting, often providing practical activities to encourage learning. For example, in mathematics pupils were making pyramids and prisms in order to understand the differences and learning from experience the importance of accurate measuring. In other mathematics lessons pupils were using tanks of coloured water to help them develop an understanding of capacity and volume.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ progress in English is fostered by an insistence on developing a wide vocabulary and a good focus on the value of accurate spelling and grammar. Teachers provide interesting stimuli to develop pupils’ imagination. For example, Year 3 and 4 pupils were standing blindfolded in trays of sand and then water to focus their minds on how exactly each substance feels on bare feet.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers rapidly analyse how well pupils are learning and so quickly identify misunderstandings and adapt their teaching accordingly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are very well briefed so that they play an important part in supporting the learning of smaller groups or individual pupils. Teachers receive instant feedback which allows them to plan the next steps needed for each pupil to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 While the teaching of letters and sounds is often effective, sometimes these sessions are too general and not focused precisely on what pupils need to learn. There is inconsistency in the progress of different small groups of pupils when learning to read. Teachers sometimes set tasks that are too easy for the most able pupils, particularly in the early years.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers in all classes carry out marking conscientiously. However, comments often praise work but do not give advice on how pupils can improve or develop their learning. While many pupils take pride in the presentation of their work, some do not. Teachers do not set consistently high enough expectations for the quality of presentation in books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school focuses successfully on ensuring that every pupil makes good progress. By the time pupils in Year 6 go on to their next stage of education they have acquired a good understanding of the basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Because year groups are very small, published data at the end of Year 6 can vary widely, so comparisons with national averages are unhelpful.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Published data does not accurately reflect the achievement of pupils. The school has plenty of evidence to show that previous assessments at the end of Key Stage 1 were too generous, which made it appear that pupils made less progress than was actually the case at Key Stage 2. This has now been rectified and assessments are accurate. Inspection evidence, including a review of books in all classes shows that pupils make good progress and achieve well both in Key stage 1 and Key stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and the few disadvantaged pupils, make good progress due to highly focused one-to-one sessions with adults. The number of pupils supported by the pupil premium is too small to make comparisons with others about their attainment in English and mathematics without risk of identifying individuals.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Teachers usually make sure they give the most able pupils demanding tasks in all classes. As a result these pupils make good progress in English and mathematics, although their progress is lower when first learning to read.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils develop good skills across a range of subjects. Generally, pupils write with flair and imagination. Pupils have written some thoughtful and skilful poetry in Years 5 and 6. Their poems celebrating the attributes of Canada Geese were especially impressive. A recent emphasis on spelling, punctuation and grammar has led to greater accuracy as well as imagery in pupils’ writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school fosters a love of reading and pupils have access to good class libraries. Pupils enjoy reading for pleasure as well as recognising the value of good reading skills in preparation for secondary school. They enjoy a wide variety of books including adventure and science fiction, biographies and factual books. Parents support early reading skills by volunteering to help the ‘Racing to Read’ sessions at the start of each morning in Reception, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy mathematics, especially when a practical aspect is involved. They use mathematical vocabulary well and successfully tackle problem-solving challenges as well as basic numeracy work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils develop talents in musical, sporting and artistic fields as well as in basic skills. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have completed some detailed and precise life drawings showing the impact of oil spills on birds’ feathers.

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The early years provision is good

 Children join the school in Reception with skills and understanding that are broadly typical for their age. Most have spent a year in local playgroups. The school has good links with Nursery providers so that there is some continuity and effective transition arrangements.

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The early years provision is good

 Children make good progress in the Reception Year because teaching is good and their attitudes to learning and behaviour are very positive. They work and play well together and maintain concentration on their tasks for a sustained period of time. They respect each other, adults and their learning environment. Children say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ without being reminded.

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The early years provision is good

 Teachers plan lessons that enable all children in the mixed-age class to work at the right level. They make good use of the outside areas to stimulate children’s imagination and natural curiosity, to encourage them to explore learning in depth and to develop their social and communication skills. Adults ask children questions skilfully to help them communicate well.

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The early years provision is good

 Adults track children’s progress carefully from the start. The school rightly prides itself on recognising quickly any children who may need extra help, and children of high ability who need extra challenge. As a result all groups of children are well prepared for Year 1.  Children have a good sense of right and wrong and are keen to behave well. Adults foster children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well across all sessions. The school sees personal development equally as important as developing skills in literacy and numeracy. Children are very safe and well looked after. This is seen in the confident way that they talk happily to visitors.

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The early years provision is good

 Links with parents are good. The school encourages parents to involve themselves in their children’s learning and progress from the outset.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership of the early years is effective. Leaders have recognised that the teaching of letters and sounds is not sufficiently precise and focused to accelerate the progress of all children.

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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 112924 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 461617

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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 aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 70 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Ebbage Headteacher Heather Stelling Date of previous school inspection 24–25 May 2012 Telephone number 01629 636289 Fax number 01629 636289 Email address enquiries@youlgrave-allsaints.derbyshire.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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