Colburn Community Primary School

Colburn Community Primary School Colburn Lane, Colburn, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, DL9 4LS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Requires improvement 3

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

 Significant staffing turbulence has resulted in leaders not being able to improve the quality of teaching quickly enough since the previous inspection.  The headteacher is leading the school without sufficiently effective support from other senior and middle leaders. Consequently, some planned actions for improvement are not making a substantial enough difference to the school’s work.  Provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is not being well- managed. Leaders are not making sure that specific teaching strategies and interventions are having enough impact to move pupils’ learning on.  Teaching requires improvement because it is variable in its quality across the school. Consequently, less-able and the most-able pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable.  Pupils’ achievement requires improvement. Progress is too variable in reading, writing and mathematics.

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

 Teachers are not all following the school’s marking policy. Some marking does not give clear guidance for improvement and some pupils are not always responding to the advice given. As a result, marking is not leading to prompt improvements in pupils’ work.  Children in the early years are not given enough opportunities to participate in activities which will enhance their development. Adults miss opportunities to engage and question the children.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher is passionate about improving outcomes for every single child. He is determined, relentless and completely committed in his drive for sustained school improvement.  Governors are fully supportive of the headteacher and are not afraid to make difficult decisions in the best interests of the pupils.  Pupils’ acquisition of the sounds that letters represent is good, due to improvements made in the teaching of phonics.  Pupils are motivated and inspired by a curriculum which is planned creatively and is well thought-out.  Pupils care for each other and are looked after well by all staff members. They benefit from exciting activities to develop their personal well-being.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They display good attitudes to learning. They feel safe and have a good understanding of how to stay safe.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in 16 lessons. The headteacher jointly observed the quality of teaching in two lessons with the lead inspector. Inspectors also made some short visits to classrooms.  Inspectors listened to a range of pupils read and reviewed the work in pupils’ books. They scrutinised data on pupils’ targets and current levels of achievement and checked these against the work in pupils’ books.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during break and lunchtime.  Inspectors talked informally to pupils in lessons and around the school and held more formal meetings with pupils from Key Stages 1 and 2.  The inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, other senior leaders, middle and subject leaders, class teachers, governors, and a representative from the local authority.  The inspection team scrutinised a range of documentation including the school’s evaluation of its own

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Information about this inspection

performance, minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s own policies, local authority reports, external reports and documentation relating to safeguarding and attendance.  Inspectors took into account the views of parents in the surveys which the school and local authority had carried out as there were not enough responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) to view the results. Inspectors also spoke to parents in the playground at the start and end of the school day. They considered the 15 responses to the questionnaire for staff.

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Inspection team

Suzanne Lithgow, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Children attend part time in Nursery and full time in Reception.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for support from the pupil premium is higher than average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is slightly higher than the national average.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  There have been a considerable number of changes in staffing since the previous inspection.  The school runs a breakfast club and offers a range of after-school activities.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good, thereby improving learning and progress for all groups of pupils by:  making sure that work meets the varying abilities of pupils in each class  ensuring that pupils are given clear guidance about how to improve their work, and time to act upon it  giving opportunities for pupils to learn and practise basic skills in English and mathematics  making sure that teachers are using questioning to challenge pupils to think deeply and creatively  providing support for teaching assistants so that they are effectively deployed to support and develop pupils’ learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve provision in the early years by:  making sure assessments on entry to the Nursery precisely reflect each individual child’s ability, therefore ensuring rates of progress can be measured accurately  ensuring that activities for the children closely match their needs to help them to develop, particularly in communication, reading, writing and number  ensuring adults use every opportunity to engage and question children during activities to move their learning and development on quickly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the capacity of senior and middle leaders to ensure that actions to improve teaching are implemented swiftly and monitored robustly.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because, although some improvements have been made, leaders have not been able to establish consistently good teaching and learning across the school. The pace of change has been slowed due to staffing turbulence, making it difficult to establish a culture where pupils can flourish academically.  The headteacher is acutely aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and is continuing to work tirelessly to address them. Despite this determination, the lack of an established and effective team below the headteacher to drive forward key improvements is resulting in pupils not achieving as well as they should be.  The headteacher has managed poor performance in teaching and leadership with conviction and resilience. Some very recent changes in staffing as a consequence of the headteacher’s work means the school is now better placed to plan and implement actions for rapid improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The effectiveness of middle leaders has been too variable. Very recent changes in the leadership of English and mathematics are beginning to establish appropriate actions to improve provision. The leadership and management of provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs lacks the rigour and understanding of what is needed to specifically meet the needs of those pupils.  Checks on the quality of teaching are undertaken mainly by the headteacher, and more recently by some subject leaders. Actions to address weaknesses are starting to have a positive impact. The process for setting targets for teachers is rigorous, with teachers’ pay now being directly linked to pupils’ progress.  Pupils enjoy a wide range of subjects, and they are often being taught in a creative and interesting manner. Educational visits and visitors, after-school clubs, assemblies and theme weeks are contributing

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The leadership and management requires improvement

well to pupils’ personal, social and moral development. The school actively promotes tolerance, respect and understanding of other people, for example a class being taught about the 5 K’s in Sikhism were encouraged to discuss how they were similar to other world religions.  Discrimination is not tolerated and on the rare occasions it does occur, it is dealt with very effectively and appropriately. Participation in school council elections, where pupils are involved in shaping the direction of some of the work going on in school, is helping them to understand democracy and prepares them well for life in modern Britain.  Additional government funding to promote physical education and sport is being used successfully to promote pupils’ well-being. Specific groups of pupils are targeted to participate in physical activity for a variety of reasons and need. Pupils enjoy using the school bicycles to develop their fitness levels, and this

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The leadership and management requires improvement

has been supported by visits from a British cycling coach. Pupils are now more able and willing to participate in a range of competitions and festivals.  Pupil premium funding is being used with variable outcomes. Leaders are striving to promote equality of opportunity for all pupils. This has led to the gaps between the achievement of different groups closing slowly, although not consistently in all year groups and subjects. Leaders have started to act upon the advice given following a recent audit of the school’s use of additional funding.  Safeguarding is effective because leaders ensure that all safeguarding and child protection policies and practices meet current requirements. All staff have received training on child protection and they implement procedures well to ensure that the school is a safe place for all pupils.  External support has been given by a range of partners. The Swaledale Teaching School’s Alliance have

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The leadership and management requires improvement

recently brokered the services of other Teaching School Alliances. This has provided some short-term leadership solutions which were needed, along with specialist leaders of education to help to improve the leadership of English and mathematics. The local authority has provided an extensive range of advice and support. However, the school has found that some of this advice has been conflicting, resulting in some support having limited impact.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is well organised and has taken decisive action to address weaknesses in teaching and school leadership.  Governors are highly supportive of the headteacher and have been instrumental in ensuring some key areas for improvement are being addressed. They are intensely aware, however, that the impact of some of these improvements has been adversely affected by very unsettled staffing over the last four years.  Governors have worked hard to recruit quality teachers and leaders. They have demonstrated a

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The leadership and management requires improvement

willingness to try a wide range of strategies to ensure the right staff are appointed to drive forward the actions which are necessary to improve the school rapidly.  Governors have an accurate picture about the quality of teaching. They support the drive to improve teaching and are clear there is no automatic reward for staff if performance is not at least good.  Governors know how to interpret data about pupils’ attainment and progress effectively and know how the school’s results compare with other schools nationally. They are able to use this, and the school’s own data to ask challenging questions of school leaders.  Governors take responsibility for ensuring that safeguarding arrangements meet current statutory requirements. Finances are well managed.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils care for each other and help one another well when on the playground. This was reflected when two Key Stage 1 pupils were helping a classmate get onto the outdoor equipment. Pupils also enjoy playing team games, while others appreciate having the opportunity to sit and chat to their friends. These opportunities are ensuring pupils’ social skills are developing well.  Pupils feel happy to approach trained playground buddies if they have a problem. Buddies deal with some of these issues, but know they need to refer any problems they cannot deal with to an adult.  Pupils are proud of their school. They are respectful and well-mannered as they move around the school. The small number of pupils who find it difficult to behave in an acceptable manner are dealt with appropriately and are offered a good level of support to help them modify their behaviour.  Pupils display good attitudes to their learning in the classroom. They are keen and eager to participate

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Behaviour

with others and interact well with adults. Most pupils try hard in presenting their work and are proud of their successes. However, on a few occasions, some pupils’ learning is disrupted due to low-level chatter and off-task behaviour. This is normally when teaching is not challenging enough for those pupils.  The school runs a thriving breakfast club to encourage pupils to get into school on time. The breakfast club offers pupils the chance to start the day in a calm and relaxed environment. Adults use the opportunity to further develop pupils’ social skills through focusedactivities which engage them well..  A group of parents who spoke to inspectors, and the findings of a survey of parents’ views carried out by the headteacher, agree that behaviour is good and that incidents of bullying are dealt with swiftly.  Pupils want to come to school. Attendance is similar to the national average. However, tracking of those

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Behaviour

groups of pupils who attend less regularly is not robust enough to enable leaders to quickly address any concerns.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils feel very safe in school, and they are confident that staff will help them to sort out any problems which may arise.  Effective procedures are in place to keep pupils safe. There is clear evidence of how the school involves and works with other agencies if it has concerns about a pupil’s well-being in order to protect those who are vulnerable.  Pupils understand that bullying can take place in different forms and show that they have been well- taught about other potential dangers, including those posed by using the internet.  Leaders and staff make sure that any dangers to pupils are minimised as much as possible. They take diligent and thorough precautions to keep pupils safe.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is too variable over time and across different year groups for it to be judged good. There are examples of good practice in teaching, but, overall, teaching requires improvement because pupils are not always achieving as well as they should in reading, writing and mathematics. Work is sometimes too hard for less-able pupils or too easy for the most able, resulting in not all pupils making as much progress as they should.  Although there are some strengths in teaching across the school, the variability in the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2 has meant that some underachievement has not been fully addressed to help pupils to progress quickly. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise basic skills in English and mathematics in order to fill the gaps in their knowledge and understanding.  Teachers give pupils much praise. This is helping their confidence and encouraging them to try to succeed

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

without fear of failing. However, pupils are not always given enough advice about how to improve their work. Although work in most classes is marked regularly, the quality of the feedback given varies too much. The advice does not always help pupils to understand the next steps in their learning or to correct errors. As a result of this, pupils are often unclear about what they need to do to improve their work.  Teachers do not always work closely enough with teaching assistants to plan teaching for differing abilities, including for disabled pupils and those who have special education needs, so the progress of these pupils is often over-reliant on the individual inputs of teaching assistants.  The recent strategy to provide opportunities for pupils to practise their writing across the curriculum is starting to excite and motivate the pupils. Some teachers plan imaginative contexts for pupils’ writing.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

They link topics and events, such as ‘The Miners’ Strike’ and ‘The Great Outdoors’, to inspire pupils.  Phonics is taught well, particularly in Key Stage 1. Well planned, stimulating learning activities support pupils in their acquisition of sounds and the letters they represent. Pupils develop good knowledge and understanding of letters and sounds. They are applying this learning to their reading and writing with increasing confidence and improving accuracy.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because progress in reading, writing and mathematics across the school is too variable.  In the 2014 Year 1 phonics check, the number of pupils who reached the expected standard was just above the national average. Progress and attainment by the end of Key Stage 1 has improved over time and is now similar to the national average.  In 2014, Year 6 pupils achieved better in reading than they had historically. However, achievement in mathematics and writing, although improved from the previous year, was still significantly below pupils’ peers nationally. Inspection evidence and school data would suggest that pupils in the current Year 6 are starting to catch up to their peers in reading and mathematics, but there remains a large gap in achievement in writing.  The most-able pupils are not making enough progress throughout Key Stage 2 because learning activities

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

often do not offer sufficient challenge which is resulting in their achievement being slowed.  A legacy of underachievement is being overcome slowly in all classes throughout Key Stage 2. There have been recent improvements, however not all groups of pupils are making the progress expected of them.  Disadvantaged pupils make the same uneven progress as others from their starting points but the gap between their attainment and that of others is steadily narrowing across the school. In national tests of pupils in Year 6 in 2014, disadvantaged pupils were around three terms behind their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics, and slightly more in grammar, punctuation and spelling. When compared to pupils nationally, they were around three terms behind in mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling, two terms in reading and four terms in writing.  The achievement of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs requires improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

These pupils did not attain as well their peers nationally in the 2014 tests in all areas and did not make as much progress. School leaders are not ensuring that teaching is specific enough to meet the needs of these pupils, which is hindering their learning.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 The early years teaching and curriculum requires improvement because learning is not well enough planned to ensure that it meets as well as it could the differing needs and interests of the children. Some learning is planned around a theme, but there are often too few challenges for children to develop their skills and understanding as much as possible.  Children enter Nursery with knowledge, skills and understanding below what is typical for children of their age. By the end of Reception, the number of children reaching a good level of development has improved, and as a result of this more children are better prepared for Year 1.  Opportunities are missed to find out if children understand what they have to do, and to check if they have learnt and understood what is being taught.  Adults spend too much time reminding children about expectations, rules and routines. Therefore, adults miss opportunities to extend the children’s learning when they are practising their skills, investigating and

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The early years provision requires improvement

playing with their friends. Lack of questioning to engage children to think deeply and creatively is hindering their progress.  Leadership in the early years has been turbulent. This has resulted in a lack of direction and guidance among staff who are new to teaching. Consequently, improvements in the early years have not been firmly established across the whole provision to ensure all children make consistently good progress.  The arrangements for keeping children safe are good. Staff care about the children and are keen to ensure that they are having an enjoyable experience. Parents are kept well-informed through newsletters and parents’ evenings, as well as regular ‘stay and play’ sessions alongside informal daily interaction and communication.

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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 121334 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 462229

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 238 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Angela Dale Headteacher Michael Watt Date of previous school inspection 13 June 2013 Telephone number 01748 832676 Fax number 01748 836769 Email address headteacher@colburn.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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