Bilsdale Midcable Chop Gate Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Bilsdale Midcable Chop Gate Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School Chop Gate, Middlesbrough TS9 7JL

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Over time, leaders and governors have not always acted quickly enough to deal with issues affecting teaching and pupils’ progress.  Governors do not have a firm grip on the school’s work. Information they receive is not clear enough for them to identify strengths and weaknesses in the school’s performance.  Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement because teachers do not consistently match work to pupils’ abilities. Teachers do not always use questioning to promote rapid progress for the most-able pupils in Key Stage 2 or encourage all pupils to apply their skills.  Outcomes are not good enough by the end of Key Stage 2, and they are not improving quickly enough. Pupils do not always make the progress which they are capable of because teachers do not use assessment information effectively enough to build on previous learning.  Marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent across the school. It is not always clear enough to help pupils

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This is a school that requires improvement

improve their work.  During lessons, some pupils do not concentrate well enough on their own tasks. The disruption to their own and other pupils’ learning is not managed quickly or effectively by all teachers.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children get off to a good start in early years due to effective and well-planned provision.  The school has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength. Pupils demonstrate respect for others, courage, compassion and honesty. They are well prepared to contribute to life in the wider community.  Pupils feel safe at school and have a vast array of opportunities to learn about how to keep themselves safe.  Relationships between school staff, parents and family members are very strong. Parents are well informed and appreciate these close links.  Pupils make good progress and achieve well by the end of Key Stage 1. School, 22–23 September 2015 2 of 9

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: – developing the roles and responsibilities of leaders in order to accelerate the school’s improvement – making sure information presented to governors is clear, is based on secure evidence and reflects an accurate picture of the school and how it needs to improve – ensuring that planned, relevant professional development improves the quality of teaching and learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching for pupils in Key Stage 2 so they make more rapid progress by: – making sure teachers consistently set tasks that match the needs of pupils and challenge them to achieve more – ensuring that marking strategies are consistently applied resulting in pupils being able to improve their work – providing opportunities for pupils to apply their basic skills in literacy through writing for different purposes – ensuring that teachers use effective strategies which encourage pupils to develop intellectual curiosity and think deeply about their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ behaviour in lessons by: – ensuring all staff have the same high expectations and consistently follow agreed procedures for managing behaviour – making sure that pupils do not become disengaged because activities do not challenge them.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. School, 22–23 September 2015 3 of 9

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and governors have not focused sharply enough on improving teaching and learning since the previous inspection, and have had an overgenerous view of how well the pupils are achieving. Due to this, they have not acted swiftly enough to ensure that pupils make good enough progress during their time in Key Stage 2. This has resulted in pupils not achieving the highest standards by the time they leave the school which their prior attainment indicates they are more than capable of.  School improvement planning has not been sufficiently focused on the key areas of improvement, nor are expected outcomes precise enough to be accurately measured. This limits its usefulness as a tool to drive rapid improvement in key areas.  Other than in the early years, teachers have not had enough opportunities to participate in relevant professional development to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Initiatives to develop pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

reading and writing have been implemented without the required training. Leaders have also lacked expertise to evaluate thoroughly to measure precisely what is working and what is not.  The local authority has provided very limited support to the school since its previous inspection. Instead, a culture of partnership working with local schools has been developed. This has created a pathway for teachers to share practice and skills. The impact on improving the quality of teaching and learning has been limited because reports which are presented to leaders, governors and the local authority combine information from both confederated schools. This has masked concerns relating specifically to this school.  The very recently appointed acting headteacher of the school is providing focused and precise leadership. She is extremely committed and passionate about driving forward the school’s overall effectiveness and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

has a steely determination to provide every pupil with a solid foundation for the future.  The acting headteacher has quickly gained an accurate understanding of how well the school is doing, and has worked with other leaders to identify its strengths and priorities for further development.  The curriculum is planned well and gives pupils good opportunities to enhance their learning and skills through additional activities, events and visits. Leaders actively promote pupils’ understanding of democracy through the work of the school council and the sports organising committee. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted strongly. The school uses its organised programme of assemblies, special event weeks and themed days to help pupils understand the beliefs of other religions and cultures that are different from their own. Leaders also make determined efforts to ensure stereotyping in any form is eradicated. In this way, they make sure that pupils are living out the key

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

values which underpin both the school and the British way of life, ensuring this prepares them well for life in British society.  Leaders ensure that all safeguarding and child protection policies and practices are effective and that they meet current requirements. Parents benefit from being invited in to school to listen to safety advice given to the pupils, particularly by visiting speakers.  The school is using the pupil premium funding well to provide effective support for disadvantaged pupils. As a result, these pupils catch up quickly to their peers.  All pupils have full and equal access to a wide range of activities, including after-school provision at the confederated school. The school promotes equality of opportunity well, fosters good relations and effectively tackles all forms of discrimination. Leaders are aware that further improvement in pupils’ outcomes is essential to prepare them well for their next stage in education.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The PE and sport premium for primary schools is used very effectively to promote pupils’ physical development and to extend their sporting opportunities. Specialist coaches are used to provide good- quality teaching for pupils and training for staff. A very varied choice of sporting activities are offered which further enhances the pupils’ enjoyment. They participate energetically and celebrate their successes and achievements with enthusiasm.  The school keeps parents extremely well informed through very regular formal and informal contact, attendance at performances and assemblies, alongside meetings to report on their children’s progress.  The governance of the school – The governing body is fully involved in all aspects of the school’s work through its committees and work with all staff and pupils. Although governors are conscientious and hard-working, they have not been effective in holding leaders to account for improving standards of teaching and outcomes for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

School, 22–23 September 2015 4 of 9 pupils. – Governors have been provided with information about how the school is performing. These reports have been overgenerous and often contradictory. Governors have not questioned or acted to tackle this problem. In addition to this, the reports have been presented jointly with the confederated school’s information. Consequently, indicators which could have highlighted concerns have been masked. – Arrangements for managing teachers’ performance have not been effective as governors have not been given relevant information in order to come to their decision regarding performance-related pay. New procedures are now in place to address this. – Governors are managing the school budget well by sharing leaders and resources with the confederated school.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement. Teaching has not been good enough over time in Key Stage 2 to ensure pupils are making good progress.  Teachers do not always ensure that work is at the right level for pupils and do not always use searching questions in class to stimulate deeper thinking and more imaginative responses, particularly from the most-able pupils. Teachers offer a more consistent level of challenge to the most able in Key Stage 1 than in Key Stage 2.  Feedback to pupils on their work is regular and on the whole positive. However, teachers do not tell pupils in Key Stage 2 clearly enough what they need to do to improve or ensure they respond in a way that moves their learning on quickly. This is limiting its effectiveness as a tool for improvement.  Pupils are making slower progress in Key Stage 2 because expectations are not high enough. Too little is expected of the pupils, and teaching does not model and share examples of high-quality work for the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

pupils to aspire to. Due to this, some pupils start to distract others, while others disengage.  The quality of teaching of writing and the application of writing skills across the wider curriculum is stronger in Key Stage 1. As a result, pupils’ standards in writing at the end of this key stage are at least at, and sometimes above, the national average.  The teaching of letters and the sounds they make (phonics) is good in the early years and Key Stage 1. This ensures pupils achieve well in the Year 1 phonics screening and above national expectations in reading at the end of Key Stage 1. Furthermore, teachers instil a love of reading in pupils across the school and offer a wide choice of texts which motivate and engage the pupils. Parents wholeheartedly support this by encouraging reading at home. This is starting to have an impact on standards of reading in Key Stage 2.  Assessment requires improvement. Teachers track the progress pupils are making. However, this is not

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

evaluated closely enough to ensure that those pupils who are not making good progress are offered further help and support.  Good relationships, along with praise and encouragement, are strong features in lessons.  Pupils who have special educational needs are well supported by teachers using a range of early intervention strategies and bespoke programmes of work in order to catch up to their peers. Consequently, this group of pupils make similar progress to other pupils in the school.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Strong personal development and welfare is at the very heart of the whole school’s vision and commitment to all pupils.  Pupils appreciate opportunities to take responsibility and make a strong contribution to the life of the school as well as their own community. They are eager to represent the views of others on the school council and older pupils regularly help younger pupils read and organise activities at breaktimes. School, 22–23 September 2015 5 of 9  Pupils are resolute in their opinion that no bullying takes place, but know that there are procedures to follow if it does occur. Pupils take part in a range of activities, such as anti-bullying week and regular assemblies, to support their understanding of bullying and they know why it isn’t right. The school’s good practice in this respect is recognised in the local authority’s recent anti-bullying audit.

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Personal development and welfare

 All pupils feel completely safe in and around the school and report that they enjoy coming to school. Typically, they comment that the school is like ‘a small family where everyone looks after everyone else’. Pupils show a good level of care and concern for each other around the school. This is reflected in their good attendance and punctual arrival at school.  School leaders ensure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe. A variety of opportunities and experiences are offered to enhance pupils’ understanding in this area, including ‘crucial crew’ workshops at Catterick Garrison and bikeability events. In addition to this, careful planning of the curriculum allows pupils to deepen their understanding around staying safe using a range of technologies. Visits by the local police liaison officer offer pupils and parents helpful opportunities to discuss wider safety issues.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Pupils say that behaviour is good. However, low-level disruption is too frequent because too often pupils are not engaged, motivated or challenged by the activities and tasks they are given. Teachers do not deal swiftly and effectively with these disruptions.  As a result of inconsistencies in the way in which teachers apply the school’s behaviour policy, pupils are unclear about what is expected of them in lessons. Leaders are not taking effective steps to address behaviour that falls short of the expectations in their policies or to tackle the issues that lead to pupils displaying inconsistent and sometimes poor attitudes to learning.  Pupils’ behaviour as they move around the school, during lunchtime and breaktimes is better than in lessons. Pupils are well mannered and polite, take turns, share and help each other when needed. They demonstrate the values which underpin the school including courage, hope and respect.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 The school’s own information and checks on pupils’ work show that pupils do not make consistently good progress over time in Key Stage 2, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because teachers’ expectations are not always high enough. Consequently, pupils do not always achieve the standards of which they are capable by the end of Key Stage 2.  Most-able pupils are not making the rapid progress they should be making in Key Stage 2; therefore, they are not achieving the highest standards at the end of Year 6. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their literacy skills across the curriculum, and have limited opportunities to apply mathematical and scientific skills. This has resulted in no pupils making more than expected progress in the last five years.  Pupils’ progress slows across all subjects when they enter Key Stage 2. This is because teachers’ expectations are too low and work does not engage or challenge the pupils sufficiently.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Outcomes for pupils by the end of Key Stage 1 are good. Pupils make good progress in Reception and Key Stage 1 which results in the majority of pupils achieving at or above national expectations by the time they leave this key stage.  In the Year 1 national phonics screening check, the attainment of pupils is broadly in line with national expectations. For those pupils who are not successful in Year 1, appropriate support is provided to ensure they catch up by the end of Year 2.  The school has few disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. These pupils are supported to ensure that their personal and academic needs are met. This ensures that they catch up quickly to their peers.  Children leave Reception well prepared for Year 1, and pupils leave Key Stage 1 ready for Key Stage 2. However, due to pupils not making good enough progress across Key Stage 2, they leave the school less

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

well prepared for the next stage in their education. School, 22–23 September 2015 6 of 9

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Early years provision is good

 Early years provision is more effective because teaching ensures children make consistently good progress and achieve well by the time they leave.  Children in the early years are given a good start. Parents are fully involved in their children’s transition to school. They are welcomed into Reception formally and informally to celebrate their child’s achievements and to discuss their progress and development needs. Parents are very supportive and like the welcoming and caring atmosphere. They praised the fact that staff are extremely approachable and that there is always someone at the school to talk to if necessary. Parents said that their children were happy and felt safe and looked-after in school.  Most children start with skills and abilities which are typical for their age. They achieve well and leave well prepared for Key Stage 1.  Good teaching, which is tailored to individual needs, ensures that children make good progress. Activities

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Early years provision is good

are planned so that children’s interests are followed. However, not enough activities are planned to give children opportunities to work collaboratively to solve problems.  Regular and well-structured teaching of phonics uses games and information technology well. As a result, children successfully learn to apply their knowledge of letters and sounds to their own reading and writing.  Regular, accurate assessments, which are recorded carefully using online technology, support effective learning. This information is accessed by parents which ensures that they are well informed about the next steps in their child’s development.  Teachers use skilful questioning techniques which help children to deepen their understanding and develop a wide range of vocabulary.  Good leadership of the early years ensures that welfare requirements are met well.  On occasion, expectations of behaviour are not high enough and rules are not consistently applied. This

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Early years provision is good

results in some children becoming distracted and not as focused as they should be. School, 22–23 September 2015 7 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 121480 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 10002807

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 13 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Barker Headteacher Kathryn McDonald (Acting) Telephone number 01642 778202 Website www.webfronter.com/northyorks/BilsdaleCarltonCEConfed eration Email address admin@bilsdalechopgate.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 June 2012

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Information about this school

 Bilsdale Midcable Chop Gate Voluntary Controlled Primary School is much smaller than other primary schools, serving a wide, mainly rural, community.  A new acting headteacher has been appointed from September 2015.  The number of children on roll is very low, and the percentage of disadvantaged pupils who are supported through the pupil premium is well below the national average. The pupil premium provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care and those currently or previously known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school is in a formal confederation with a slightly larger school operating on a different site. Each school has its own governing body that meet together formally for governing body meetings. The schools share the same headteacher. Under this arrangement, pupils are taught in their own schools from Monday to Thursday, and on a Friday children from Bilsdale Midcable Chop Gate School are taught

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Information about this school

collectively with pupils on the other school site.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. School, 22–23 September 2015 8 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed learning in a range of lessons and also made some short visits to classrooms. The headteacher jointly observed the quality of teaching in two lessons with the inspector.  The inspector listened to a range of pupils read and reviewed the work in pupils’ books.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during break and lunchtime was observed.  The inspector talked informally to pupils in lessons and around the school and held a formal meeting with pupils from Key Stage 2.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher, other senior leaders, middle and subject leaders, class teachers, governors and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s own policies, local authority reports, external reports and documentation relating to safeguarding and attendance.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took into account the views of parents in the surveys which the school and local authority carried out, in addition to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The inspector also spoke to parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Suzanne Lithgow, Lead Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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