Darley Community Primary School

Darley Community Primary School Darley, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 2PZ

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The governors, headteacher and staff are united in their determination to secure and maintain improvement. Consequently, teaching and pupils’ outcomes have improved to good.  Teachers have embraced change and, with leaders, have addressed the areas identified as requiring improvement at the last inspection. The marking of pupils’ work is regular and tells pupils what they need to do to improve their work, in line with school policy. This is contributing to good progress for all pupils.  Pupils are proud of the work recorded in their books. This reflects their teachers’ more explicit expectations of handwriting and presentation.  Leadership and management are good. Regular discussions about pupils’ work ensure that leaders hold teachers effectively to account for the progress pupils make over time.  Relationships between pupils and staff are very strong. Pupils are always polite and respectful and this means they listen and respond well to

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This is a good school

teachers’ explanations and guidance.  The early years provision continues to be a strength of the school. Consequently, children get off to a good start and are well prepared for their time in key stage 1.  Governors have high aspirations for the school and have helped in driving improvement over time. They hold leaders to account for the quality of provision and pupils’ outcomes.  Pupils’ behaviour in and around school is outstanding and contributes to the very positive day-to-day experiences of pupils and their parents. Consequently, pupils attend well and speak very highly of their time at the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Small inconsistencies in teaching mean that occasionally the work set does not challenge the most-able pupils well enough to deepen or extend their understanding, particularly in mathematics.  The systems for assessing and tracking the attainment and progress of pupils do not provide leaders and governors with an accurate view of the progress of different groups over time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and learning by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

providing more challenge and having even higher expectations for the most-able pupils providing more opportunities for pupils to use and apply their mathematics skills in problem- solving and reasoning activities so that pupils further deepen their understanding.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Refine the assessment and tracking of pupils’ attainment and progress so that leaders and governors have a more accurate picture of pupils’ learning and the progress of particular groups over time. School report

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders and managers have successfully addressed all of the issues identified at the time of the last inspection. Strengths have been maintained and shortcomings remedied. Consequently, teaching and outcomes have improved and are now good.  Leaders and managers have ensured that the behaviour and attitudes of pupils continue to be a strength. Consequently, this is a very happy school where pupils say they feel well cared for and parents have confidence in the school’s systems to keep their children safe.  Performance management is used robustly to identify annual targets for all staff. This is helping to hold teachers to account for the progress of pupils in their classes. Linked to this, regular half-termly discussions of each pupil’s work and progress are also holding teachers to account for the progress of the pupils they teach.  Self-evaluation is largely accurate. When leaders observe lessons their evaluation of teaching accurately

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

identifies strengths and areas where staff need further training or support. Leaders know where improvements are being secured and where further work is needed.  The broad and balanced curriculum is good. It focuses appropriately on reading, writing and mathematics. The curriculum provides effectively for the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, pupils are taught about a range of world religions. Assemblies are used well to make pupils think about a range of issues. For example, an assembly on inspirational people led to pupils discussing the achievements of para-athletes in overcoming adversity.  Pupil premium funding is used appropriately to provide additional literacy resources and extra tuition for individuals. Although sound, the published pupil premium statements do not always evaluate the impact of each individual activity.  The additional primary schools sports funding is used well to allow pupils to participate in a wide range of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

competitive sporting activities. A large proportion of older pupils have taken part in the wide array of sporting activities available to them beyond the school, such as hockey, athletics and rugby. Pupils say they enjoy sports and understand the importance of regular exercise.  Like many schools, the teachers and leaders have been getting used to operating without national curriculum levels. A relatively new system has been introduced to assess pupils against end of key stage descriptors. This allows leaders to monitor the progress pupils are making across the school. However, the progress of different groups of pupils is harder to track as accurately.  School leaders have engaged well with other more effective schools and the local authority. The local authority school improvement adviser knows the school well and has helped to pinpoint where improvement was needed. This has contributed to the school’s improvement over the last two years.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The school works well with parents, who are very supportive of the school and its context. For example, a meeting with parents about a change to the groupings within classes was well attended and parents said it helped them to understand the reasons behind the change.  The governance of the school Governance continues to be strong and governors have high aspirations for the school and want to build on recent improvements. Governors have a very detailed knowledge of the workings of the school because they are regular visitors to classrooms. Governors receive regular reports from the headteacher, including information about pupils’ progress and end of key stage outcomes. However, although individual pupils’ successes are shared, information about particular groups, such as disadvantaged pupils, is not always shared.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are appropriately trained and knowledgeable

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

about the need to protect pupils from harm. Appropriate procedures are followed when recruiting new staff. Risk assessments for the site identify risks and appropriate measures to minimise risk. For example, pupils know which areas of the grounds they may use in dry weather and which areas they should not use when it is wet.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching has improved securely since the last inspection so that it ensures pupils make good progress from their different starting points. Lessons get off to a prompt start and progress at pace, which ensures that pupils are interested and motivated to learn.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Relationships between pupils and staff are particularly strong and contribute to the very good behaviour and attitudes of pupils. Pupils are routinely respectful, polite and courteous to staff.  Pupils listen carefully to teachers’ clear explanations. Teachers’ questioning is used effectively to help check pupils’ understanding or to help pupils think more deeply about their work.  Teachers meet the needs of all pupils within the mixed-age classes well. Teachers and teaching assistants use their time well and the grouping of pupils is dynamic. Sometimes pupils are grouped with others of a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

similar age and sometimes they work with pupils of a similar ability, depending on the needs of the pupils and the work concerned. Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning, for example by working with pupils within lessons and by giving individuals extra help outside of the classrooms.  Teachers use their knowledge of pupils’ abilities and their recent work to plan tasks that meet the learning needs of almost all pupils. However, in a small number of cases the most able are not always challenged and sometimes undertake work that does not allow them to show their skills or deepen their understanding, particularly in mathematics. Similarly, on a small number of occasions the expectations of the most-able pupils are not always quite as high as they could be in terms of the quantity or quality of work they could do.  Reading is taught well across the school. Younger pupils benefit from daily phonics lessons to teach them

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

the relationship between letters and the sounds they make. Older pupils have daily opportunities to read in class. Pupils read individually and in groups and they value the opportunity to borrow books from the school library.  Basic mathematical skills are taught well. Teachers’ explanations are clear and new concepts are explained carefully. Pupils are routinely provided with opportunities to practise counting and number operations using practical resources. This helps pupils to consolidate their understanding in a practical way. Although there are some good opportunities for pupils to use and apply their mathematical skills in problem-solving and reasoning activities, these are inconsistent. Consequently, across the school this aspect is less well developed than pupils’ arithmetic skills.  A particularly effective improvement since the last inspection is the consistent application of the school’s

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

marking and feedback policy. The marking of pupils’ work is now regular and provides pupils with effective feedback. Pupils routinely respond to their teachers’ comments by, for example, completing corrections, applying new skills or by improving the next piece of work.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral social and cultural development is good. Pupils are very knowledgeable about a wide range of world faiths. They understand that knowing about other people’s beliefs is important so that everyone gets on well.  British values are promoted effectively. Older pupils understand about democracy and individual liberty. For example, when told about the story of a boy who wants to be a mother when he grows up, pupils stated that he would be treated fairly at this school.  The pupils are very welcoming and make new pupils quickly feel part of the school community. As one pupil stated, ‘everyone was friendly and made me feel welcome’. Pupils describe the school as being like one big happy family and this contributes to their successful learning.  Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying. They state categorically that bullying is

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Personal development and welfare

very rare because they all get along well and know each other very well. They state with absolute confidence that if there any problems the staff sort them out.  The buildings and grounds are well kept. Sound risk assessments are in place for the whole site to cover the activities that take place.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Behaviour at lunchtime and breaktime is exceptional. Pupils show good care for younger pupils and take very good care of all resources. Pupils routinely demonstrate their ability to make sensible choices and regulate their own behaviour so that all get along exceptionally well. For example, a group of pupils from across the whole school worked cooperatively to play a game involving taking turns to move around a ring of fixed tyres totally unsupervised. During this game, pupils were seen to work very well together with many examples of older pupils encouraging and helping younger pupils.  Pupils say that classroom learning is rarely disturbed by lapses in behaviour. Even the youngest pupils understand that some pupils find concentration difficult because of their particular needs and are able to remain on task without being distracted.  Pupils’ attendance is above average and pupils typically arrive on time and are eager to start the day.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Work in pupils’ books and learning observed in lessons show that pupils are making good progress in reading, writing, mathematics and a range of other subjects. From their different starting points, pupils make good progress during their time at the school. Where there are gaps in pupils’ learning, due to previously less effective teaching, recent improvements are helping to close gaps.  Pupils who join the school part way through their primary education, often from overseas, have skills and knowledge which are wide and varied, but often below what is typical for their age. Work in pupils’ books shows that these pupils are inducted well and they make similar progress to that of other pupils.  Progress in key stages 1 and 2 builds on their experiences in Reception. They learn to write letters legibly, with good control, and the content of written work develops well so that they reach at least the standards

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Outcomes for pupils are good

that are expected. The teaching of reading is a strength and as a result attainment in reading is typically above average. Although overall progress and attainment in mathematics lags a little behind that in reading and writing it is still good. Nevertheless, pupils are competent at mathematics and are encouraged to learn multiplication facts and use this knowledge regularly.  By Year 6, pupils are typically competent, regular and keen readers. They display preferences for the types of books they choose to read and make effective use of the school library.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress from their different starting points.  Small variations in the quality of teaching and the degree of challenge and expectations of the most-able pupils mean that outcomes for these pupils are good and not better, particularly in mathematics.

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Early years provision is good

 Children get off to a good start in a very well-ordered, stimulating and exciting learning environment. They have opportunities to learn both inside and to use the outside spaces with well-thought-out activities.  Good relationships are established right from the start so that staff have a full picture of each child when they start school. Parents say they value the care and attention given to their children when they start school. Good care and relationships between staff and children are evident. The staff know pupils well and there are effective systems in place to track children’s progress.  Leadership of the early years is effective. There is a small but strong staff team who work effectively together for the benefit of children. Systems for assessing children and logging their very small steps are effective. Children’s learning journeys document each child’s progress and successes during their time in

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Early years provision is good

the setting, before they begin to record their work in writing and mathematics books.  When they join the school, children’s starting points are wide and varied. These vary from year to year but overall are broadly typical. From their differing starting points children make good progress in all areas of learning. Children are well prepared for their next stage of education. By the time they become Year 1 pupils, most are working at the level expected for their age. However, progress in mathematics is not always quite as strong as reading and writing.  Teaching is effective and children know the routines well and value the opportunities they have to learn from the older Year 1 and 2 pupils who work alongside them at times. Technology is used effectively and confidently by children. For example, two children were able to play back and talk with pride about the work they had recorded when working in the water tray.

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School details

Unique reference number 121410 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 10011991 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 54 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Louise Porter Headteacher Nicholas Coates Telephone number 01423 780 234 Website http://www.darley.n-yorks.sch.uk Email address headteacher@darley.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19 March 2014

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. The number on roll has declined over the last three years.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above the national average. No pupil is currently at an early stage of speaking English as an additional language.  More pupils leave or join the school midway through their primary education than is typical.  Only a very small number of pupils are supported by the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after by the local authority. Numbers are so small that comparison with national figures is unreliable and is not reported in the findings.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is in line with the national average.  Recent additions mean the school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in all classes, including the work of three of the four teachers. The headteacher observed learning in one class jointly with the lead inspector. The inspector analysed pupils’ work.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders, governors and a representative of the local authority. The inspector met formally with a group of pupils as well as observing them informally throughout the two days. The inspector listened to pupils read and scrutinised work in their books, especially in Years 2 and 6. An analysis was made of the records of pupils’ progress maintained by the school.  The inspector examined a wide range of documentation including the school’s plans for future improvement, records of the governing body meetings and a selection of policies including those relating to safeguarding and behaviour.  The inspector took account of the 24 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Parent

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Information about this inspection

View, as well as several detailed comments submitted by parents. The inspector also chatted with some parents as they collected their children at the end of the day.

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Inspection team

Amraz Ali, lead inspector Ofsted 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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