Skipton, Ings Community Primary and Nursery School

Skipton, Ings Community Primary and Nursery School Broughton Road, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 1TE

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The quality of teaching and learning is not yet good. Some activities do not challenge pupils to think deeply about their learning.  Teachers do not consistently provide opportunities for pupils to apply their subject- specific skills. This leads to variability in outcomes for different subjects.  Leaders at all levels do not set high enough expectations for what all pupils can achieve. As a result, not enough pupils reach standards beyond those expected.  Pupils’ progress varies between year groups. Too few pupils make better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Plans to improve the work of the school are not sufficiently precise or implemented swiftly enough to bring about rapid improvements to the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  Leaders in the early years do not set targets that are sufficiently challenging to ensure that more children make rapid progress from their

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Governors are highly skilled and know the school well. They perform their statutory duties with due diligence.  Pupils’ personal, social and emotional development is a strength of the school and ensures that all pupils feel safe and well cared for.  Procedures to monitor absence are effective and have improved attendance, which is above average.  Relationships are strong. Both pupils and their parents say that pupils are well cared for, are happy and feel safe.  Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils has been spent wisely and has resulted in improved attendance and outcomes for this group of pupils.  Pupils relish the additional responsibilities they are given and are proud of their school. November 2016

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise expectations of what all pupils can achieve, so that more pupils make better than expected progress by: – consistently challenging all pupils to think deeply and apply their learning in all subjects – increasing the opportunities for pupils to practise and apply their mental arithmetic skills and reason about number – providing more opportunities for pupils to write at length in a variety of subjects – increasing the expectation of how much pupils should produce in all subjects.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that: – action plans to improve the work of the school are more precise and implemented more rapidly – the curriculum provides more opportunities for pupils to practise and apply their subject-specific skills – all leaders have high enough expectations and those new to leadership are well supported in their role.  Strengthen provision in the early years, so that it gives children the skills to make more

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

than typical progress in the specific areas of numeracy and literacy. November 2016

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders do not set consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve; as a result, standards are variable and the proportion of pupils making more than expected progress is inconsistent between year groups.  Plans to support the work of the school are accurate. They identify what needs to be improved and the actions needed for this to happen. However, the targets set for measuring improvement are too broad and the actions are not implemented quickly enough to ensure rapid improvement to the school’s overall effectiveness.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and is providing increasingly rich experiences that extend pupils’ understanding of the world. However, it does not yet provide pupils with regular opportunities for pupils to practise and apply their subject-specific skills. This leads to variability in outcomes between subjects.  Training and support are in place for new subject leaders, but their contribution to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

monitoring the work of the school remains limited.  The headteacher places the pupils’ well-being at the heart of all decision making. She rightly prioritises the development of pupils’ personal, social and emotional skills, to secure good attitudes to learning and create a strong team ethos. Consequently, Ings Primary is a happy school where the motto, ‘Together everyone achieves more’, is well established.  The headteacher is quick to challenge underperformance and takes appropriate action to address weaknesses in teaching. It is testimony to her supportive and determined leadership that despite recent staffing changes, morale is high.  Funding for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used effectively and is leading to improvements in pupils’ attainment and progress.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and the promotion of fundamental British values are explicit within the curriculum and supported by a well-

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

developed programme of worship. Discrimination is not tolerated. Leaders forge strong links with other schools, resulting in pupils working alongside others of different faiths and beliefs, so they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The physical education (PE) and sport premium for primary schools is used effectively. Pupils show great enthusiasm for sports lessons and enjoy the wide range of extra- curricular clubs on offer. Leaders do all they can to ensure that all pupils gain access to competitions and those pupils with exceptional skills are identified and signposted to local clubs and teams. For example, involvement in a cricket tournament identified a talented Year 5 pupil, who is now playing regularly for the county cricket team.  Additional money identified to support disadvantaged pupils is managed well. Leaders evaluate spending to ensure that it deals appropriately with the barriers faced by this

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

group of pupils. Interventions and resources are funded accordingly. For example, leaders recognised that disadvantaged pupils’ attendance was below average and used additional monies to provide a breakfast club. This has led to improved attendance for November 2016 this group, which is now above average.  The local authority is providing extensive support to the school, as is the local school alliance. Consultant support has ensured that teachers new to their career receive appropriate advice and training to improve their skills.  Leaders provide exceptional support to parents and work hard to establish positive relationships. The parents’ forum meets each term and provides all parents with an opportunity to express views and become fully involved in the life of the school. The parents who spoke with the inspector felt that staff were welcoming and approachable and that their views were listened to and acted upon.

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Governance of the school

 Governors are highly skilled and extremely reflective. They evaluate the impact of their actions honestly and undertake their statutory duties with due diligence. Their unwavering commitment to shaping the strategic direction of the school and ensuring its success is evident from a review of the records of their meetings and discussions held with the inspector.  Governors’ role in monitoring the work of the school is secure, which means that they hold an accurate picture of its strengths and weaknesses and are able to contribute fully to the school’s own self-evaluation.  They provide challenge to the headteacher and ensure that the school’s policies and procedures are current and reflect statutory requirements.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  All staff are committed to keeping all pupils safe. They have an extensive knowledge of the community they serve and of the specific needs of their families.  A comprehensive safeguarding policy is in place and regular training is provided to ensure that all staff are well informed. There is a clear process for reporting any concerns. As a result, issues are managed promptly and records are stored and monitored conscientiously by leaders.  The strong commitment to personal, social and emotional development ensures that all pupils have a well-defined understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Assemblies provide additional opportunities to reinforce messages of safety; as a result, pupils say that they feel safe and looked after. This is supported by the views of parents.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teachers do not consistently demand the best from pupils in what they can produce and achieve. This has led to variability in pupils’ outcomes over time.  Pupils are keen to write, but teachers are not consistent in their expectations for the quality and quantity of pupils’ writing in different subjects. This means that there are missed opportunities to strengthen pupils’ literacy skills, particularly those of spelling and punctuation. This results in too few pupils achieving beyond the expected November 2016 standard.  The use of equipment and resources to support pupils’ acquisition of early mathematical skills is promoted in all classes and there is evidence from work seen in books that pupils are using increasingly efficient methods for calculations. However, pupils’ fluency in using and applying their mental arithmetic skills and in reasoning about numbers varies between classes. As a consequence, there are inconsistencies in

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

the proportion of pupils making better than expected progress in mathematics across the school.  The teaching of reading is a strength of the school. Phonics is taught well. Pupils respond well to daily sessions that are tailored to their needs and abilities. During the inspection, most pupils read with confidence and enthusiasm. They used their knowledge and skills well to read unfamiliar words. As pupils progress through the school, their fluency increases. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the books they read and are able to express which they prefer.  Teachers are providing more opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively, explore and investigate. However, expectations for pupils to use and apply subject-specific skills are not yet consistent in all classes. Pupils’ work in science shows that they are not consistently using what they know to make considered predictions and reach accurate conclusions.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 PE is taught well and activities are well matched to pupils’ needs and abilities. Increased access to competitions and extra-curricular clubs leads to high levels of engagement for all pupils and to improving skills.  Staff provide feedback that makes it clear to pupils how successful they have been and what their next steps are. However, some teachers are not yet following school policy as regards marking and feedback, as they do not insist on pupils responding to their comments. In some cases, therefore, marking is not accelerating pupils’ progress.  Teachers use assessment information effectively to adjust their teaching and inform their planning. This is shared with teaching assistants, who are deployed well to support pupils’ needs.  Homework is given regularly by staff and supports the work undertaken in class. Expectations are set by the school for it to be completed weekly; however, not all

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. This is a strength of the school.  The strong commitment to nurturing pupils’ personal, social and emotional development is supporting pupils’ growing confidence. Increasing opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively and talk about their learning are enabling pupils to take risks in their learning and attempt new things. Pupils confidently told the inspector, ‘Everyone works together – we like that.’ November 2016  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and are aware of the risks that they may face, particularly when using the internet. Pupils confidently told the inspector, ‘Never give out your personal details and always check information is from a trusted website.’  Pupils know all forms of bullying and are confident that should an issue arise, there is a trusted adult in whom they can confide.

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Personal development and welfare

 Older pupils are particularly proud of the contribution they make to the school and relish the additional responsibilities they are given. House captains support younger pupils at playtimes and organise play equipment. ‘Learning leaders’ encourage and promote the learning behaviours of resilience, perseverance and challenge in their teams. This leads to a harmonious and happy school.  Lunchtime is a special part of the school day, when all pupils and staff eat together and talk together. Conversation cards are available for pupils to help generate discussion. One pupil asked the inspector, ‘If you could invite three people to lunch, who would they be?’ This quickly led to a variety of suggestions from pupils around the table. This highlights the efforts staff are making to maximise opportunities to encourage and extend pupils’ spoken language.  Attendance is above average. This is the result of improving systems to monitor pupil

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Personal development and welfare

absence, which include: a weekly report on attendance in the parents’ newsletter; half- termly attendance reports for every pupil; and routine meetings with the headteacher for families whose child’s attendance or punctuality falls below an acceptable level.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Procedures for managing behaviour are established and consistently applied. Pupils’ conduct around school is good. They walk sensibly between lessons and are polite and welcoming to visitors.  The most vulnerable pupils, who find managing their behaviour difficult, are ably supported by adults. They have access to appropriate resources to support their learning and positive attitudes are rewarded.  Playtimes are well managed by adults in school and pupils play happily together.  Staff, including teaching assistants, have good relationships with pupils. They suitably reward and praise effort and insist upon good behaviour and concentration during lessons. However, pupils are not consistent in the pride they take in their work, as the presentation of books varies between year groups and classes.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Outcomes for pupils vary from year to year. This can be reflective of small pupil numbers, but is largely dependent upon the quality of teaching they receive.  Teachers’ expectations are not consistently high enough. As a result, too few pupils achieve standards beyond the minimum expected. This is particularly so in writing and mathematics.  In 2015, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in writing was below November 2016 national averages at key stage 1. There was some improvement in 2016 to key stage 1 outcomes, but overall they remained below the national average.  Evidence from work scrutiny for this term would indicate that pupils in Years 3 and 4 are making up ground to address their low outcomes at key stage 1. However, across the school, too few pupils make better than expected progress in their writing. This is because they do not receive enough opportunities to write at length and to reinforce

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

their writing skills by applying what they learn in English lessons in other subjects.  Improvements to the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics at key stage 1 in 2015 were not sustained in 2016, when there was a slight dip. The proportions of pupils achieving beyond the expected standard across key stages 1 and 2 remain variable. This is because pupils are not consistently made to apply their mental arithmetic skills to reason about numbers and think deeply about their learning. Consequently, too few pupils are making strong progress compared with national averages.  In 2016, there were not enough pupils in Year 6 to report on the outcomes at key stage 2.  Outcomes for pupils in science are variable within key stages 1 and 2, and not enough pupils reached beyond the expected standard in 2016. While pupils acquire appropriate scientific knowledge, teachers do not consistently expect them to apply their subject-

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

specific skills to reason and draw conclusions.  In reading, the proportion of pupils making strong progress and reaching the expected levels of attainment is broadly in line with national averages. This is because pupils are secure in their phonics skills and are exposed to a range of good-quality texts.  There has been year-on-year improvement to results in the phonics screening check, which is in line with national averages at Year 1. Strategies are in place to ensure that all pupils have reached the required standard by the time they leave Year 2.  The rate of progress for different group of pupils varies from year to year and in different classes. This is dependent upon the quality of teaching that pupils receive and the numbers of pupils within each cohort. The progress of the most able pupils varies across year groups because work is not always well matched to their needs and they are not consistently challenged to think deeply enough about their learning.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 The progress of disadvantaged pupils and the most able disadvantaged pupils is improving as a result of improved attendance and targeted intervention. Across the school, the majority of these pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics and most make expected progress.  The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is closely monitored and they receive a good level of support in all year groups. The school’s assessment information indicates that this is having a positive impact and these pupils are making strong progress compared with all pupils nationally from similar starting points.  Outcomes for pupils in PE are strengthening as a result of well-planned lessons that meet the needs and abilities of pupils. There are increasing opportunities for pupils to apply their skills within games and competitions and pupils’ enthusiasm for this subject

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Leaders know their children and families well and the barriers to learning that exist. However, they do not set targets which challenge the children to make faster progress. This means that while the proportions of children reaching a good level of development have improved, too few children make rapid progress in their learning, particularly in the specific areas of literacy and numeracy.  Children enter the early years with skills below those that are typical for their age, particularly in the areas of learning associated with speaking and listening, and in making relationships. Most children access five terms in Nursery before entering the Reception class, where they have made up ground and demonstrate skills that are broadly typical for their age.  Over time, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception has improved. In 2015, this was above the national average and

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Early years provision Requires improvement

demonstrates that increasing proportions of children are adequately prepared for Year 1. In 2016, outcomes were not reported upon, as there were only two children in the cohort.  In 2015, disadvantaged children reached a good level of development in line with that of other children nationally. This was slightly higher than that of their peers and an improvement upon 2014, which reflects how well additional funding has been targeted to reduce differences in outcomes.  Children make typical progress from their starting points in all areas of learning. It is particularly strong in personal and social development, where adults work hard to embed effective learning behaviours. Adults are skilled in modelling expected behaviours, so children share their play with others. This is best exemplified by a teacher who quickly intervened when a child was excluded from another’s play. She took the child and asked, ‘Can we be your friend and come and join you?’ Immediately,

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Early years provision Requires improvement

the child was included and the play continued harmoniously.  Leaders have ensured that all welfare requirements are met and that all staff are fully aware of their responsibilities towards keeping children safe. Policies and procedures are consistent with the rest of the school. Parents are confident that their child will be well cared for and safe.  Adults know their children well and provision is shaped to meet their needs. Consequently, children are able to sustain interest in the activities provided for them. Adults intervene effectively to extend learning, but are not fully utilising all opportunities to reinforce children’s literacy and numeracy skills. As a result, few children make rapid progress in these areas.  Learning journals provide an accurate picture of the stages in a child’s development. These are supplemented with photographic and written evidence to create a detailed record for parents. Parents are encouraged to contribute to these records and the staff

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Early years provision Requires improvement

are always looking for new ways of supporting this. The ‘fuzzy sheep’ has been a particularly engaging way of encouraging parents to be involved. This entails a cuddly November 2016 toy joining in learning at home, which is then recorded and supplements the profile of learning for each child.  Early phonics teaching is effective and children are able to recognise initial letter sounds, with some children able to use this to identify sounds within their names. This solid start underpins the improvements seen in outcomes at the phonics screening check taken in Year 1.  Outdoor learning, including the forest school classroom, promotes children’s imaginative play effectively and supports children’s increasing understanding of the world. Activities are shaped to instil a love of learning and to be curious about the world. November 2016

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address admin@skiptonings.n-yorks.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 October 2014

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Information about this school

 The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school and pupil numbers have decreased since it was last inspected.  Mobility of pupils across the school is higher than the national average, with almost a quarter of pupils on roll joining the school at times other than those expected.  The vast majority of pupils are from minority ethnic heritages, particularly British Pakistani. Several pupils have recently arrived from other countries, including Syria.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average. November 2016  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through pupil premium funding is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who have a statement of

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Information about this school

special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  The headteacher was appointed following the school’s last inspection, along with two thirds of the teaching team.  The interim executive board of governors has been replaced by a shadow governing body. This is a change since the last inspection.  The floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6, do not apply to this school. November 2016

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed pupils’ learning in eight lessons and part-lessons, several of which were joint observations with the headteacher of the school.  In addition, the inspector looked at examples of pupils’ work in a range of subjects and listened to pupils read from Year 1, Year 2, Year 5 and Year 6.  The inspector met with groups of pupils, the headteacher, senior leaders and members of the governing body, as well as representatives of the local authority.  The inspector took account of two responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the school’s own consultation outcomes, in addition to having discussions with several parents at the end of the school day.  Information from the school about pupils’ recent and current progress was examined, as well as the school’s evaluation of how well it is doing and its records of monitoring the quality of teaching. Records relating to behaviour and attendance and documents

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Information about this inspection

relating to safeguarding were also scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Diane Buckle, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector November 2016 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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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Inspection team

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

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