Wold Newton Foundation School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Joe Dodd Headteacher Wold Newton Foundation School Back Street Wold Newton Driffield YO25 3YJ

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Short inspection of Wold Newton Foundation School

Following my visit to the school on 15 February 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in April 2012.

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Short inspection of Wold Newton Foundation School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. The school continues to improve because you, middle leaders, governors, staff and the school improvement partner work together effectively to put strategies in place to secure good gains in pupils’ learning.

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Short inspection of Wold Newton Foundation School

The area identified for further improvement at the last inspection, to raise attainment, particularly for the most able pupils, in reading, writing and mathematics, has been well addressed. Results at the end of key stage 1 and 2 for 2015 and 2016 show that the proportion of pupils attaining higher standards is in line with, or above, that of pupils nationally. The work of current pupils shows that this improvement is in part due to teachers’ effective questioning, which challenges pupils to explore their learning and develop their reasoning skills across subjects. Teachers have put in place strategies to ensure that pupils successfully reach higher standards: they encourage pupils to frequently check and improve their own work.

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Short inspection of Wold Newton Foundation School

You and the assessment leader have worked hard to devise a system to support your checking of the progress and attainment of pupils. You are constantly refining this to give you the information you need to direct appropriate support for pupils. You agree that the data collected at the end of the autumn term does not give an accurate enough picture to help you do this. You acknowledge that teachers’ assessments at this point were overcautious and we checked this against the progress we could see in pupils’ work. You know that if systems are tightened, this information will give leaders, including governors, a clearer picture of where extra support is most needed. Recent work on developing effective systems to help pupils check and improve their work is having an impact: pupils understand what they need to do next to get better.

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Short inspection of Wold Newton Foundation School

Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils at the end of key stage 2, in 2015 and 2016, were in line with or better than those of other pupils nationally. Overall in school, attainment and progress for disadvantaged pupils is variable across year groups and subjects. You rightly identify this as a priority in your school improvement plans. Leaders have put in place a clear action plan, with spending matched carefully to supporting the emotional, social and academic needs of pupils. A leader now has responsibility, as the ‘Disadvantaged Champion’, to check the progress these pupils are making. More accurate assessment will support the checking of the impact of this work.

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Short inspection of Wold Newton Foundation School

Parents have a positive view of the school: they particularly comment on how much their children enjoy coming to school and the strong relationships that exist between pupils and staff. They feel informed about the progress their children are making. Pupils reiterate that this is a ‘good place to be’ and that there is a focus on kindness and friendship.

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Short inspection of Wold Newton Foundation School

You and the school business manager have put effective systems in place to ensure that everyone is safe in school. You have made sure that everyone understands policies and practices, so that when you, or any other member of staff, are not on the school site, systems are just as rigorous.

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Short inspection of Wold Newton Foundation School

Governors understand their duty to check safeguarding procedures and do so in school and at each governors’ meeting. They make sure that their own training and understanding is up to date.

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Short inspection of Wold Newton Foundation School

Pupils say that they feel safe in school, and parents agree. This is due to regular reminders and teaching about ways to stay safe in school, at home and online. External training, such as how to ride bikes safely on the road and visits from the community police, support this learning.

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Inspection findings

 While continuing to raise standards in English and mathematics, you have made sure that pupils have opportunities to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding through a wider curriculum. Teachers plan themes that incorporate English and mathematics, but focus on investigation and reasoning in other subject areas. For example, older pupils have been learning about life in 20 th -century Europe, centring on the life of ‘Alice’, one of the teacher’s relations. Pupils have explored primary and secondary evidence, having access to diaries, postcards, photographs and film clips. Pupils are desperate to find out more! The resulting work from this topic is of high quality. Pupils in lower key stage 2 were very keen to tell me about their Vikings topic. Pupils have rich opportunities to develop their skills in a wide range of activities. These include studying artefacts for evidence about life in Viking times, building their knowledge through

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Inspection findings

questions and answers with a visiting ‘Viking’, sketching and modelling clay runes. Parents have been invited to be part of the learning, attending a session to work alongside their children making Viking purses. The resulting excellent, cross-curricular work is displayed with care and pride in the classroom.  2016 saw an improvement in outcomes in phonics at the end of Year 1 and Year 2. I was keen to see what leaders and teachers had done to bring about this improvement. A clear plan of action is in place, against which progress is frequently checked. This includes the careful analysis of performance, reorganising the structure and size of the teaching groups as well as the teaching spaces and additional sessions (highly focused on fun learning, seen as a treat by the pupils). Consequently, pupils use terminology accurately and apply their phonics knowledge and skills well in their reading and writing.

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Inspection findings

 The provision for pupils who have special needs and/or disabilities addresses pupils’ academic and emotional needs successfully. The leader has a good understanding of each pupil’s needs and any barriers they may have to learning. She knows when to seek further support and advice and works closely with other agencies. Her careful checking on pupils’ progress, in close consultation with the assessment leader, helps to identify the next steps to be taken. As result, pupils generally make good progress from their starting points. The funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is well matched to pupils’ needs, with a variety of resources, training and focused support.  Pupils generally attend school regularly and on time. Where any persistent absence does occur, you liaise closely with families to bring about improvement. You have a good understanding of reasons behind any absence and consult with

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Inspection findings

the education welfare officer for advice and support when necessary.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 assessment systems continue be strengthened, underpinned by accurate teacher assessment and focused actions for improvement  the plans to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils are actioned successfully to ensure that these pupils make consistently good progress across all subjects.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for East Riding of Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, you and I spent time together in classrooms and looking at pupils’ work. We discussed your evaluation of the school, the resulting action plans and the impact of this work. We looked at pupils’ attainment against national expectations and their progress using the school’s assessment system. This included information about disadvantaged pupils and those who have special needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the inspection

I met with middle leaders, governors, your local authority improvement partner, pupils and the school business manager.

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Information about the inspection

I scrutinised a range of documentation, including that relating to safeguarding, attendance, the quality of teaching and learning, external reviews of the school and responses from parents and staff to Ofsted’s online questionnaires.

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