Knayton CofE Primary School

Knayton CofE Primary School Stockton Road, Knayton, Thirsk, North Yorkshire YO7 4AN

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher has instilled a culture of high expectations that is shared by all teachers and governors. All staff are dedicated to achieving the highest academic outcomes and standards of care for all pupils. They are being successful in their endeavours.  Leaders have developed a vibrant learning culture that engages pupils’ interests and curiosity, while enabling them to pursue subjects in genuine depth. The proportion of pupils working at greater depth across the school is well above that seen nationally.  As a result of thorough planning, innovative teaching and purposeful assessment, pupils are actively engaged in their learning and make outstanding progress.  Governors are committed to the school’s ethos and are closely involved in the life of the school. They provide strong support and challenge and closely monitor key aspects of performance.  All teachers are committed to developing the highest standards of behaviour and welfare. As

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

a result, pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and their rates of attendance are high.  The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are extremely effective. All staff and governors are continually mindful of pupils’ welfare.  Innovative provision in the early years addresses children’s interests and abilities and enables them to make outstanding progress in their learning and development.  Disadvantaged pupils made outstanding progress in 2016. Current pupils are also making strong progress in their learning in classes across the school.  Through assemblies, the ‘Big Ideas’ curriculum and links with external partners, the school promotes meaningfully pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  New systems to improve provision and progress for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are leading to their good progress, although systems are not fully developed yet.  The outstanding progress pupils make in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

reading, writing and mathematics is not consistently equalled in science and geography across all year groups.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further strengthen the quality of teaching by: – providing additional curriculum experience in science and geography that supports outstanding progress in these subjects – further embedding new systems and support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 The headteacher and her team have shown a relentless commitment to improving the quality of teaching and to providing a curriculum that excites and engages pupils, while promoting their wider personal and social development. As a result, pupils make excellent progress and acquire exemplary learning habits.  Leaders maintain a constant focus upon improvement. They monitor pupils’ progress every half-term and check this against the quality of work in their books and folders. The sharp focus on pupils’ individual progress enables teachers to plan interventions and modify teaching to ensure that pupils can engage successfully in their learning and continue to make strong progress.  Leaders and teachers have responded purposefully to the challenges of the new national curriculum. The most recent outcomes show that pupils are embracing the heightened demands in English and mathematics with considerable success. Significant

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

proportions are achieving expected standards and, more significantly, working at greater depth.  Leaders and teachers have promoted a strong culture of respect and kindness. Pupils in mixed-year classes in key stage 2 work together in a cooperative and mutually supportive manner. Behaviour in lessons and around the school site is consistently positive because teachers and teaching assistants promote positive attitudes.  The school’s pupil premium champion has clear approaches to supporting and monitoring the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Governors ensure that the funding is spent wisely. They regularly review the use of funding and the impact of their strategy, which supported pupils in making outstanding progress in 2016. The school’s current tracking information shows that disadvantaged pupils continue to make extremely strong progress from their varied starting points.  Leaders and governors have a clear awareness of the school’s overall strengths and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

areas for improvement. They have developed highly effective improvement plans that have contributed to the rapidly improving outcomes in recent years. Staff have a strong focus upon the school’s priorities and welcome scrutiny and challenge. They regularly report on the impact of improvement plans to governors during visits and in presentations at full governor meetings.  Teachers have exceptional opportunities to develop their professional expertise through a high-quality professional development programme. Leaders and teachers also work with outstanding providers to learn from highly effective practice. They customise what they discover to fit the needs of pupils in Knayton School. Such work has created a continual interest in teaching that contributes to the outstanding practice in the classroom. The exceptional focus on the professional development of staff has contributed to five members of staff becoming specialist leaders in education whose

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

expertise is now sought by others.  Performance management arrangements are extremely robust and support individual teachers’ and whole-school improvement. Governors review recommendations from the outcomes of teachers’ performance management thoroughly.  The leadership of strategies for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is rapidly improving and enabling current pupils to make good progress. The new special educational needs coordinator has modified systems to summarise the needs of pupils and give parents a stronger voice in reflecting upon the impact of the support the school provides. Leaders utilise the additional funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities well. They provide a balance of specific care and integrated support that is now ensuring effective provision and enabling these pupils to make good progress.  Leaders provide a highly engaging curriculum that enables a range of subjects to be

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

studied in meaningful and relevant contexts. For example, a project entitled ‘We are Europeans’ enabled pupils to explore aspects of geography, language and culture in a cohesive manner. The curriculum responds to pupils’ interests while promoting wider experiences successfully. Pupils’ emotional and social development is also promoted well through a range of activities and assemblies. Extra-curricular experiences, including trips and residential opportunities, enhance pupils’ self-confidence superbly.  Pupils’ extremely strong literacy and numeracy skills are apparent across the curriculum, with high standards of spelling, punctuation and grammar consistently in evidence. Pupils have many opportunities to work scientifically and develop historical awareness. However, on occasions, the discrete skills required of these subjects are not developed as robustly as those in English and mathematics.  The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptional.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

Pupils have regular access to collective worship and explore a range of faiths. Through a global challenge project, pupils have developed a keen awareness of the needs of others, including some of the challenges faced by refugees. Pupils show considerable respect for equality and valuing differences in others.  Funding from the government to promote sport and increase physical activity is being used successfully. Pupils participate in a wide range of sports and competitions, including netball, tag rugby, tennis, cricket, football and athletics.  Leaders are outward looking and receive effective support from an extensive teaching alliance through its work with a diverse range of schools. Five teachers have acquired the status of specialist leaders of education and provide support and guidance to other schools on leadership, subject development and assessment.

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Governance of the school

 Governance is effective. The governing body brings considerable specialist expertise from a range of areas that it uses to provide challenge and support. Members have clear areas of responsibility and work with leaders and teachers to check the ongoing impact of improvement plans.  Governors share the headteacher’s high standards and expectations. They support the headteacher in actions to improve the quality of teaching and ensure that performance management processes are used to support school improvement.  Governors hold leaders to account for the use of the pupil premium and additional funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities well. They track the impact of support for these groups of pupils closely through regular meetings with key members of staff. Their work has contributed to the outstanding progress disadvantaged pupils made in 2016 and their current strong progress.

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Governance of the school

Governors’ scrutiny is also supporting the improving rates of progress for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, which are now good.  Governor committees provide a regular focus on pupils’ progress and curriculum provision. Governors take their monitoring responsibilities very seriously. They also look at pupils’ work with school leaders to gain first-hand experience of pupils’ learning and progress. Governors have looked closely at additional challenge in mathematics and listened to parental feedback on the development of new systems to monitor the impact of special educational needs provision. They are committed to the values of the school and support the headteacher in her vision for continued improvement.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders carry out extremely rigorous checks to ensure the suitability of adults working on site. Concerns over pupils’ welfare are pursued swiftly and documented thoroughly. Safeguarding training for all staff and governors is extensive and up to date.  The school actively supports pupils’ welfare. Teachers and teaching assistants have developed systems that make them mindful of pupils’ moods and feelings and this contributes to a culture of safety and care.  Governors with safeguarding expertise provide additional checks on safeguarding practice. Governors have training in safer recruitment. They check safeguarding records and documents and talk to pupils and staff about safeguarding issues. Pupils feel safe in school and the vast majority of their parents agree with their children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

 Teaching and learning regularly capture pupils’ interests and imagination. Pupils gain access to inspiring learning experiences that engage their curiosity and encourage them to explore subjects and themes in meaningful contexts.  Teachers use ongoing assessment to gauge pupils’ progress and to modify their interventions and support to help pupils to engage successfully in their learning. Incisive support sessions take place before lessons to ensure that pupils are equipped with the skills and knowledge to make good progress when they encounter new topics.  Learning is effectively managed. Pupils are quick to settle and eager to learn as a result of clear classroom routines and highly effective teaching. Time is used well and teachers manage transitions between initial discussion and group work very effectively.  Teachers use their strong subject expertise to develop pupils’ knowledge, skills and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

understanding to a very high standard. They enable pupils to develop extremely accomplished writing skills by enabling them to write in a range of genres and by developing high levels of grammatical accuracy. Pupils enjoy writing and develop writing stamina from an early stage.  Teachers promote key skills and knowledge in mathematics from an early age and pupils’ awareness of operations are built upon successfully as they progress through the school. Pupils develop confidence and fluency in their approach to arithmetical methods. They are given regular opportunities to apply their reasoning and problem- solving skills and this is resulting in increasing proportions working at a greater depth of understanding.  Teachers and teaching assistants develop pupils’ reading skills effectively. There is a clear focus on developing pupils’ phonics skills which has led to consistently high proportions of pupils achieving the required standard in the national phonics screening

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

check. The inspector listened to a range of pupils read and was impressed by the clarity of their reading and their enthusiasm for their texts.  Through the ‘Big Ideas’ programme, pupils are given exciting opportunities to explore themes on topics such as Europe and Africa in meaningful ways that integrate pupils’ understanding of historical and geographical topics. They receive many opportunities to work scientifically and explore experiments on topics such as light and sound. On occasions, they do not develop discrete knowledge and skill in these subjects to the same depth as in English and mathematics.  Teachers assess pupils’ work promptly and effectively and this informs their planning. They know their pupils extremely well and are able to modify teaching to meet their needs.  The provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is improving and leading to increasing proportions of these pupils making good levels of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

progress. New approaches are enabling parents to review their children’s learning and respond more fully to the pupil profiles that monitor progress.  Teaching in the early years responds extremely well to children’s interests and abilities. Teachers modify planning to address children’s individual needs. Children are happy, engaged and curious through the many stimulating opportunities to learn. They are keen to share their writing and their mathematical understanding.  Teachers work effectively with teaching assistants to plan and provide well-targeted support that contributes towards the very good progress that pupils make. Teaching assistants know their children well and intervene effectively to provide good support.  Teaching promotes pupils’ outstanding rates of progress and enables the most able pupils to reach increasing levels of greater depth in their learning. Pupils are regularly challenged to achieve high standards and this is consistently evident in the high quality

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

of their work in English and mathematics.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Teachers have established daily routines that enable them to respond sensitively to pupils’ moods. A learning mentor has daily conversations with identified pupils to support their welfare and emotional development.  Pupils show high levels of respect towards people from different backgrounds and treat everyone equally.  Through the buddy system, pupils from different year groups support one another well. This can involve older pupils helping younger pupils to carry their lunch trays or ensuring that no child is left isolated in the playground. In mixed-year classes at key stage 2, pupils from different year groups were seen to cooperate with one another in highly supportive ways.  Positive behaviour is celebrated regularly in assemblies and pupils have many opportunities to take on positions of responsibility. Pupils feel that bullying is extremely

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Personal development and welfare

rare and are confident that adults would address any unacceptable behaviour.  Pupils develop physical well-being through regular opportunities to participate in sport. The vast majority of pupils participate in some form of after-school club and have taken part in a variety of sports, including hockey, gymnastics, athletics, netball, tag rugby, tennis and handball. These activities have developed pupils’ skills, stamina and keenness for competition.  Pupils are able to discuss personal safety and the actions that the school has taken to help them keep safe, including how to stay safe on the roads and how to stay safe online.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Teachers set high expectations and encourage positive behaviours from the early years onwards. Pupils work very well together and discuss their thoughts in pairs and groups in order to develop ideas and improve the quality of their work.  Pupils show a visible pride in their school and their community. This is reflected in their appearance and the quality of work in their books.  Pupils enjoy their learning and work conscientiously. Incidents of low-level disruption are extremely rare. Behaviour support is strong and teachers and mentors work closely with pupils to develop positive attitudes to learning. The rare instances of misbehaviour are effectively addressed. A small minority of pupils and their parents have less favourable views of behaviour and support.  Pupils value their education and rarely miss a day at school. Levels of attendance for all pupils, and groups of pupils, are above those seen nationally.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 In 2016, pupils achieved extremely good outcomes in the new national assessments at key stage 2. The proportion who achieved expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics combined was well above that seen nationally. Pupils’ current attainment and progress are outstanding, with significant proportions working at higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics.  The quality of writing is exceptional across the school and pupils continue to produce work of a high quality, with significant proportions producing work of depth and maturity. Over 40% of pupils are working at greater depth in their writing in Year 6, with 50% of pupils working at greater depth in grammar, spelling and punctuation. These standards are replicated across many year groups.  Pupils also make outstanding progress in mathematics. Teaching is frequently challenging and pupils achieve high levels of attainment, through many opportunities

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

to work at greater depth and by pursuing complex problems.  Pupils across the school read with clarity and understanding. They demonstrated confidence when reading aloud to the inspector. The great majority of pupils regularly achieve the require standard in the phonics screening check.  Pupils’ overall progress at key stage 1 is outstanding, with 90% of pupils working at expected standards and over 33% working at greater depth across reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils make good progress in science, history and geography by exploring these subjects in meaningful contexts, with frequent opportunities to work scientifically through exciting practical experiments. On occasions, the knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils acquire in these subjects are not as well developed as those acquired in English and mathematics.  The majority of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

making good progress through improving teaching, closer monitoring and better support.  In 2016, at key stage 2, disadvantaged pupils made outstanding progress. A thorough review of their work in books shows that they continue to achieve very strong rates of progress across many year groups and subjects, in many cases equalling or surpassing their peers.  The most able pupils make outstanding progress, as reflected in the increasing proportions of pupils working at greater depth across all phases of the school.

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Early years provision Outstanding

 As a result of incisive leadership, precise assessment and high-quality teaching, children make outstanding progress.  Leaders continually review the impact of provision and all teachers and teaching assistants reflect upon their practice. Planning is extremely responsive to children’s needs and interests. The team benefits from an additional leader who works in the Reception class for one day a week and also works at the separate on-site nursery to strengthen provision and improve transition.  Teachers provide a highly stimulating environment where children are inquisitive, curious and show excellent levels of concentration. Learning areas promote a range of valuable learning experiences. Teachers and teaching assistants are adept at talking with and questioning children, which develops children’s understanding and their confidence in speaking and listening.  Children are keen to learn as activities are fun and engaging and capture their

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Early years provision Outstanding

imaginations. They develop strong skills in literacy and numeracy. The inspector observed pupils confidently counting from one to twenty and showing much skill in writing pancake recipes and secret messages that they illuminated with torches.  All teachers monitor children’s progress rigorously and record this accurately. Teachers focus upon the progress of children during specific ‘focus weeks’ and combine this with regular, ongoing assessment. Learning journals for individual children across Reception show that children make excellent progress from their starting points. Teachers have an accurate picture of children’s abilities and learning needs and adapt teaching and learning opportunities skilfully to further their development.  Children make consistently high rates of progress, achieving levels of development above those seen nationally, with increasing proportions exceeding key learning goals.

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Early years provision Outstanding

 Safeguarding practices in the early years are highly effective. Children are taught how to manage risks from an early age and the robust safeguarding culture that permeates the school is equally apparent in the early years. There are no material breaches of statutory welfare requirements as the children are safe and well supported.

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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 126 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Morrice Headteacher Nikkie Beniams Telephone number 01845 537291 Website www.knayton.n-yorks.sch.uk/ Email address headteacher@knayton.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19–20 April 2012

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Information about this school

 The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well below average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is average.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage and none speaks English as an additional language.  The school meets the current floor standards, which are the minimum standards set by the government.  There is a privately run day nursery on site which is not managed by the school and is inspected separately by Ofsted.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed a wide range of lessons, covering all classes in the school. The headteacher accompanied the lead inspector on a number of observations.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, assistant headteacher and subject and phase leaders. The inspector also met five members of the governing body, including the chair. He met a group of pupils at lunchtime on the first day of the inspection. The inspector also met the local authority’s school improvement partner.  The inspector talked to some parents at the start and end of the second day and to some by telephone.  Pupils’ behaviour was observed during lessons and at lunchtime.  The inspector listened to pupils read and talked to them about their reading.  The inspector examined extensively the quality of work in a wide range of books. He discussed pupils’ work and their learning with them in lessons.  The inspector looked at the school’s work and considered documents, including the

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Information about this inspection

school’s self-evaluation, the school improvement plan, curriculum plans and information relating to pupils’ achievement and safeguarding.  The inspector took into account 54 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and 32 free-text responses. He also took into account 65 responses to the pupil questionnaire and 11 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Malcolm Kirtley, 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

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

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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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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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