Ripon, Greystone Community Primary School

Ripon, Greystone Community Primary School Quarry Moor Lane, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 1RW

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare 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

 Over time, leaders have failed to address weak teaching and learning, rendering the school less effective than at the time of the last inspection.  Standards are too low by the end of key stage 2. Teaching has not been strong enough over time, so that pupils make too little progress in reading, writing or mathematics, so they are not well prepared for secondary school.  Teachers have not used assessment information well enough to plan teaching. Consequently, work is often too easy, particularly for the most able.  Disadvantaged pupils are not making the rapid progress they need to in order to catch up with other pupils nationally. Leaders have not fully assessed the impact of pupil premium on eligible pupils’ achievement.  Additional adults are not fully deployed to best effect to ensure the rapid progress of all pupils.  The curriculum does not effectively develop pupils’ skills across a range of subjects, but

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

particularly in history, geography and science.  Because some middle leaders are new to, or have recently returned to, their roles, they have had limited impact on improving the quality of teaching.  Governors have not been fully effective in holding school leaders to account.  Staff do not consistently use the school’s behaviour policy to encourage pupils’ good behaviour.  Attendance overall is below the national average and persistent absence is twice the national figure.  Some activities provided in the early years lack challenge, so that children are not making the swift progress needed to achieve well.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The interim headteacher has assessed what needs to be done in the school and is taking effective action to improve teaching and outcomes.  The work to improve pupils’ emotional and mental health is strong.  Behaviour has improved so that in most classes poor behaviour does not interrupt the flow of learning.  Effective support is now being provided from local authority consultants.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching, learning and assessment and so raise outcomes for pupils by: – increasing the expectations of what pupils, particularly the most able, can do – using assessment information to make sure that work that pupils are given is not too easy – making sure that pupils who fall behind with reading make faster progress – improving how mathematics is taught so that pupils are more confident in solving problems mathematically – giving pupils the time and opportunities to use and apply what teachers have taught them in spelling, punctuation and grammar in their writing.  Improve leadership and management by: – reviewing the curriculum so that pupils improve their skills in history, geography and science – training middle leaders so that they are capable of rapidly improving the quality of teaching across all subjects – making sure that the pupil premium funding is used to improve the outcomes and

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

attendance of disadvantaged pupils – ensuring that governors have detailed and accurate information in order to hold school leaders to account.  Improve the effectiveness of the early years by: – ensuring that children make faster progress across all areas of learning, preparing them fully for the demands of Year 1 – improving behaviour and ensuring that routines are established and followed – ensuring that assessment information is used more precisely to identify the next steps in learning for children – challenging the most able children so that a greater proportion exceed the early learning goals.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Until recently there were few systems in the school to hold staff to account. The new interim headteacher has introduced performance management and a system to track pupils’ progress. However, despite some improvement, too little time has elapsed for these systems to have sufficient impact on outcomes and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.  Leadership over time has failed to identify the extent of the school’s weaknesses, so that the school has made too little progress towards tackling the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.  Middle leaders are new to post, or recently returned, and require support to check on and improve the quality of teaching, develop the curriculum and drive up outcomes for pupils.  The curriculum is not sufficiently well balanced to ensure that pupils gain skills in science, history and geography. In some classes, very little work has been done in these

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

subjects and work undertaken has lacked challenge. There are too few opportunities for pupils to use and apply their mathematics and English skills within these subjects.  A review of the pupil premium has raised leaders’ awareness of how it could be used more effectively to improve achievement for disadvantaged pupils. However, disadvantaged pupils are still making insufficient progress to enable them to reach standards comparable to other pupils nationally.  Over time, the additional funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities has had limited impact. However, this is now improving as the leader for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities has ensured that a more tailored approach is being adopted to support pupils.  The interim headteacher has quickly developed strong relationships with parents. Many who responded to the questionnaire commented on how problems are dealt with

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

quickly, how much behaviour has improved and how they appreciate the ethos based on celebrating achievement and mutual respect.  There are opportunities in the curriculum and through trips and visits to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. Parents, as well as pupils, are supported in understanding how to stay safe when using the internet. Some aspects of British values are touched upon, although this remains a relatively underdeveloped aspect of the curriculum.  Funding that is provided through the physical education (PE) and sports premium is used well. A greater proportion of pupils are now involved in sports. This includes activities new to the school, such as dance and tennis. ‘Mindfulness training’ supports a number of pupils well with their emotional and mental health.  The local authority, working with an external consultant, has supported the school well since the appointment of the interim headteacher, for example with a thorough review

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

of teaching and learning. However, prior to this, some outside agencies have reviewed the school on a superficial level. This has not helped school leaders evaluate the school accurately.

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Governance of the school

 Members of the governing body are aware that much needs to be done to improve the school, but they still have an overgenerous view of its overall effectiveness. As a result, the rate of improvement has not been fast enough.  Some governors are new and have recently brought a fresh, more effective approach to how they support and challenge leaders. This has not resulted in sustained improvement.  While governing body meeting minutes show that governors are now asking searching questions, they have not always been provided with sufficient information to hold leaders rigorously to account.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have received appropriate training in safeguarding, and designated staff are trained to a higher level. All staff are effectively trained to recognise signs of radicalisation of pupils.  All safeguarding policies meet the statutory requirements. However, some documents to support the management of risk to pupils throughout the school day have not been sufficiently adapted to reflect the specific needs of the school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Expectations of what pupils can do and achieve are too low. In particular, the most able pupils are not given work to do that fully challenges them. Too often, pupils finish quickly and then wait around for others to catch up.  Where pupils are not challenged, boredom sets in and pupils become restless or chat among themselves. This means that valuable learning time is lost.  Teachers assess pupils frequently, but information from these assessments is not used effectively to ensure that the work is sufficiently challenging.  Across the school, there are gaps in teachers’ knowledge of how to teach reading, writing and mathematics. There are few opportunities for pupils to use and apply their skills in these subjects to other areas of learning, limiting their progress.  Teaching assistants do not support teachers well. Too often, they are passive bystanders in the classroom.  Where learning is more effective, pupils solve problems successfully using their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

mathematics skills and teachers use their good knowledge of what pupils can do to fully challenge them, including the most able. However, these pockets of good practice are not shared across the school to improve the overall quality of teaching.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Records relating to vulnerable pupils and how they are supported are not detailed. However, emotional support that is given to pupils to support them with behaviour and mental health through provision in ‘the hub’ is strong.  Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe and secure from any threats of bullying and that they are able to talk to a caring adult should the need arise. School records indicate that bullying is a rarity.  In most classes, pupils show a pride in their work. They write and present their work neatly.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe when using the internet. Pupils told inspectors how they set their security settings appropriately when using social networking sites.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Pupils’ attendance, while improving slowly, has not improved significantly for disadvantaged pupils. Attendance remains below national averages, and the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school is twice the national figure.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in some classes but variable in others, particularly where the work does not challenge them or they spend time waiting for others to catch up. In the majority of classes, interruptions to lessons due to poor behaviour are rare.  The school’s records of behaviour indicate that while there are still many instances of poor behaviour, they are reducing over time. Improved behaviour has led to fewer pupils receiving fixed-term exclusions over the past 12 months.  Around the school, no litter is thrown and pupils wear their uniform correctly.  Many parents, staff and pupils who responded to questionnaires said that behaviour

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Behaviour

has improved significantly. In the playground and at lunchtime, pupils’ conduct is good.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 In the 2016 tests, Year 6 pupils made weak progress, particularly in mathematics, where it was in the lowest 10% nationally. Inspection evidence indicates that outcomes remain below average for pupils currently in the school. In mathematics, a weak curriculum alongside poor teaching means that pupils’ skills are underdeveloped.  Current pupils’ attainment and progress have improved under the leadership of the interim headteacher. Attainment has risen across all areas and all subjects, but remains below national standards at every key stage. Consequently, Year 6 pupils are not well prepared to meet the demands of secondary school. The progress of current pupils shows an improving picture, with a higher proportion of pupils on track to make age- related expectations than in the past.  Outcomes in science in 2016 were weak, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and boys. Inspectors found that there were inconsistencies in how well and often science is

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

taught and that these weaknesses therefore remain.  Disadvantaged pupils make significantly less progress than others nationally in all subjects. This is because the quality of teaching for these pupils has been weak over time and the pupil premium has not been used effectively to fully benefit them.  Over time, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities have made insufficient progress because they have not been supported well during their time at the school. Recent changes to the leadership for special educational needs have strengthened systems to support pupils, so that this year these pupils have made better progress.  Low levels of challenge for the most able, including the most able disadvantaged, means that they do not make strong progress. This is the case in all key stages, including in the early years.  Pupils who need to catch up with their reading are not supported well, particularly in

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

key stage 1. For example, they are not heard reading often enough and so their progress is slow.  Although rising over time, the proportion of pupils who meet the required standard in the Year 1 phonics check in 2016 was below average, with fewer boys than girls being successful. Because of some improvement in the teaching of phonics, outcomes in 2017 are much closer to national averages.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Although children enter Nursery with levels of development that are broadly typical for their age, proportions entering Year 1 with a good level of development are just below those seen nationally. This is partly due to the lower skills on entry of children joining the school at the start of Reception. However, even considering this, children make only steady progress through Reception.  Leaders are providing a lively setting with much to do both inside and outdoors. However, staff are sometimes not clear about the learning intention behind each activity and are missing opportunities to fully develop children’s knowledge and skills. This is particularly the case in providing activities with a focus on improving children’s understanding in reading, writing and number.  Information about the progress of children is regularly recorded but not used well enough to plan future activities. Consequently, individual activities are not fine-tuned to

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Early years provision Requires improvement

the precise needs of different ability groups.  The most able are not challenged and so do not make the progress they should, leading to too few children exceeding the early learning goals. Additional funding for disadvantaged children is not having an impact on improving outcomes.  While the majority of children are happy in the setting, strategies employed by staff are sometimes not successfully supporting some children who are struggling to regulate their own behaviour.  The early years classrooms and the outdoor area are safe and secure. Risk assessments are carried out on equipment, and access to the rooms is secure.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Home visits by staff help new children to settle quickly into the school. An open access policy means that parents feel well supported and involved in their children’s education.

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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@greystone.n-yorks.sch.uk

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Information about this school

 At the time of the inspection, the interim headteacher had been in post for two months, having previously been the acting headteacher since September 2016. Since September 2016, the school had also been led by a headteacher from a neighbouring school to cover the acting headteacher’s maternity leave.  Governors are currently seeking a partnership with Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) with the intention of becoming an academy in autumn 2017.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and so the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language or who are from minority ethnic groups is below the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Information about this school

 The school has been supported by the North Star Teaching School Alliance in addition to the local authority.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the curriculum, behaviour, complaints about the school, the PE and sports premium for primary schools, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, accessibility for disabled pupils and governance.

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Information about this inspection

 An initial inspection visit to the school took place on 15 and 16 June 2017. One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors, accompanied by an Ofsted Inspector, undertook a further visit to the school on 18 July 2017 to gather additional evidence.  Inspectors visited lessons, listened to pupils reading and looked at the work in pupils’ books to evaluate their progress over time. They spoke to pupils, staff, governors and representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors scrutinised various documents, including the summary of the school’s self- evaluation, school development plans, governance documents, safeguarding information, and the tracking of pupils’ progress.  The 40 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered by inspectors, including a parental survey carried out by the school and questionnaires completed by staff and by pupils.

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Inspection team

Robert Jones, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Peter Marsh Lesley Butcher Geoff Dorrity Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Her Majesty’s 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

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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