Swinefleet Primary School

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

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Miss Laura Bishell-Wells Headteacher Swinefleet Primary School Low Street Swinefleet Goole DN14 8BX

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Short inspection of Swinefleet Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 7 December 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 May 2013.

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Short inspection of Swinefleet Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You took up post as acting headteacher in September 2016 and became the permanent headteacher from May 2017. You have a clear vision for the school and have created a positive learning culture for staff through your intent to share responsibilities, increase accountability and develop leadership at all levels. Staff value the opportunities for professional development and take pride in the improvements they are making to the quality of teaching and learning. Consequently, together you take collective responsibility for improving pupils’ outcomes. This has ensured that the positive attainment seen at the last inspection has been sustained and in many cases improved upon. However, in your pursuit of excellence, you are well aware of the aspects of pupils’ attainment and progress which could be improved further still. You have accurately identified these areas for

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Short inspection of Swinefleet Primary School

development when evaluating the school’s effectiveness. Sharp self-evaluation and the development of leadership is successfully securing the school’s capacity for further improvement.

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Short inspection of Swinefleet Primary School

Pupils are very proud to come to this school. Likewise, parents are very supportive of the school and feel that their children are making good progress. They have faith in the school’s leadership and appreciate that staff are always approachable and respond quickly to any concerns raised. As one parent said, ‘It’s like one big family.’ Pupils demonstrate good manners and treat each other respectfully. They fully embrace the opportunities you provide for them to take on board responsibilities such as running their own clubs for other pupils to take part in. As a result of the broad experiences that pupils receive, they are developing as responsible and caring citizens who are keen to contribute to their school and community.

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Short inspection of Swinefleet Primary School

You have effectively responded to the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. There have been particular improvements in mathematics. From being the relatively weaker subject, mathematics now has the strongest outcomes by the end of each key stage. You have ensured that pupils are being challenged by learning activities which more precisely meet their needs. This is supporting a greater proportion of pupils to exceed the age-related expectations throughout school. A very high proportion of pupils, well above the national average, attained beyond the expected standards by the end of key stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics. However, attainment of the higher standard by the end of key stage 2 is not as strong in reading and writing and was below the national average in 2017. You are now keen for the most able pupils to make faster progress in reading and writing so that an increasing proportion exceed the expected standards by the end

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Short inspection of Swinefleet Primary School

There have been improvements in phonics, with every pupil meeting the standard in the phonics screening check by the end of key stage 1 in 2017. Likewise, the proportion of pupils reaching a good level of development by the end of Reception continues to improve and was in line with the national average in 2017. However, you acknowledge that children could make even faster progress during the early years so that an increasing proportion reach and exceed the learning goals.

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Short inspection of Swinefleet Primary School

Governors are beginning to hold school leaders to account for pupils’ outcomes. For example, governors with specific responsibilities make visits to the school to check on the effectiveness of leaders’ actions. Governors and leaders recognise that greater challenge would help the school to move forward at a faster pace though. You are keen to support this process by including more precise success criteria in the school’s improvement plan to enable governors to hold school leaders more rigorously to account.

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Short inspection of Swinefleet Primary School

There is a strong culture of keeping pupils safe. Records are detailed and of high quality and show that staff are vigilant in making sure that safeguarding is always a high priority. Staff receive effective training which helps them to recognise and respond to any signs of concern. Leaders know pupils and families well and challenge external agencies to make sure that support brings about the required improvements.

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Short inspection of Swinefleet Primary School

Pupils say that they feel well looked after by staff and that everyone cares for each other. Parents and pupils agree that behaviour is good. Pupils know the systems for dealing with any rare incidents of unacceptable behaviour and are confident that staff will sort out any issues. The curriculum supports pupils in learning how to stay safe. Consequently, they are able to talk with confidence about how to stay safe when faced with potential risks such as using the internet, crossing the road or riding a bicycle.

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Inspection findings

 You have ensured that staff continually develop and are able to carry out their teaching and subject leader roles effectively. Through a culture of high expectations in a supportive environment, you have enabled staff to flourish. Training has increased the confidence and impact of middle leaders. Working beyond the school has also created opportunities to learn from good practice elsewhere. Subject leaders demonstrate their thorough subject knowledge and awareness of the expectations for different age groups when carrying out checks on the quality of teaching. This is resulting in tasks which are better matched to pupils’ needs and providing a greater level of challenge. Consequently, the quality of teaching is developing further and has contributed to the improving outcomes seen.  While self-evaluation accurately identifies the most pressing priorities, the school development plan lacks some precision. Leaders agree that sharpening this

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Inspection findings

aspect of their practice will aid accountability and support governors in more rigorously checking the impact of school improvement actions.  Pupils’ progress in reading and writing in key stage 2 has been broadly in line with the national average overall for the last two years and attainment is improving. Leaders are aware that attainment beyond the expected standard was below the national average in 2016 and 2017. You have put plans in place to support pupils, particularly the most able, to make even faster progress. Reading and writing attainment by the end of key stage 1 has been much stronger in 2017. Pupils made very good progress and many pupils exceeded the expected standard. Leaders have a good understanding of the attainment and progress of current pupils throughout school. You are using this knowledge to make sure that pupils receive the necessary support to help them make appropriate gains in their

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Inspection findings

learning. Consequently, pupils are generally making good progress throughout school in their reading and writing.  Your leadership of mathematics has resulted in rapid improvement in the outcomes seen at the end of each key stage. As a result of training for staff, there is now a consistent approach and high expectations of pupils’ achievement in mathematics. As a result of your new approach, pupils also have greater opportunities for reasoning and problem-solving, which is supporting them in making more rapid gains in their learning. Attainment in mathematics at the end of key stages 1 and 2 in 2017 was well above average, both at and beyond the expected standard. Additionally, pupils’ progress during key stage 2 was above average. Current pupils are making equally strong progress and mathematics is now the school’s strongest subject.  You have raised pupils’ and parents’ awareness and understanding of the

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Inspection findings

importance of good attendance. Pupils are encouraged to attend regularly, for example by the competition which is held in assembly each week. When pupils are persistently absent you take firm action and this usually results in improved attendance for this minority of individuals. As a result, attendance improved last year and has continued to be sustained at 96.4% so far this year.

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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

 governance is increasingly effective in holding school leaders to account for improving pupils’ outcomes  the school’s improvement plan contains more precise and measurable success criteria to enable leaders and governors to check rigorously the impact of actions taken  the proportion of pupils reaching a good level of development and exceeding the early learning goals by the end of Reception is further increased  the most able pupils in key stage 2 make faster progress to enable an increasing proportion to exceed the expected standards by the end of the key stage in reading and writing.

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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, I held meetings with you and the English leader. I also met with a member of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. I evaluated documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan, information about pupils’ progress, minutes of governing body meetings, attendance records and information about safeguarding. I spoke with several parents and carers at the start of the school day and considered the 16 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Six responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire were also considered. I observed the lunchtime experience and talked to pupils from a range of year groups. You and I visited each classroom together to observe teaching and learning, listen to pupils read and scrutinise pupils’ work in their books.

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