Newby and Scalby Primary School

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

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Mr Chris Knowles Headteacher Newby and Scalby Primary School The Green Newby Scarborough North Yorkshire YO12 5JA

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Short inspection of Newby and Scalby Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 9 January 2018, 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 July 2013.

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Short inspection of Newby and Scalby Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have provided strong, committed and perceptive leadership, which has driven the continuous development of the school. Along with your leaders and governors, you have accurately identified the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. The school’s detailed self-evaluation and improvement plan clearly identify the priorities for improving the school further.

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Short inspection of Newby and Scalby Primary School

Leaders, staff and governors have largely tackled the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. They have also maintained the previously identified strengths. For example, you and your staff work hard to develop the quality of teaching and to improve pupils’ outcomes. Regular checks by leaders identify where staff need professional development or individualised support to develop their teaching skills. The vast majority of staff believe that leaders use professional development to encourage, challenge and support their improvement.

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Short inspection of Newby and Scalby Primary School

Leaders’ focus on delivering an interesting curriculum through good-quality teaching has had a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes. For example, your teachers provide pupils with interesting and purposeful contexts in which to write. This has had a positive impact on pupils’ writing and English grammar, spelling and punctuation outcomes. Your focus on improving the quality of phonics teaching has resulted in a substantial improvement in pupils’ phonics skills. Consequently, in 2016, pupils’ outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check improved substantially and they have been above the averages found nationally for the last two years. In 2017, there was an improvement in the proportion of pupils attaining the expected and the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. Your school’s results were comparable to the national averages for these measures. As a result, increasing numbers of your pupils are well prepared for starting

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Short inspection of Newby and Scalby Primary School

secondary school. Your analysis of current pupil outcome information indicates that this trend is likely to continue.

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Short inspection of Newby and Scalby Primary School

Your analysis shows that pupils’ progress and attainment in mathematics need to improve. You are beginning to have some success. For example, in 2017, pupils’ progress in mathematics by the end of key stage 2 improved compared to the previous year. However, there is further work to be done to raise pupils’ outcomes in mathematics, particularly in key stage 1, where some pupils are not making good progress and their attainment lags behind that expected for their age. The progress of disadvantaged pupils in this subject also needs to improve.

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Short inspection of Newby and Scalby Primary School

The provision for pupils’ personal development and welfare is a key strength of the school. Your curriculum, caring ethos and opportunities for responsibilities all help to develop pupils’ citizenship skills and prepare them well for life in modern Britain. You, your staff and governors strive to ensure that each pupil is successful at your school. As a result, pupils feel safe and valued. Some of them told me the best things about your school are that they have ‘lots of friends’ and that ‘lessons are fun, challenging and enjoyable’. The overwhelming responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, were very positive about the school.

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Short inspection of Newby and Scalby Primary School

You, your staff and governors give the highest priority to keeping pupils safe, and there is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Leaders carry out appropriate checks for all staff, governors and volunteers. Staff and governors receive regular and appropriate training so they know how to keep pupils safe. This includes training on how to protect pupils from radicalisation and extremism. Consequently, staff and governors understand the safeguarding procedures and their own responsibilities. You and your staff work effectively with parents and other agencies. You have a determined approach to ensuring additional support for your pupils if they have specific needs. For example, support provided by the inclusion team enables pupils who may be vulnerable to thrive and succeed.

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Short inspection of Newby and Scalby Primary School

Your pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online. They know the different forms that bullying can take and know that staff will help them if they ever have concerns. Pupils believe that behaviour at your school is good and that incidents of bullying are rare. You and your staff make effective use of systems to monitor behaviour and bullying. You take prompt action to address any concerns and put in well-planned support for pupils where required. Parents agreed that their children feel safe in your school and that staff ensure that children are well behaved.

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Inspection findings

 You and your leaders regularly review the quality of teaching and the effect on pupils’ progress. You have a ‘hands-on’ approach to modelling effective practice and supporting teachers where you identify that pupils need to accelerate their progress further. For example, following your analysis of the autumn term pupil progress information, you have plans in place to work alongside a small group of teachers.  Mostly, teachers plan effectively to meet the pupils’ learning needs and interests. During our visits to key stage 2 English lessons, pupils were well engaged in their learning. Teachers made effective use of questioning to check pupils’ understanding and deepen pupils’ learning.  Teachers provide pupils with opportunities to develop reading and writing skills in a range of contexts and across other subjects. Where relevant, pupils make use of information technology to develop their research skills. Consequently, pupils

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Inspection findings

are motivated to learn and engage positively with teachers and their peers or work with high levels of independence. A review of pupils’ English books demonstrated that pupils have regular opportunities to improve their handwriting, grammar, spelling and punctuation. These books showed that pupils made good progress in the autumn term.  Your subject leader for mathematics has a good understanding of the priorities for improving pupils’ outcomes in this subject. This is because she makes effective use of a range of information to check the quality of mathematics teaching and the effect of this on pupils’ outcomes. She uses relevant national research information effectively, for example, when auditing staff’s strengths and weaknesses in mathematics teaching.  Staff training to improve pupils’ problem-solving and reasoning in mathematics is beginning to take effect. During our visits to key stage 1 mathematics lessons, it

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Inspection findings

was possible to see some evidence of these aspects of mathematics in pupils’ work. However, you recognise that there is more to be done to improve the quality of teaching of mathematics further, as your own analysis shows that some pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils, are not making good progress in this subject, particularly in key stage 1.  The team of subject leaders for English has a good understanding of the priorities in the subject. Actions taken to improve pupils’ phonics skills and writing skills have had a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes in these areas. There is also evidence that pupils’ reading skills are improving in key stage 1. In 2017, increased proportions of pupils achieved the expected standard and greater depth in reading by the end of Year 2. You are also raising the profile of reading through developing the school library and increasing opportunities for pupils to visit the local library.

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Inspection findings

 In 2017, there was an increase in the proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception. However, the school’s results were below the averages found nationally on this measure for the last two years. Leaders have worked with the main pre-school provider and a number of other pre-school providers to establish understanding of the assessments and needs of children. This helps to ensure a smooth transition for children from pre-school into Reception.  The leader for early years has recently taken on this role in school. She has promptly identified that there is a need to improve the opportunities for children in early years to develop their learning in reading, writing and mathematics. This is being developed through a balance of teacher-led learning alongside carefully planned learning activities for children to choose from in the classrooms and outdoor learning areas. There is some emerging evidence that this has already

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Inspection findings

had a positive impact on children’s outcomes in reading and writing. Even so, there is more to do to ensure that this work is well embedded.  Governors have increased the regularity of their meetings in order to provide greater opportunities to scrutinise the work of the school. This has helped them to improve their understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. They make effective use of this information to provide a good balance of support and challenge to leaders.

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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

 pupils’ progress in mathematics, particularly in key stage 1, accelerates, so that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, make good progress and the school’s attainment results at least match the averages found nationally  teachers develop the recently introduced approaches to improve children’s learning in reading, writing and mathematics in early years, so that children make good progress and the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is at least in line with the averages found nationally.

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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 North Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this one-day inspection, I discussed the work of the school with you, your deputy headteacher and your assistant headteacher. I also held meetings with the leaders for English, mathematics and early years. I observed and spoke with pupils during playtime and at other times during the day. I held a meeting with a representative from the local authority. I met with five governors, including the chair of the governing body, who were able to provide me with additional information. I took into account school documentation, assessment information, policies, and information posted on the school website. I considered the 61 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View. I reviewed the 22 responses to the staff survey. With you, I visited five classes to observe teaching and learning. I looked at pupils’ English and mathematics work to help evaluate the quality of teaching and learning over time. I considered information relating to safeguarding,

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