Skipton Parish Church Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Skipton Parish Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Brougham Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 2ES

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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 Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Despite their clear intent and the recent improvements to teaching, behaviour and attendance, newly appointed leaders have not had a sustained impact on improving pupils’ outcomes since the previous inspection.  The school’s performance in all subjects and at all key stages was well below the national average in 2018.  Leaders have been unable to secure consistent arrangements for teachers in all classes, which has slowed pupils’ progress.  The quality of teaching and learning remains highly variable. Pupils are not catching up quickly from their very low starting points. Some teachers in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2 are not planning learning well enough.  Some pupils, including those who have social, emotional and mental health needs, are not making the progress of which they are capable.  Leaders have improved pupils’ handwriting and presentation. However, the teaching of phonics and early reading is not effective in Year 1.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Exclusion rates and the number of serious incidents of poor behaviour, while reducing, remain high.  Leaders have had a positive impact on improving attendance and reducing persistent absence. However, the rate of absence still varies and remains high in some year groups.  Leaders do not monitor the progress children in Reception make carefully enough. Some children are making little or no progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Senior leaders understand the significant issues facing the school.  Middle leaders have received effective training so that they can play an increasing role in supporting staff to improve their teaching.  Governors’ oversight of the school’s work has strengthened considerably.  Teaching is strengthening in Year 5 and Year 6 so that pupils in these year groups are making good or better progress now. School, 3–4 April 2019

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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 the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that: – enough time is given for leaders to undertake their leadership responsibilities – the leader of early years acts urgently to improve provision in Reception – the recently appointed special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) accesses mandatory training for this role – inclusion leaders act urgently to improve provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs – leaders discharge all statutory duties regarding exclusions – leaders further reduce the high level of incidents of poor behaviour and exclusions – support is given to pupils and parents to further reduce persistent absence – the attendance rates for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) improves – subject leaders, including English and mathematics subject leaders, continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning – leaders respond to parents’ and carers’ wishes for improved communication with the

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

school.  Rapidly improve the rate of progress all pupils are making by ensuring that: – all pupils in the nurture class are consistently given their full curricular entitlement, including swimming lessons – parents and carers are included more fully in children’s learning in the early years – the curriculum is adapted in Reception to ensure that pupils who speak English as an additional language are given the help they need to make good progress – the quality of teaching is consistently strong in all key stages – teachers use assessment information more precisely to plan work that helps pupils make better progress – the teaching of phonics follows the systematic programme chosen by leaders – reading books in Year 1 are matched to pupils’ phonic knowledge – the skills of the behaviour leader are shared more widely across key stage 2 – leaders, teachers and teaching assistants stick to the plans agreed with parents and

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

pupils to support those who find managing their behaviour difficult. School, 3–4 April 2019

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Despite recent improvements to teaching, behaviour and attendance, leaders have not had a sustained impact on pupils’ outcomes since the previous inspection. Turbulence in staffing, including at senior and middle leadership level, has hampered efforts to address the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and learning with the urgency required. Pupils’ outcomes remain inadequate.  The headteacher, together with recently appointed leaders, has made several positive changes since she came to the school in September 2017. A programme of training for staff is beginning to support more rapid improvements to the quality of teaching, especially in Year 5 and Year 6. However, the newly formed leadership team have had too little time to put all of their ideas for improvement into practice. As a result, too many pupils are not making sufficiently strong progress to make up for the lost ground of previous years.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Changes to governance have strengthened the oversight of the school’s work considerably. Senior leaders and governors understand the areas that need to improve more quickly than in the past. There is now the much-needed capacity to improve at a faster rate.  The headteacher has developed the role of middle leaders successfully so that they play a more influential role in school improvement. For example, the English subject leader has recently introduced a new handwriting policy. As a result, pupils are taking much greater pride in the presentation of their work.  Leaders do not check closely enough on how well vulnerable pupils’ needs, such as those who may have social, emotional or mental health needs, are being met. This means that these pupils do not make the progress that they should, and their personal development is weak.  Leaders and managers have successfully reduced the proportion of fixed-term

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

exclusions, but they remain high.  Leaders have used additional sport premium funding effectively to increase training opportunities for staff. Leaders’ changes to the wider curriculum have had a positive impact on pupils’ learning and enjoyment. Information published on the school’s website gives parents ideas for supporting their children’s learning at home.  Leaders have responded to parents’ requests for improved communication. They established a parents’ forum and minutes of these meetings are published on the school’s website. Nevertheless, several parents think more could be done to improve communication further. Inspectors agree with these parents’ views.

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Governance of the school

 Following an external review of governance, changes were made to the governing body. The local authority has provided effective support by appointing governors to an interim executive board of governors. The local authority selected professionals who School, 3–4 April 2019 have the relevant skills and experience to improve leadership capacity quickly. Members include a governor with accreditation as a national leader of governance.  Governors applied for strategic school improvement funding from the Department for Education successfully. This extra funding further boosted leadership capacity. Successful leaders from another school coached middle leaders to improve their skills, and they also worked with leaders to improve the quality of teaching.  Governors monitor the impact of additional funding, including the extra funding provided for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders’ effective use of this funding has led to

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Governance of the school

improved attendance rates for disadvantaged pupils. In fact, the attendance rate of disadvantaged pupils is now better than the rate of attendance of other pupils.  Governors responded to parents’ requests to publish governor minutes on the school website. Minutes of the interim executive board meetings show that governors are providing high levels of challenge to school leaders.  Governors’ clear knowledge of the many remaining areas for improvement, their effective strategic leadership and the high level of challenge they are giving school leaders indicate that this school has the capacity to improve.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school has a policy on ‘dealing with abusive parents and carers’. Leaders say that implementation of this policy is a deterrent for adults considering threatening or violent conduct on site.  All staff have received statutory safeguarding and child protection training. Leaders have recently introduced an electronic method of storing safeguarding records. These records are well kept, and information is easy to locate.  The very high level of persistent absence is reducing, albeit slowly. Some pupils’ persistent absence remains unacceptably high. Inspectors evaluated the school’s arrangements for checking that pupils who are absent without a reason are safe. These arrangements are fit for purpose.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 The frequent and continuing changes to teaching staff have slowed pupils’ progress in a large proportion of the school. Although leaders have addressed some inadequate teaching, the quality of teaching overall still varies greatly between different classes and subjects. There is also wide variation in the quality of pupils’ work.  This variation in the quality of teaching can lead to ‘one step forwards, two-steps back’ for pupils who need to make good or better progress consistently. One parent said, ‘I’m not confident if the same level of teaching exists across all classes in key stage 2, and this could potentially impact on my child. One year she makes great progress but then falls behind due to inadequate teaching in the next year.’ Inspectors agree that the quality of teaching is inconsistent in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2. School, 3–4 April 2019  Teachers are not ensuring that Year 1 pupils know their letters and sounds, so pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

are not developing their early reading skills as well as they should. The reading books Year 1 pupils are given to read are not matched well enough to the sounds they know. This means pupils stumble over lots of words that they cannot read, and this knocks their confidence.  There have been very recent changes to the way mathematics is taught. In some year groups, pupils are now making better progress in mathematics. However, this is not the case in all year groups.  Some teachers do not use assessment information precisely enough to identify the gaps in pupils’ knowledge in mathematics. This means teachers do not plan work that will help move pupils’ learning forward effectively. There is variation in the quality of teaching and assessment across Years 1 to 3 in this subject. This has resulted in limited progress for some groups of pupils, especially the less able and the most able pupils.  The quality of teaching is consistently good in upper key stage 2 and these pupils,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

including those with SEND, are making good progress.  Pupils enjoy the new curriculum themes, and so do parents. One parent said, ‘We enjoy being invited into school for the curriculum afternoon, which is held at the end of each half term, and we appreciate the organisation that goes into these occasions.’  The Year 6 teacher leads English, and her strong subject knowledge is helping Year 6 pupils to make good progress in their writing. For example, the Year 6 teacher reminded pupils of different types of sentence openers to help scaffold their writing of a persuasive argument. As a result, one pupil wrote, ‘Undoubtedly, fire-safety knowledge is essential for later life. In addition, children would also benefit from this knowledge if they had a fire emergency in their childhood.’ However, this quality of teaching remains the exception rather than the norm.  Despite some pockets of good or better teaching, too high a proportion of pupils are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

still being let down by weak teaching. This includes vulnerable groups of pupils. For example, pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs are making inadequate progress in their learning. The work set for them is far too easy and the gap between them and their peers is widening.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  There is inconsistency in the way teachers encourage pupils to have positive attitudes to their learning. Where teaching is strong, pupils say that their teachers help them work well together. Where teaching is weaker, some pupils who spoke to inspectors said that they did not like the way they are spoken to. For example, one key stage 2 pupil said teachers are not always fair, ‘and they don’t treat us like we want to be treated.’  Just over half of the 58 parents who responded through Parent View (Ofsted’s online School, 3–4 April 2019 questionnaire for parents), say that the school deals effectively with bullying, including allegations of racist bullying. Inspectors found leaders’ responses to bullying to be thorough and appropriate. As such, the number of incidents of bullying is reducing. However, some parents say they do not feel listened to or well supported.

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Personal development and welfare

 Most pupils told inspectors they feel safe in school, and that they know how to stay safe online.  Leaders have not had time to implement, fully, the work they have started on developing the wider curriculum. There are gaps in pupils’ knowledge of other faiths and cultures. Pupils’ knowledge of British values is underdeveloped.  The development of pupils’ emotional well-being is limited when pupils are excluded from school, especially when these exclusions are for extended periods.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is inadequate.  Some parents remain concerned about the impact of poor behaviour on learning. A small minority of parents say that their children feel unsafe at school. One parent typically commented, ‘Our son has previously said he feels unsafe in school. As his parent, I have witnessed his class being incredibly disruptive and, when I have raised concerns, it has been dismissed as a thing of the past, despite recent issues.’  Twenty-five staff responded to the survey undertaken by Ofsted during this inspection. Of those, 68% agreed that pupils behave well at school. 24% of staff disagreed or strongly disagreed that leaders support staff well in managing pupils’ behaviour.  Some pupils with SEND have social, emotional and mental health needs that make it difficult for them to regulate their behaviour. The provision for this vulnerable group of pupils is inadequate because leaders are not meeting their needs.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ attendance has improved overall, but it is variable in different year groups and for different groups of pupils. The low attendance rates of pupils in Years 3 and 4, including pupils with SEND, has had a negative impact on their progress. Some of these absences have been due to exclusions or reduced timetables. Rates of persistent absence are also high in some year groups, including Year 4 and Year 6.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Pupils have made inadequate progress over time. Except for the current pupils in Year 5 and Year 6, who are making better progress more recently, other pupils are still making inadequate progress due to persistent weaknesses in the quality of teaching.  In 2018, Year 6 pupils made average progress in English, but their progress in mathematics was poor. Inspection evidence shows that pupils in Year 6 are making better progress now, but they have a long way to go to make up for the lost ground of the past.  From their very low starting points on entry to key stage 2, pupils are not catching up quickly in English. The gap is widening for some vulnerable groups of pupils, including School, 3–4 April 2019 pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. Some pupils’ high absence rates, and the high number of fixed-term exclusions, have also affected the progress that some vulnerable key stage 2 pupils are making.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 The Year 3 and Year 4 pupils in the nurture group make inadequate progress. Some of these pupils are on reduced timetables, which hinders their access to the wider curriculum and limits the amount of progress they can make. Leaders and managers have failed to monitor these pupils closely enough, resulting in the expectations for these pupils being too low.  The progress and attainment of the most able pupils is not good enough. These pupils make considerably less progress than their peers nationally.  In 2018, Year 2 pupils’ results in reading, writing and mathematics were well below the national average in all subjects. In fact, these results were within the bottom 10% compared to other pupils nationally. Less than a third of pupils reached the standard expected for their age in writing and mathematics, with 42% reaching the standard in reading.  Year 2 pupils are making better progress in their reading now. Inspectors evaluated

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

current Year 2 pupils as fluent and confident readers. Leaders say that less than half of current Year 2 pupils are writing at the standard expected for their age. Current pupils’ attainment and progress in writing in key stage 1 is not good enough.  The progress made by pupils in mathematics is weak. This is acknowledged by leaders, but the strategies put in place to address this are not enabling pupils to catch up with their peers nationally.  Results of the Year 1 phonics screening check have continued to fall. In the 2018 check, less than half of Year 1 pupils met the standard. Year 1 pupils are not securing the essential early reading skills they need.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 In 2018, less than half of the children reached a good level of development, which is well below the national average. Children were also below the national average in their personal, social and emotional development. This means that children were not well prepared to start Year 1.  Adults do not all understand precisely enough what children are capable of in each area of learning when they start Reception. Not all adults have high enough expectations of all children. This means that some children, including the most able, do not make the progress of which they are capable.  The early years section of the school’s improvement plans identifies ‘the quality, quantity and effective use of assessment’ as the priority for improvement. Leaders have had limited impact on addressing this priority. There is inconsistency in adults’ evaluations of children’s learning and progress. Information from assessment is not

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Early years provision Inadequate

used well enough to enable children to make the progress they should.  Insufficient attention is given to analysing the progress of vulnerable groups, including children who speak English as an additional language. Leaders have not tailored the School, 3–4 April 2019 curriculum to ensure that these children catch up quickly. The gap for disadvantaged children and those with SEND is also widening. The progress that these vulnerable groups of pupils are making shows little sign of improvement.  The new early years leader was appointed in September 2018. Leaders prioritised improving the quality of different areas of provision. This is helping children to develop their understanding of the world. For example, one child was enjoying manipulating a small block of ice that had a toy figure frozen inside. When asked, ‘What will happen when the ice melts?’ the child said, ‘The lady will come out.’  Strategies for engaging parents about their child’s learning are weak. The school’s

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Early years provision Inadequate

website includes information for parents in other key stages, but not for Reception. Leaders have plans to engage parents in their children’s learning, but these ideas have not been implemented.  Links with pre-school providers are underdeveloped. This includes the on-site nursery. Although leaders have plans to make links with pre-school providers to gather information about the children before they start school, these ideas have not been put into action.  The staffing arrangements in Reception have been unsettled since the previous inspection.  The early years environment is safe and secure. Safeguarding and welfare requirements are met. School, 3–4 April 2019

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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

School category Maintained Voluntary controlled

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School details

Appropriate authority Interim executive board

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School details

Email address headteacher@parish.n-yorks.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1–2 February 2017

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized school with falling pupil numbers.  There has been a change in headteacher and governing body since the previous inspection. The headteacher was appointed in September 2017.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is broadly in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. Almost 17% of pupils speak English as an additional language.  Rates of persistent absence and fixed-term exclusion are above average. School, 3–4 April 2019

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors, often accompanied by senior leaders, observed learning in all classes. Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and evaluated learning in specific additional examples of pupils’ work provided by school leaders.  Together with school leaders, inspectors looked at assessment information provided by leaders about pupils’ current attainment and progress.  The headteacher and school administrator shared records relating to attendance and safeguarding with inspectors.  Inspectors listened to pupils read from Year 1 and Year 2. Pupils’ learning and interactions in small groups, in lessons, in the dining room and on the playground were observed. Inspectors spoke to several pupils on the playground, before school and at playtime. Inspectors met with a focus group of nine pupils from key stage 2. Inspectors also discussed learning and behaviour with seven pupils individually.  Inspectors evaluated leadership documents provided by the school, including the

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Information about this inspection

school improvement plan, local authority reports, monitoring records, minutes of meetings of the interim executive board and records of leaders’ work with improvement partners.  Inspectors evaluated records of serious incidents of poor behaviour, exclusion records, records of parental complaints, including allegations of racist bullying, and leaders’ investigation and response to parental complaints.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, pupil premium and sports funding leader. Interviews were also held with the leaders of behaviour, early years, mathematics and English, the school administrator and the SENCo.  Additional meetings were held with five members of the interim executive board, one representative from the North Yorkshire school improvement team and a representative from Leeds Diocese.  Inspectors considered the opinions of 58 parents who responded through Parent View

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Information about this inspection

(Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents), including 55 free-text responses. Inspectors also considered written correspondence from parents and comments made by 14 parents before the start of the school day. Telephone interviews were held with three parents of pupils with SEND.  There were no responses to the pupil survey.  Inspectors took account of the of the 25 online responses returned by members of staff, including 17 additional written comments made by staff.

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Inspection team

Tracey Ralph, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Marsh Ofsted Inspector School, 3–4 April 2019 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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