Staynor Hall Primary Academy

Staynor Hall Primary Academy Staynor Link, Selby, North Yorkshire YO8 8GE

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The recently appointed headteacher has quickly established positive relationships with staff, pupils and parents. Pupils and staff thrive due to the mutual respect and strong sense of teamwork evident at school.  Since the school opened, leaders have addressed areas for improvement effectively. As a result, the quality of teaching is consistently effective in ensuring that pupils make good progress.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders are in the process of reviewing this to ensure that pupils acquire increasingly complex knowledge as they move through the school.  Leaders are well supported by the academy trust. Many middle leaders are new to their role. They have suitable expertise but have not had time to lead improvements in their areas of responsibility.  The trust has developed a systematic cycle of monitoring and assessment that is thorough and effective. Teachers’ professional development, often bespoke, drives

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improvement.  Governors are committed and know the school well. They are well informed and have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and relative weaknesses.  Phonics teaching in Year 1 is highly effective. However, children, particularly lower-attainers, do not get off to the best start in the early years because the books they use to practise reading are not matched to their phonics knowledge.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively. For example, a behaviour and support team provide timely nurture to pupils and improve their sense of well-being. Attendance rates for this group of pupils has improved significantly in response to this.  Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. They have positive attitudes to their learning and enjoy school.  Leaders effectively promote pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development. However, some pupils have an underdeveloped knowledge of other cultures.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Provision to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. Pupils are well supported by additional adults and fully included within the school.  Early years leadership and teaching are effective and children make good progress. However, activities for two-year-olds and outdoor activities are not consistently well designed to maximise children’s independent learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by: – developing the skills of subject leaders and ensuring that they lead improvements in their subject areas consistently – improving the curriculum offer and ensuring that pupils acquire increasingly complex knowledge, including about cultures other than their own.  Improve the quality of teaching in the early years so that: – children get off to a strong start in their phonics by ensuring that the books they use to practise reading are correctly matched to their phonics knowledge – phonics sessions are effective in supporting the development of lower-attaining children’s early reading – outside activities chosen by the children have a clear purpose for learning and challenge their thinking – the provision for two-year-olds matches the standard of provision in the Nursery and Reception classes.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The new headteacher and senior leaders, together with the governors, work effectively as a team and share a positive approach to make sure that pupils benefit from a high- quality education. They have effective systems for ensuring pupils’ well-being. The quality of teaching, pupils’ outcomes and their personal development, behaviour and attendance have improved and are now strong.  The deputy headteacher is also new to role through promotion and he has supported the transition of the headteacher effectively, enabling her to develop the school improvement plan quickly. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the school and is determined to have a positive impact on developing the wider curriculum.  Leaders and governors have been astute in their appointments of staff from within the trust. The leader of mathematics is knowledgeable about the subject and frequently monitors standards across the school. She is determined in her approach and is trialling

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

ways to deepen learning. She has contributed to the professional development of teaching staff, which has secured mathematics teaching as a strength of the school.  Many middle leaders have been recently appointed to role. However, their experience of leadership demonstrates capacity to improve rapidly. The newly appointed science leader has a proven track record of leading art in school and is developing a clear vision for improvement in science. Through initial monitoring, she has identified appropriate priorities. However, it is too soon to see the difference she has made to the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  Leaders have ensured a strong focus on reading, which underpins pupils’ learning across all subjects. They have been successful in fostering pupils’ enthusiasm for reading through a range of strategies.  The special educational needs coordinator knows the pupils very well and has strong

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

links with families and outside agencies. She has ensured that pupils with SEND make strong progress through providing tailored provision to their needs.  A strong cycle of support and training provided through the trust has secured good teaching across all key stages. Teachers’ expertise is shared among colleagues and is revisited to ensure maximum impact. In this way, teachers feel valued and confident in their practices. This is reflected in the very good attitudes to learning demonstrated by pupils across school.  The primary school physical education and sports funding is spent effectively. Leaders track carefully each pupils’ participation in sport outside of lessons and use this to target less-active pupils. All pupils take part in a club, competition or event over the course of the year. The sports funding is also used well to provide continuing professional development for all teaching staff.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders target the pupil premium spending effectively. It provides strong support for disadvantaged pupils. Use of this support has accelerated progress and improved attendance of disadvantaged pupils.  Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is broad and balanced. They are in the process of redesigning the curriculum to make pupils’ learning even more coherent. They have identified that, sometimes, learning is not sequenced in the best way to maximise pupils’ acquisition of increasingly complex knowledge.

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Governance of the school

 Governors display a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. This is because they know the school well through the information provided by leaders. Governors are supportive of staff and they use a range of information, including visits to the school and external reports, to monitor the results of the actions that leaders have taken.  Governors have ensured that the funding for disadvantaged pupils has been used well, for instance to develop effective support for pupils’ well-being. As a result, they have employed a behaviour and social, emotional and mental health lead to help secure improvement.  Trustees make thorough and frequent checks on the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Pupils are taught how to stay safe online through carefully planned lessons that are enhanced by visitors to the school.  All adults working with pupils are subject to appropriate checks to ensure their suitability to work with children.  Leaders have ensured that a culture of keeping children safe is of paramount importance and everyone’s responsibility. As a result, parents, pupils and staff are confident that the school’s work to keep children safe is a strength of the school.  All staff receive regular and relevant training. They are vigilant and report any concerns to the safeguarding team. Pupils clearly describe how the care of staff positively enhances their well-being.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct. They have established a productive working atmosphere through a shared language which ensures that pupils participate wholeheartedly in classrooms. There are strong relationships between staff and pupils and between pupils themselves. This means that time in lessons is focused on teaching and learning.  Staff are motivated to improve their practice and they appreciate the opportunities they have to develop their teaching skills. For example, this year they have received support for developing the teaching of writing to improve outcomes in all key stages. This has been effective in ensuring that pupils’ writing skills are built on systematically.  Reading books show that teachers are typically skilled in posing reading comprehension questions which are effective in ensuring that pupils develop a range of skills. Activities are usually well matched to pupils’ ability and are often linked to a class story or to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

their topic. Most teachers have high expectations of pupils’ answers. This results in pupils demonstrating a deep understanding of what they have read.  Phonics is well taught in Year 1. Teaching sessions are engaging, focused and fun. Pupils have a wealth of opportunities to hear and practise sounding out and blending. Their learning is built up from sound to word and sentence. Writing opportunities are incorporated successfully within the session. Consequently, almost all pupils read fluently by the end of Year 1.  Story time contributes well to pupils’ understanding of books. Teachers’ careful questioning enables pupils to make predictions based on evidence in the text. This is a positive end to the day and plays an important part in fostering pupils’ enjoyment of reading.  In mathematics lessons, concrete apparatus is used to secure a deep understanding of numbers. Teachers ask probing questions and pupils of all abilities are given

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

opportunities to develop and express their mathematical reasoning. Teachers are swift to address misconceptions and pupils are given opportunities to improve, extend or correct their answers, which results in strong progress. This approach is also beginning to have impact in some science lessons.  In some subject areas, staff have developed links between subjects well to enhance pupils’ learning. For example, in Year 3’s topic on Selby Abbey, pupils develop skills in English, history and art that are carefully planned and progressive. However, this planned progression of skills is not consistently reflected across all subject areas and year groups.  Music provision is a strength of the school. Pupils from the early years to Year 6 benefit from lessons provided by a specialist music teacher. Links are made to other curriculum subjects, where appropriate, and an assessment system has been introduced. This

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

means that teaching is tailored to meet pupils’ needs.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Leaders’ commitment to supporting pupils’ personal development ensures that pupils receive individual support to cope with different situations. For example, pupils check in ‘with a grade’ to say how they are feeling every morning. The behaviour support team then ensure that emotional support is put in place for the pupils who need it.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning, they work well together and are keen to do well. They value the education they receive.  Pupils say that bullying is extremely rare at Staynor Hall. They have a good understanding of what bullying is and what they should do if they feel they are being bullied. They can describe articulately the different forms of bullying and know how to stay safe online.  Pupils develop a good sense of responsibility and community. They take on responsibilities, which include being elected members of the school council, digital

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Personal development and welfare

leaders and playground buddies. Pupils from key stage 2 have responsibility for serving pupils through a family dining service. This supports younger pupils, who often play with their older school friends at breaktimes.  Pupils appreciate the opportunities they have for extra-curricular activities. They benefit from participating in a variety of clubs and are all encouraged to try new activities. Pupils also have the opportunity to take on the role of play leader at lunchtimes.  Pupils have a wealth of opportunities which enhance their spiritual, moral and social development. For example, pupils in the school choir have performed at Selby Abbey for a charity concert. However, some pupils have limited knowledge and understanding of cultures which are different from their own.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are polite, sensible and mature. They are welcoming and courteous and show good manners around school, routinely holding doors open for each other and adults.  Pupils’ work in books is usually neat and well presented, demonstrating the pride pupils take in their work. Pupil behaviour records show that there are very low instances of poor behaviour, and this was typical in the lessons observed during the inspection.  Due to the effective work of the leaders and the behaviour support team, overall attendance rates are above the national average. Rates of attendance for disadvantaged pupils have improved significantly.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils’ work in books and in-school assessment show that they make strong progress in English and mathematics.  Pupils who have been in the school for longer make more progress. Careful intervention plans are put in place for pupils new to the school through the well- structured monitoring cycle. Leaders from across the trust ensure that information about the progress that pupils are making and the standards that they are reaching is well used to enable new pupils to catch up.  Leaders are very proud of pupils’ outcomes from the Year 1 phonics check. The strong teaching of phonics in Year 1 has ensured that pupils achieve well above the national average. For the last two years, all Year 1 pupils have reached the expected standard in the phonics screening check. Pupils quickly develop secure reading skills so they can decode unfamiliar words.  By the end of key stage 1, the attainment of pupils is at least in line with the national

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Outcomes for pupils Good

average in reading and writing. In mathematics, the attainment of boys is well above the national average at both the expected and higher standard. They achieve particularly well.  In key stage 1, pupils’ work and in-school data shows that reading and writing outcomes have improved for boys and disadvantaged pupils. Disadvantaged pupils have benefited from additional support to address any gaps in learning. The gap between girls and boys is closing.  There is no published key stage 2 data because up until this year, there were no pupils in Year 6. Currently, pupils’ work through key stage 2 demonstrates that they are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  In wider curriculum subjects, including history and science, pupils typically make good progress. However, leaders acknowledge that the current curriculum design does not guarantee that pupils’ knowledge and progress is consistently maximised year-on-year.

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Early years provision Good

 The leader of the early years is experienced and knowledgeable. She is regularly involved in the monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning and has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. As a result, she has ensured that teaching is typically effective. Where teaching requires strengthening, leaders have plans in place to support this.  Children enter the early years with skills and knowledge which are broadly typical for their age. In most areas of learning, they make strong progress from their starting points. The proportion of children who reach and exceed a good level of development is in considerably above the national average.  Children have strong relationships with the adults in the setting. There is a focus on supporting children’s social and emotional development. Children conduct themselves well and cooperate well with others.  There are a wealth of opportunities for children to develop their fine motor and writing

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Early years provision Good

skills and many children engage in these independently. They are developing a tripod grip and can write at length.  Activities to improve children’s skills in number are encouraged in many areas of learning. Children are encouraged to use practical apparatus to visualise numbers, and adults model how to record numbers in practical tasks.  The early years leader has a clear expectation of children’s acquisition of phonics knowledge. Phonics sessions are appropriately matched to the children’s stage of development. However, sometimes adult-led phonics sessions are not effective in supporting the development of lower-attaining children’s early reading. Additionally, the books children read to practise their phonics skills are not always precisely matched to their ability. This hampers their progress.  A wide range of resources and well-designed activities are planned indoors. Adults model language well and, as a result, children’s communication skills develop quickly.

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Early years provision Good

However, the outdoor provision is not as effective. Some activities chosen by the children do not have a clear purpose for learning or challenge their thinking.  There have been some changes in staffing which have made ensuring that there is high-quality teaching in all areas more challenging. This is also reflected in the quality of teaching in the two-year-old class where children do not consistently sustain concentration and sometimes flit between activities. However, the leader has taken action to support staff through coaching and team teaching.  Parents are well involved in their child’s learning and give information to early years staff, sharing in assessments. There is an ‘open door’ policy and parents receive home visits to ensure that transition to the early years is smooth. Parents are well informed about their children’s progress and know how to help them at home.  Children are well cared for and kept safe, with all welfare requirements met. They are

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Early years provision Good

supervised carefully by all adults. Their curiosity and willingness to play and work with others contributes well to their progress.

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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

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school opened in September 2016 as part of the Ebor Academy Trust. The headteacher joined the school this term.  The early years consists of a two-year-old provision, Nursery and Reception classes taught in a unit.  The number on roll has increased steadily and now has pupils in each year group. A considerable number of pupils joined the school in Years 5 and 6.  The school is oversubscribed in key stage 1.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is lower than average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is lower than average.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in each class, including joint observations with the headteacher. They examined a range of pupils’ work in subjects across year groups and subjects.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, both individually and as part of classroom activities. They spoke with pupils formally and informally around the school. Inspectors also considered the nine responses to Ofsted’s pupils’ survey.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at lunchtimes and when pupils were moving around the school.  Inspectors took account of the views of 62 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, along with the 21 free-text responses. They also took account of responses from 25 members of staff who completed the staff survey.  Meetings were held with governors, the trust executive headteacher, senior leaders, middle leaders and other staff.  Inspectors considered a range of documentation, including the school’s evaluation of

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Information about this inspection

its own performance and its areas for development and the school improvement plan. They also looked at attendance and behaviour records.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding documentation, considered how this relates to daily practice and spoke with staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Alexa O’Gara, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rajinder Harrison 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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