Thorpe Willoughby Community Primary School

Inspection of Thorpe Willoughby Community Primary School Londesborough Grove, Fox Lane, Thorpe Willoughby, Selby, North Yorkshire YO8 9NX

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 12–13 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Thorpe Willoughby is a friendly school where pupils feel happy and safe. Pupils like coming to school and they get on well with their teachers. Attendance is getting better. Pupils enjoy taking part in practical activities. They like discussion, going on visits or having visitors in school. They say that more of their lessons are like this now.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In the past, staff expectations have been too low. Pupils have not learned as well as they could have. The new headteacher has made lots of changes. As a result, teaching is getting better. Pupils who need to catch up are getting extra help, but there is still a lot to do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to share opinions because they discuss issues in the news. They vote for their school council. They would like to have more clubs to help them develop their own talents and interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that there is some bullying, but staff deal with it. Some pupils do not understand the difference between bullying and falling out. Most pupils behave well all the time. They told us it is important to play and learn well together. They helped to develop the school rules and they take pride in following them.

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better?

Since the headteacher’s arrival in January 2019, pupils’ learning in reading, writing and mathematics has started to improve. Expectations across the school have increased. Pupils’ behaviour and attendance have improved. Pupils are now eager to learn. They engage well with more challenging and focused teaching.

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better?

Leaders have made the teaching of reading a top priority. There has been significant investment in new books and training for staff. Pupils’ attitudes towards reading are improving but leaders know there is more to do. Children at the early stages of learning to read now have books to help them build confidence. Teaching of phonics is improving but not all pupils are making as much progress as they should. In part, this is because children do not start phonics soon enough when they come into Reception. Older pupils love their whole-class reading sessions. They study books such as ‘Street Child’ and ‘The Firework Maker’s Daughter’. This approach is helping pupils to develop their understanding and ability to read more challenging books.

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better?

In mathematics, a coherent plan helps teachers to build pupils’ knowledge and skills over time. Teachers have good subject knowledge. Pupils show good understanding when they use and apply their knowledge to solve problems.

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better?

In other subjects, there is too much variability in planning and teaching. Teachers 12–13 November 2019

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have not yet fully considered what pupils need to know and remember as they move through school. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 did not know what geography is. They struggled to use basic subject vocabulary, such as ‘continent’ or ‘country’. By contrast, the physical education (PE) programme ensures that pupils build skills and knowledge over time. Year 6 pupils knew how they could apply their skills and knowledge to play a range of different games, such as rugby, football and netball.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included well in the life of the school. However, they do not make the progress that they should in all subjects. Some staff do not have the skills or resources they need to support the learning of pupils with SEND. Leaders have started to provide relevant training for staff and for improving the curriculum.

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Children in Reception are well looked after and behave well. They particularly enjoy learning in the recently extended outdoor area. During the inspection, they built dens and went on a number hunt. Staff support children to build their vocabulary, and they encourage them to extend their thinking. However, the early years curriculum lacks ambition and does not provide children with the opportunity to learn well in some areas. As a result, too few children secure the skills they need to make a strong start to key stage 1.

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Leaders promote pupils’ personal and social development well. They have developed a set of core values in consultation with staff, parents and pupils. They intend that these values will thread through all aspects of school life. This hasn’t happened yet, but pupils are already beginning to recognise what it means to be resilient. Pupils now have more opportunities to take part in local sporting events and to go on visits. Year 6 pupils were enthusiastic about a recent trip to York Castle Museum. They were also fascinated to learn about the history of Barnardo’s.

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The headteacher has made many positive changes in her first ten months. Leaders know that there is still a lot to do. Governors have provided strong support and challenge. Leaders have enlisted the support of experts from the local authority and from local schools. These actions have led to improving teaching and assessment. As a result, pupils are starting to make better progress.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have made pupils’ safety their top priority. Staff and governors have been trained to a high standard. Everyone knows what to do if they are concerned about the welfare of a pupil. Leaders maintain careful records and make sure that pupils who are at risk of harm get the support they need.

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Safeguarding

Most pupils say that they feel safe in school. They trust the adults in school to help them if they are worried. They learn about staying safe online and in other situations. 12–13 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have taken action to improve the quality of teaching and learning, but the overall quality of education is not yet good. Pupils’ experience of some aspects of the curriculum is fragmented. Leaders now need to ensure that knowledge, skills and understanding in all curriculum areas are appropriately planned and sequenced to allow pupils to build on prior learning, make connections and be ready for their next stage in education.  The capacity of the senior leadership team has been enhanced through the secondment of a deputy headteacher from another school. This is beginning to impact on improving teaching and learning across the curriculum in years 5 and 6, but this additional capacity needs to be sustained and broadened across the whole school.  Curriculum leadership is at an early stage of development, particularly for the foundation subject areas. Some leaders currently lack the experience, skills and

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

knowledge to lead their subject effectively across the whole school. Senior leaders need to continue to share good practice and support the development of leadership skills so that curriculum leadership at all levels is brought up to the standard seen in mathematics.  The provision in the early years has been developed and expanded in recent months, but this is still a work in progress. Although there is a curriculum plan in place for the early years and links to learning in Year 1 have been considered, the current approach is not ensuring that all children are making the progress that they could, given their starting points. This is particularly evident in reading and writing, and for the most able children. Leaders need to review the scope and ambition of the early years curriculum and continue to develop approaches to teaching, learning and assessment to ensure all children are ready to make a strong start in Year 1.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 12–13 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110682 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Charlotte Haines–Lyon

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School details

Website www.thorpewilloughby.n-yorks.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4–5 November 2015

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Information about this school

 Since the school was last inspected, there has been a significant change of leadership. The new headteacher has been in post for ten months. A deputy headteacher has been seconded from another school since the beginning of September 2019.  The school is an enhanced mainstream school for communication and interaction. Organised by the local authority, it is part of North Yorkshire’s special educational needs provision for local schools, with staff providing outreach provision.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average, but the proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is above the national average.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. A small proportion are of Roma or Gypsy heritage.  There is a lower proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged than the national average. 12–13 November 2019

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with five governors, including the chair of the governing body. A meeting was also held with the school adviser from the local authority.  We met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher, as well as the teachers who lead reading, writing, mathematics, geography and physical education. In addition, we held meetings with the teacher who oversees provision in early years and provision for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.  We took account of 36 text messages submitted by parents during the inspection. We considered 36 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, the school’s own surveys of parents’ views, and responses to the inspection questionnaires completed by 23 members of staff. We also took account of the views of 129 pupils who completed the inspection questionnaire.  We focused deeply on reading, writing, mathematics, geography and physical education. In each subject, we met with the subject leader and teachers. We

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Information about this inspection

visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and talked with pupils about their learning.  We met with pupils, teachers and other staff. We talked about safety, personal development and behaviour. We checked the school’s records of the suitability of staff to work with children. We also talked with parents about matters relating to safety. We scrutinised the school’s safeguarding policy and related documentation, including records relating to staff and governors’ training.

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Inspection team

Gill McCleave, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Suzette Garland-Grimes Ofsted Inspector 12–13 November 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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