Fountains Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Fountains Church of England Primary School Grantley, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 3PJ

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Outcome

Fountains Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils clearly love coming to school. They appreciate that teachers make learning fun. Pupils are clear that this is a very caring school where any worries will be sorted out. Both older and younger pupils speak warmly about being paired up to read together. As one parent wrote, ‘The school is excellent at building self-confidence and friendships between year groups. The older children are encouraged to interact with the younger children.’ Pupils really value their teachers. They describe teachers as being strict if they need to be, but always fair and always nice.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy working with pupils from nearby schools. They speak with great enthusiasm about a residential trip to an outdoor centre with pupils from their partner school. Pupils’ work is displayed and celebrated. Behaviour around school and in lessons is excellent. Pupils were shocked at the thought that there could be any bullying in the school. They are certain that it does not happen at all. Playtimes are a little lively as pupils let off steam. After-school clubs, outdoor learning and playing an instrument are all part of being at the school. One parent captured the views of many by saying, ‘The school is a hidden gem and I feel privileged that my children have the opportunity to spend their primary years here.’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

In mathematics, reading and writing, pupils understand the important concepts. This is because teachers are clear about what pupils need to learn. Lessons build on what pupils already know. In art and design and technology, leaders have planned the curriculum well. Pupils have the knowledge and skills they need for future learning. Changes in history and science planning are under way and are almost complete. For other subjects, the whole-school plans are currently being changed so that lessons build pupils’ knowledge more progressively.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Phonics teaching is increasingly effective, but some requires more urgency. Expectations of which sounds children need to know at certain times of the year could be even higher. 3 December 2019

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Leaders have a clear commitment to making pupils’ early reading skills better. Teachers ensure that pupils learn and remember phonics sounds. They learn to blend sounds together. Pupils falling behind are given extra support. Adults listen to younger pupils read often. Reading books are mostly well matched to pupils’ reading skills. This means they can read books with confidence on their own. However, not every pupil has a reading book they can read by themselves. This sometimes slows their development. Occasionally, older pupils have books that are too difficult. Some pupils cannot enjoy a book because it is too hard. They cannot read some words and then struggle to understand the book. There is no doubt that reading is a high priority for the school.

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Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. In the lessons visited, pupils showed genuine enthusiasm in learning. They follow instructions and show both independence and good cooperative skills. Pupils are attentive to others and listen to their classmates’ views with interest. Pupils’ pride in their work and determination to succeed help them to learn well.

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Teachers adapt the curriculum well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND are given effective support across all areas of learning. They play a full part in the life of the school in every way, both inside and outside the classroom.

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The school is very well led. The new headteacher has been a force for positive change in her short time at the school. She is very well supported by the small but dedicated governing body. Leaders make every effort to support teachers. This ensures that staff do their jobs well. Staff love working at the school. Many have worked at Fountains for many years. Leaders and teachers alike put pupils at the heart of all the school does.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained and know how to keep children safe. The school holds detailed records of safeguarding training for staff. This includes when training needs to be renewed. Regular updates for staff give them information about risks to watch out for. Staff with designated responsibility for safeguarding know pupils and their families well. The school recently completed an in-depth safeguarding audit from the local authority. The headteacher has made sure that all issues, although minor, have been sorted out. The school has worked to improve pupils’ rates of attendance. These are currently above those found nationally.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are in the process of improving the curriculum. They have already revised some whole-school plans effectively. They have also arranged training for staff on how to implement these plans. The curriculum is becoming more coherently planned and sequenced in art, design and technology, history and science. Further work must be completed to ensure that this is the case for all subjects so that they are all coherently 3 December 2019

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planned and sequenced.  The school’s approach to the teaching of phonics is becoming stronger. Further work must continue to be done to ensure it is fully effective. There needs to be a greater urgency in the teaching of early reading, and higher expectations of the number of sounds children know by the end of each term.  Most pupils’ books connect closely to their phonics knowledge as they are learning to read. These pupils read with confidence as they do not get stuck on difficult words. Leaders must make sure that every pupil who is learning to read uses books to practise that contain only the sounds they know. A few of the older pupils have books that are too difficult. This hampers their understanding of what they are reading and makes reading a struggle for them. Teachers must check that pupils only access books that are appropriate for their reading skills.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 3 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110771 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 January 2016

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school runs a daily breakfast club for pupils and an after-school club.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well below the national average.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below average.  The school is part of a hard federation with Grewelthorpe Church of England Primary School.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher, subject leaders and other members of staff, including the school office manager.  We met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. An inspector spoke on the telephone with a representative of the local authority who works with the school.  We took account of the 14 responses to Ofsted’s parent questionnaire, Parent View. We 3 December 2019

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also looked at the 14 parents’ comments on the free-text facility. We also considered the 13 responses from staff to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.  We observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at playtimes. We gathered pupils’ views about the school through formal and informal discussions.  We considered a wide range of documentation, including subject plans and safeguarding documents. We also looked at information relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  We looked in depth at the following subjects: reading, mathematics and history. This included discussions with leaders of the subjects, visits to lessons, discussions with teachers, scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils.

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Inspection team

Phil Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Catherine Precious Ofsted Inspector 3 December 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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