Skirlaugh Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Skirlaugh Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Dorset Avenue, Skirlaugh, Hull HU11 5EB

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Outcome

Skirlaugh Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a warm and friendly school. It has a family feel to it, and there is a strong ethos of care and nurture throughout the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe. They are not worried about behaviour or bullying. Pupils know that there would be an adult on hand to sort out anything that was worrying them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lessons are calm and productive. Teachers can get on and teach. Pupils have the right environment in which to concentrate and learn. Staff have high expectations of pupils and set work which is demanding and which makes pupils think.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study a full curriculum which is based on the national curriculum. This means that they are exposed to a broad and balanced range of subjects. Increasingly, they are well prepared for moving on to the next stage in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s Christian ethos underpins all that it does. Pupils are taught the importance of consideration for others and respectful conduct. Through the school’s links with a school in Sierra Leone, pupils learn the importance of charity and care for those who are less fortunate.

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

Pupils benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum. Leaders have made sure that the full range of national curriculum subjects is taught. In the early years foundation stage (EYFS), leaders have put in place a curriculum which is closely matched to the government’s requirements. It is a demanding curriculum across the school because leaders have high expectations of what pupils should achieve. 3 March 2020

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In some subjects, such as English, mathematics and science, a detailed and organised curriculum is in place. Leaders’ subject plans set out what knowledge, skills and understanding pupils need to have. These plans lay down what needs to be taught and in what order, so that pupils build up their understanding. In science, for example, pupils in the EYFS and Year 1 are learning about how to work scientifically. This is preparing them well for their ongoing science understanding. In other subjects, leaders’ detailed organisation of what is learned and when is a work in progress. Despite the overall success it is having, there is some variation in the implementation of the new mathematics scheme of work.

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Leaders have made reading a priority across the school. They have introduced a phonics- based scheme for teaching reading from the very start. All staff with responsibility for teaching reading in the EYFS and key stage 1 do so with skill. This is because leaders have made sure that staff have been properly trained in how to use the scheme. All staff stick to the correct approach for the scheme. Teachers and teaching assistants are accurate in their assessment of how pupils are getting on with their reading. They provide focused extra help for the pupils who are finding it harder to read. As a result, these pupils are catching up quickly.

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Teachers know their subjects. They teach with confidence and clarity. Teachers’ use of questions is effective in probing pupils’ understanding. As a result, pupils are confident to ask questions of their own. This helps them get to grips with what they are learning. Teachers’ skilful use of questions is also the case in the EYFS, such as when teaching numbers to the children.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good. Teaching assistants work effectively to support pupils with SEND in class, such as extra help with reading. A recently appointed special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has started the process of reviewing where the school’s support for pupils with SEND could be strengthened further.

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Standards of behaviour are high. During the inspection, inspectors saw no low-level disruption at all. Pupils told inspectors that it is rare for lessons to be disrupted by poor behaviour. Children in the EYFS behave well. They are learning how to get along with other children and to play considerately. Bullying is rare. Pupils do not think it is an issue in school. They feel well supported by staff and would be comfortable to go to them should they be worried about anything.

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Leaders have put in place a rich, wider curriculum. For instance, pupils and staff value the school’s link with a school in Sierra Leone. This helps pupils learn about the lives of people in a very different part of the world. Pupils raised money to help the school in Sierra Leone install toilets, and donated books to them.

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The school is well led. Leaders take decisions in the best interests of pupils, not leaders. Staff feel supported and valued. They are proud to work at the school. 3 March 2020

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure they carry out the required checks on staff who work in school. They also ensure that staff are kept up to date with the necessary aspects of safeguarding information. Staff know the danger signs to look out for and what to do should they become worried about a pupil.

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Safeguarding

The school includes safeguarding education for pupils, such as keeping safe online. Leaders have recently trained pupils in what to do should it be necessary to ‘lockdown’ the school, for example.

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Safeguarding

As a result of leaders’ actions, pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently planned and sequenced in some subjects. However, it is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken to plan next year’s curriculum and train staff in how to deliver it that they are in the process of bringing this about.  Leaders have recently introduced a new scheme for the teaching of mathematics. This is already proving to be effective in teaching pupils the necessary mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding for them to move on successfully to their next stage. Leaders should continue to secure the consistent quality of teachers’ implementation of this scheme, to iron out the pockets of variability.  The recently appointed SENCo has identified areas of the school’s provision for pupils with SEND which can be further strengthened. Leaders should ensure that these plans are put in place, particularly those relating to the detailed recording of actions taken

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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 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. 3 March 2020

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This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2011.

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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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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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 March 2020

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School details

Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Chair of governing body The Reverend Andrew Simpson

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Website http://www.skirlaughprimary.com Date of previous inspection 24 May 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has the Christian ethos of the Church of England. The most recent section 48 inspection under the Education Act 2005 took place in February 2016.  The school does not use any alternative educational provision.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher and assistant headteacher. We also met senior leaders with responsibility for SEND, behaviour and pupils’ personal development. We met a group of governors, including the chair. We met a representative of the local authority and a representative of the diocese of York.  As part of this inspection, we carried out in-depth considerations of three subjects, known as ‘deep dives’. These were reading, mathematics and science. A deep dive consists of: a meeting with the subject leader to get an overview of the curriculum 3 March 2020

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planning and how it works in practice; a visit to several lessons in that subject in different year groups, accompanied by a leader; a meeting with some of the teachers whose lessons were visited; a discussion with some of the pupils who were in the lessons visited and a scrutiny of their workbooks.  To inspect the safeguarding arrangements in school, we looked at the records of staff at the school and the checks made on them. We met with the staff with particular responsibility for safeguarding. We sampled case files to look at how the school identifies, helps and manages vulnerable pupils. We spoke with numerous pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding.  We considered a range of school documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation of the school’s effectiveness and their improvement plan. We considered all of the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires for staff, pupils and parents, including free-text

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responses. We spoke to parents as they collected their children from school.

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Inspection team

Steve Shaw, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tim Scargill-Knight Her Majesty’s Inspector 3 March 2020

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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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