Weaverthorpe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of Weaverthorpe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Weaverthorpe, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 8ES

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good School 23–24 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have not taken appropriate steps to ensure that safeguarding arrangements are effective in this school. Despite some recent improvements to the school’s procedures, concerns about pupils at risk of harm are not followed up appropriately. Governors have not responded to the safeguarding issues with urgency. As a result, leadership and management are inadequate.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have mapped out the knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. These plans are in the early stages. Although now improving, pupils have not previously had the support they need to quickly become fluent readers. Pupils achieve well in some subjects, such as mathematics and music. Pupils do not learn about subjects such as science, geography and history in enough depth.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders encourage positive behaviour. Pupils show kindness towards one another. Staff and pupils also treat each other with respect. Bullying is rare. Leaders take any incidents of bullying seriously. The vast majority of pupils feel safe in school. Teachers help pupils to develop confidence and independence. Staff know their pupils well. Pupils value their learning and the support they get from their teachers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum supports pupils’ social and emotional development. Pupils learn about relationships and how to stay healthy. Pupils benefit from trips to local castles and landmarks. Wider opportunities for pupils to develop their interests and talents, for example in sports, are limited.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers who made their views known feel that their children are safe and happy. Many do not believe that the school supports their child’s personal development well enough.

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better?

Pupils experience a broad curriculum. However, the quality of that curriculum is variable. Specialist teachers in music and physical education offer pupils a high- quality experience. Pupils sing to a high standard. They also learn complex aspects of music theory. These high standards are not evident in all areas of the curriculum. In history, geography and science, the planned curriculum does not enable pupils to explore subjects in sufficient depth. Teachers do not plan sequences of lessons that take account of what pupils already know. Pupils do not securely develop their knowledge in these subjects during their time at the school.

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better?

Pupils’ achievement in mathematics is improving. Teachers plan carefully to build on pupils’ previous learning. Teachers help pupils to use numbers confidently. There remain occasions where the curriculum is not well planned in order to enable pupils to solve more complex mathematical problems. School 23–24 January 2020

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Historically, pupils have made weak progress in reading in the early years and in key stage 1. Very recent improvements mean that children are now receiving a better start to learning phonics in the Nursery and Reception years. Some staff have received training and guidance in phonics. As a result, support to help pupils to catch up is improving, but it is early days. There is more to do to ensure that all pupils become fluent and confident readers. Teachers are more carefully matching reading books to the sounds and letters pupils know. Pupils are encouraged to read at home. On occasions, teachers do not select whole-class or guided reading texts that meet the needs of all pupils.

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Teachers are introducing new initiatives to improve pupils’ writing. These include actions to build pupils’ vocabulary. These initiatives are less developed than those to support reading and mathematics.

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Some aspects of the curriculum are well planned to support pupils’ personal, social and emotional development. Pupils learn about different faiths. They also learn about different groups in society. However, the curriculum does not nurture pupils’ wider interests and talents consistently well. Pupils and their parents are keen for more activities, including sporting opportunities, beyond the usual curriculum.

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Leaders have adjusted their support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff now review support plans for pupils more regularly. When pupils receive the support they need, they achieve well. However, they do not consistently receive this support. At times, they struggle when they are left to work alone.

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The majority of pupils attend well. No pupils have been excluded for incidents of poor behaviour in recent years. Teachers have created a purposeful place for pupils to learn.

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After a period of instability, adults are beginning to provide better support for children in the early years. The curriculum is now focused on the development of reading, writing and number skills from the outset of the early years. Leaders are working with the local authority to improve the learning environment. They have made the outdoor area safer. Leaders are developing the curriculum to encourage pupils to think about their learning. For example, children are asked to revisit their art work to see how they can improve it. Many of these developments are at an early stage and it is too soon to see the impact on children’s achievement.

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Some of the information that leaders use to evaluate the school’s performance lacks detail. Consequently, governors have not kept an accurate check on the quality of education in the school. Governors have not responded to recommendations to improve their work with enough urgency. They have not taken the necessary action to assure themselves of the quality of education.

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Parents who made their views known believe that their children do well. They are less happy with the wider experiences available to their children. Parents are divided in their willingness to recommend the school to others. School 23–24 January 2020

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Governors do not check the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements closely enough. They have not acted with enough urgency to address recommendations from recent reviews of governance and safeguarding. Processes have not been put in place to prevent past failings from reocurring. On occasions, concerns over pupils’ safety are not followed up sufficiently well with safeguarding agencies.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher has taken recent actions to improve safeguarding arrangements. Clearer policies and procedures are in place. Staff have received additional training. Staff are aware of what to do if they have concerns over a pupil’s welfare. There are still occasions where procedures are not implemented rigorously enough. Leaders teach pupils about safety through assemblies and workshops, including links with a children’s charity. Leaders carry out appropriate checks on the suitability of adults working at the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Governors have not fulfilled their responsibility to check on the quality of safeguarding arrangements. Links with safeguarding agencies have not been strong enough to ensure that pupils are protected from harm. Arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. Leaders need to establish better links with safeguarding partners and appropriately refer any concerns over pupils’ welfare. Governors need to act upon recommendations from recent reviews in order to assure themselves that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose.  Leaders do not gather the information they need to check on the quality of education. Governors have not held leaders to account well enough for improving the quality of education. As a result, the school’s effectiveness has declined since the previous inspection. Leaders should ensure that they develop accurate approaches to evaluating the quality of education. Governors should access the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

training and development they need in order to support and challenge leaders to improve the school.  Some curriculum plans have not been developed well enough. Plans do not specify what pupils should know and remember. Consequently, the quality of education is variable and pupils do not achieve consistently well. Leaders need to support subject leaders to develop well-sequenced plans that match the scope of the national curriculum. Teachers should be supported to teach and revisit the most important content, so that pupils achieve well across a wide range of subjects. School 23–24 January 2020

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 Historically, staff have not had sufficient training and support to teach phonics consistently well. Pupils do not achieve well in reading across the early years and key stage 1. While there have been recent improvements, leaders need to ensure that all staff are well trained and that the early reading curriculum is implemented consistently well so that all pupils become confident and fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.  There are limited opportunities for pupils to develop their wider talents and interests beyond the formal curriculum. Pupils and parents are concerned about the lack of extra-curricular opportunities, including in sport. Leaders should use the findings from their current review of the curriculum to explore how pupils’ personal development can be enhanced.  The curriculum in the early years has not been well planned. As a result, children have not been well prepared for Year 1. Leaders have implemented plans to

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improve the curriculum for reading, writing and number. Much of this work is at an early stage. Leaders need to build on this recent improvement to ensure that children receive the best possible start to their education.

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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 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. School 23–24 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10110830 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 Mr Femi Shellard

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School details

Website www.weaverthorpe.n-yorks.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 April 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school now runs two classes instead of three. One class combines children in the early years with pupils from key stage 1. The other class has key stage 2 pupils from Year 3 to Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

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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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher and subject leaders. The lead inspector also talked to members of the governing body and held an additional meeting with the chair of the governing body. School 23–24 January 2020

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 We talked to pupils in meetings and at break and lunchtimes to find out their views on behaviour, safety and the quality of education.  We did deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and music. We talked to leaders and teachers about their curriculum plans. We also talked to pupils about their learning and what they knew and remembered in these subjects. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work. Inspectors listened to adults reading with pupils.  We checked safeguarding arrangements. We looked at the school’s work to make staff and pupils aware of safeguarding issues. We also looked at safeguarding records to see how concerns over pupils’ safety were recorded and followed up. We explored how leaders checked the suitability of adults working on site.  The lead inspector talked to school improvement advisers from the local authority and from the diocese.  The lead inspector considered the actions taken in response to recent reviews of

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safeguarding and of the quality of governance.

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Inspection team

Malcolm Kirtley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julia Norton Foulger Ofsted Inspector School 23–24 January 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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