Stillington Primary School

Inspection of Stillington Primary School Main Street, Stillington, York, North Yorkshire, YO61 1LA

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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 Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Special Measures 15–16 June 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy in this warm and welcoming school. They enjoy coming to school and attend regularly. Key stage 2 pupils appreciate the daily well-being check-in. They are unafraid to ask their teachers for help or support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They say that bullying is rare and their teachers and parents agree. Pupils are confident if there are any instances of poor behaviour or bullying, leaders will sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well around school and in lessons. They are respectful towards adults and each other. Pupils say they enjoy their lessons and the range of activities the school now offers. They told inspectors how much they enjoyed a recent sporting event with other schools in the federation.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the need to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. However, they are unable to link this to key knowledge taught, such as being able to name the components of a healthy diet.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Recently introduced curriculum plans enable pupils to study a range of topics. In some subjects leaders have not ensured that skills and knowledge are sequenced carefully enough to build on prior learning. As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they should across the curriculum.

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better?

The executive headteacher has a clear and ambitious vision for all pupils. The recent and significant changes to leadership within the school are positive. Staff and pupils are benefiting from the support and direction provided by leaders from the federation of Foston and Terrington Primary Schools. Leaders are addressing school improvement priorities in an effective and decisive manner. Teacher knowledge and subject expertise are being strengthened as a result of the joint collaboration provided.

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better?

Leaders have recently introduced the established federation curriculum. Plans are closely aligned to the national curriculum. Close attention is paid to ensure the curriculum is carefully adapted for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and individual pupils in the mixed age classes. Pupils with SEND now learn well. This is because of the knowledgeable and skilled leadership of the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo), as well as the targeted support for individual pupils.

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better?

The new approach to the curriculum is beginning to have a positive impact. Pupils can articulate what they have learned in subjects, such as mathematics and science. In these subjects, learning is sequenced and based upon what leaders want pupils to know and be able to do. Other subjects are not planned equally well. In some 15–16 June 2021

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subjects, such as geography and history, planning does not link past learning to present learning well enough. The key knowledge and vocabulary that pupils will learn is not explicit. This means that some pupils are not learning as well as they could in these subjects.

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Leaders have introduced a variety of assessment processes to address any emerging gaps in learning. These range from ‘real time’ feedback in lessons to more standardised tasks. Assessment is strongest in English and mathematics, where formal assessment is carried out at the end of a unit of work. It is much less developed in other subjects, such as science and geography.

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In the early years, children are happy and well cared for. They learn to read, write and understand mathematics well. Children access activities to develop their gross and fine motor skills in preparation for early writing. There are opportunities, both indoors and outdoors, for children to practise their writing and mathematics in real- life contexts. For example, when designing and making an insect house, children worked together to write a list of what they would need. This included spelling out the words and counting pieces of equipment.

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Reading is a core priority for the school. The teaching of early reading is now effective. Leaders have recently introduced a new approach to the teaching of phonics. All staff have received necessary training. Reading and phonics lessons take place daily. Pupils at risk of falling behind are given additional support to catch up. Pupils practise reading using books that are matched to the sounds they know. In key stage 2, pupils read together and individually. They read in small groups to develop confidence, fluency and accuracy. However, this approach is less effective with a very small number of pupils and they do not achieve as well as they should in reading.

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Pupils gain an understanding of British Values through assemblies and work in class. They are clear about the key concepts of tolerance and respect. Pupils have opportunities to develop an understanding of democracy. For example, pupils take part in elections and can describe a manifesto. Although pupils can identify the major religions, they are less certain when trying to recall associated festivals and celebrations.

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Parents have confidence and trust in the new leadership of the school. They are appreciative of recent improvements and all those who made their views known would recommend the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Responsibilities for safeguarding are taken seriously. Safeguarding is a priority for staff and governor meetings. Leaders and governors regularly attend local authority training. Staff have up-to-date knowledge about the potential safeguarding risks to 15–16 June 2021

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pupils, such as county lines and the ‘Prevent’ duty. The systems for the recruitment of staff are thorough.

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The school’s personal, social and health education curriculum ensures that pupils are taught how to stay safe in a range of situations. They learn about online safety and know how to safe online. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and their parents agree.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The content of the wider curriculum is not as well organised as it needs to be. In some subjects, curriculum plans do not consider the essential key knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to be able to know and remember. Plans do not contain the prior learning that pupils should have acquired and what current learning leads to. Leaders need to identify and sequence the essential knowledge, skills and key vocabulary that pupils should learn at different stages so that they achieve well.  Leaders have not ensured that teachers make appropriate use of assessment information well enough, to check pupils’ understanding and adapt their teaching accordingly in subjects other than English and mathematics. Leaders should ensure that component knowledge is regularly assessed to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding in order that it is retained.  Although leaders are clear about their intent for pupils’ personal development,

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils are unable to identify key knowledge, leading to gaps in their social and emotional development. Leaders need to establish and implement a detailed programme for pupils’ personal development that ensures they acquire a good range of knowledge, skills and understanding over time and prepares them well for the next stage in 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. 15–16 June 2021

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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. 15–16 June 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10184597 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 Mrs Corinne Cross

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School details

Website http://www.stillington.n-yorks.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 March 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has recently undertaken consultation to change the age range of pupils attending the school. The school has extended Nursery provision to 3-year- olds.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school has received since the start of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in: reading, mathematics, science and art and design. This involved meeting with senior and curriculum leaders, scrutinising curriculum planning and visiting lessons where pupils were learning these 15–16 June 2021

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subjects. We talked to pupils in lessons and met with them to talk about their work. We also met with teachers to discuss the curriculum they were delivering.  Inspectors met with leaders and staff from the school and discussed the quality of education provided by the school. We also examined pupils’ wider development, pupils’ behaviour and staff workload.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school, including at break and lunchtimes. We collected pupils’ views in set meetings and informally.  Inspectors met with the school’s SENCo and discussed a variety of school documents, policy and procedures.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair and associate chair. The lead inspector also met with a representative from the local authority.  In order to judge the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors read the relevant school policies, scrutinised the single central record, checked the school’s

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procedures for the safe recruitment of staff and interviewed the designated lead for safeguarding. Inspectors also met with school staff to check their understanding of safeguarding and their training. I also met with governors to check their understanding of their statutory responsibilities to keep pupils safe.  Inspectors took note of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the six free-text responses. Inspectors also took account of the views of staff through discussion and via the 10 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Gill Wild, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Eleanor Belfield Her Majesty's Inspector 15–16 June 2021

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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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