New Earswick Primary School

Inspection of New Earswick Primary School Hawthorn Terrace, New Earswick, York, North Yorkshire YO32 4BY

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 January 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 19 and 20 January 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious and passionate about learning for all pupils at New Earswick. They have been relentless in their drive to ensure that learning builds over time and is progressive across the school. They continually look for ways to improve the curriculum. There is a team approach to improvement at the school. All staff share the same vision of offering an exceptional education for the pupils at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The provision for the youngest children is ambitious and exciting. They start to develop their understanding of the school values of ‘Braver, Stronger, Smarter’ from day one, as they explore and learn with engagement and concentration. Leaders have carefully planned the learning and the environment to support the development of independence and resilience. Children’s determination to learn is well supported by caring and skilled staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this school. Pupils appreciate and learn from the wide range of experiences they gain during immersion days. Here, pupils and families have opportunities to take part in activities that develop curiosity, encourage questioning and develop aspirations. Pupils are encouraged to learn about risks in a safe environment. For instance, they talk enthusiastically about overcoming their fear of heights before climbing trees safely in the forest school and on residential trips.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Pupils feel safe here. Everyone enjoys being part of the school team and relishes coming to school each day. Pupils say bullying doesn’t happen in this school. They say adults are kind and fair. Adults provide effective support for the small number of pupils who find it difficult to manage their own behaviour. All pupils are well supported to develop a sense of responsibility and respect for others.

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better?

Leaders of the school have worked swiftly to introduce new approaches to improve the school. They have encouraged staff to work together to plan learning and improve the provision for all pupils. The headteacher has worked strategically with the trust to develop a team of leaders whose members are strong and ambitious for the school. These leaders are committed to learning. They continuously improve their knowledge of all areas of the curriculum and identify how to improve teaching further.

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better?

Leaders have worked together with teachers to develop a curriculum that helps pupils to learn more, over time, in most subjects. This helps pupils to use prior learning to build further knowledge. Leaders review the curriculum regularly to ensure that teachers are well supported to adapt learning to meet the needs of all pupils. This shared approach has ensured that subjects, such as mathematics, are taught consistently and effectively. Leaders are currently reviewing plans in some 19 and 20 January 2022

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subjects, such as geography, to identify where further detail is needed to help pupils to know and remember more.

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Phonics is taught well at New Earswick. Leaders have recently implemented a new phonics programme that is consistently used. Staff are well trained and knowledgeable. Learning is adapted to support all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers quickly spot pupils who find reading difficult, and support is put in place to help them to catch up and keep up. Nothing is left to chance; reading development is carefully planned and assessment is used well to help pupils to improve.

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Reading is a core focus for the school. Leaders have identified texts for each year group that will help pupils to develop a love of reading. They read daily to support pupils to become more fluent readers over time. Teachers plan effective lessons using these books. Pupils enjoy reading. They talk enthusiastically about a range of authors and are confident to talk about their enjoyment of books.

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Pupils in the early years have an exceptional start to their school life. They are given well-planned opportunities to develop curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. The environment is carefully constructed to build independence from the earliest days and pupils thrive here. Leaders plan exciting experiences to help children to learn. An example of this could be seen in the nursery where children can walk into the sand pit in the classroom to feel the sand between their toes. Leaders know that developing children’s language is vitally important. Stories and rhymes are used to explore and understand language in every classroom. Teachers support children to use rich vocabulary to describe thoughts, feelings and experiences with confidence. Parents recognise this and value the support they are given to be involved with their children’s learning

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The focus on language development stretches beyond the early years. Teachers begin the majority of lessons with ‘juicy jargon’. Teachers use this to explain unfamiliar words or introduce key vocabulary in a subject. They also use it to revisit and recall prior learning. Pupils benefit from this and can be seen using these words in their talk and written work.

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Most pupils behave well in lessons and at more unstructured parts of the school day. There are, however, a small number of pupils who struggle to remain focused on their learning. Teachers are swift to recognise this and are quick to direct pupils back to learning.

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Leaders encourage pupils to help others both in school and in the local community through the ‘pay it forward’ initiative. This is seen as a way to encourage older pupils to help younger children to learn complex tasks, such as tying shoelaces. They also visit older residents in the local community to play board games and talk about their learning in school.

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The trust, school leaders and governors are ambitious for the pupils in this school. They work together effectively to ensure that their vision for continuous 19 and 20 January 2022

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improvement is understood by staff, parents and pupils. Staff enjoy working at the school and feel well supported. Parents say that everyone ‘goes the extra mile’ to support families and to help pupils to be successful.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is a priority for the school. Leaders have created well-organised and rigorous systems to record concerns. Staff are well trained and knowledgeable. They are vigilant to signs that pupils may be at risk. Leaders have close links with outside agencies, such as the police and social care. They use these services well to support families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught about staying safe. Leaders have taken their local context into consideration when planning learning. They ensure that pupils learn about river and rail safety. Pupils can speak in detail about staying safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, such as geography, plans lack sufficient detail to support teachers to plan lessons which build learning over time. This means that pupils do not always remember their learning or build on prior knowledge. Further refinement is required to include the detailed knowledge that leaders want pupils to remember. This will support teachers to plan lessons which link progressively and help pupils to remember more.  Some pupils cannot identify why they learn about diversity or remember what they have learned about different cultures, religions or families. This means that these pupils are not as well prepared as they should be for life in modern day Britain. Leaders recognise that further clarification is needed to ensure that pupils can link their learning to real life experiences.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 . 19 and 20 January 2022

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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. 19 and 20 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212102 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 New Earswick Primary School became an academy in October 2017. It is a member of the Pathfinder multi-academy trust.  The school runs a breakfast club and after-school club on the school site.  The school is a smaller than average-sized primary school. It has a Nursery for children from the age of two onsite.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, we met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. Meetings were also held with the chief executive officer of the trust and other trust representatives. Members of the local governing body also met with 19 and 20 January 2022

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inspectors. A telephone meeting was held with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors considered the following subjects in depth: reading, mathematics, geography and PE. We met leaders, visited lessons and looked at books and records of learning. Inspectors talked to pupils and teachers from the lessons visited.  We scrutinised a range of documents, including the school self-evaluation documents and plans for improvement, as well as records of the work of governors.  The arrangements for safeguarding were checked. This included checking the single central record. Discussions were held with the leaders about safeguarding systems and processes. Records and information about behaviour and attendance were also discussed.  Inspectors gathered pupils’ views about the school through formal and informal discussions with many pupils during the course of the inspection. These discussions took place during lessons, in meetings and at breaktimes. We

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observed their behaviour at various times during the school day, including breaktime and lunchtime and in the breakfast club. We also took account of sixty-nine responses to the pupils’ questionnaire.  Inspectors met some parents to gain their views of the school. We reviewed thirty responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and twenty-five additional free-text comments. We also took account of twenty-two responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff.

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Inspection team

Andrea Batley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Asa Britton Her Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 20 January 2022

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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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