Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Susan Marshall Headteacher (Interim) Carleton Endowed CofE (VA) Primary School Carleton Skipton North Yorkshire BD23 3DE

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Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 9 February 2022, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the outcome and inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken since the school’s most recent section 5 inspection.

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Primary School

The inspection was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to have serious weaknesses in June 2021. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Primary School

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. I discussed the ongoing impact of the pandemic with you and have taken that into account in my evaluation.

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Primary School

Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

towards the removal of the serious weaknesses designation.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

The local authority’s statement of action is fit for purpose.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

The school’s improvement plan is fit for purpose.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

I am copying this letter to the chair of the interim executive board, the director of education for the Diocese of Leeds, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for North Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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Context

Leaders have managed the impact of COVID-19 well. There has been minimal disruption to teaching since the start of the autumn term 2021. The development of the pastoral team has provided valuable emotional support to those pupils who have found the return to school more challenging. Leaders have ensured that teachers have addressed any gaps in pupils’ knowledge that have developed through the period of remote learning.

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Context

The Department for Education approved the appointment of an interim executive board (IEB) in December 2021.

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Context

The lead inspector focused inspection activities on the actions leaders are taking to address the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection report.

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designation

The interim headteacher has encouraged a relentless focus on improvement. She has ensured that all staff share the same high expectations and ambition for the school. Senior and middle leaders have received the professional development and support they need to be effective in their roles. The team ethos throughout the school is strong. All staff demonstrate resilience and a commitment to improve. Leaders care for their staff and have ensured that they have a manageable workload. Teachers value the time that leaders give them to concentrate on the developments that will make the most difference to the pupils.

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designation

Procedures for safeguarding are effective. Staff have the training they need to keep pupils safe. They understand how to raise any concerns they may have about a child. Leaders monitor concerns carefully and act quickly to refer cases to external partners. All staff understand how to use the electronic reporting system effectively. Strong partnerships with external agencies help to provide children and families with any early help they need. Leaders have ensured that there are clear procedures for reporting concerns about members of staff. There are comprehensive systems in place to ensure that all adults who work in school are safe to do so. Representatives of the local authority and diocese monitor these systems regularly. Pupils understand the additional safety measures that leaders have introduced, such as coloured lanyards for visitors and controlled access in and out of school. Pupils say that this makes them feel safe in school.

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designation

With support from a national leader in education (NLE), leaders have introduced a sequenced and progressive curriculum from Reception through to Year 6. Leaders have identified the small steps of learning necessary for pupils to deepen their understanding of each subject area. Teachers make sure that pupils understand the key knowledge and vocabulary they will need to support their learning. They use regular assessment tasks effectively to identify how well pupils can recall prior learning. Children in Reception discuss their knowledge with adults, while pupils in key stages 1 and 2 record these tasks in their ‘book of knowledge’. Despite the curriculum being in the early stages of implementation, pupils are beginning to make connections in their learning. For example, Year 5 pupils made links between last term’s geography topic on the Alps and their current learning about town planning in the local area.

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designation

The programme for teaching early reading is well established. Leaders have ensured that all staff have the training they need to deliver the programme well. Teachers use assessment effectively to identify any pupils who are not keeping up with the pace of phonics lessons. Teaching assistants provide daily ‘keeping up’ interventions to address any gaps in learning. Pupils read books that contain the sounds that they know. They enjoy reading these books and respond well to the consistent routine of the reading sessions. Adults that support pupils who struggle with their reading intervene effectively to help them become confident and fluent readers.

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designation

The interim headteacher has sought support from the North Yorkshire special educational needs (SEN) adviser and the local SEN hub. This has helped to improve the provision for pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities in school. Leaders encourage parents to be involved in the construction of pupils’ individual learning plans. These include the small steps that will make a difference to pupils’ learning. Teachers use these plans well to support pupils within the classroom. Leaders are aware that there is further work to do to ensure that classroom learning environments are adapted to meet the needs of all pupils.

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designation

Members of the IEB understand the priorities of the school. They seek external validation from the local authority and diocese to support the information they receive from leaders. Using their professional knowledge, they hold leaders to account effectively. The IEB are working with the local authority and diocese to identify an appropriate sponsor for the academisation of the school.

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Additional support

Leaders have benefitted from the support of a wide range of external partners. The interim headteacher has ensured that this has concentrated on the areas for improvement in the previous inspection. As a Church of England school, leaders have welcomed support from the diocese. This has helped to maintain the distinctiveness of the church school ethos. Leaders speak highly of the support provided by the local authority, the NLE, the local English and mathematics hubs and the SEN hub. This support has contributed considerably to the rapid rate of improvement since the previous inspection.

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Evidence

The inspector observed the school’s work, scrutinised documents and met with the interim headteacher, other senior leaders, staff, pupils and representatives of those responsible for governance, the local authority and the diocese. The inspector listened to pupils reading with an adult and viewed a sample of pupils’ work.

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