Tockwith Church of England Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Tockwith Church of England Primary Academy Southfield Lane, Tockwith, York, North Yorkshire YO26 7RP

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Outcome

Tockwith Church of England Primary Academy continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a section 5 inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love attending this warm and welcoming school. Relationships between adults and pupils are friendly and caring. The school values of ‘perseverance, creativity and friendship’ run through all aspects of school life. Adults and children eat meals together and appreciate talking to each other informally. Pupils feel strongly that everyone is equal and should be respected. At social times, pupils enjoy playing together. They organise their own games; everyone is welcome to join in.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders plan specific opportunities to develop pupils’ confidence. Older pupils act as ‘buddies’ to children in Reception and Year 1. As a result, pupils are confident and outgoing. For example, some children told the inspector about assemblies they were planning to deliver to the rest of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak with enthusiasm about making their own Greek pottery or their love of mathematics. Pupils feel safe. They are relaxed at school and believe that their teachers help them to do their best. The inspector agrees. Behaviour is exemplary. Bullying is incredibly rare because leaders ensure that pupils care about each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations are extremely high for all pupils, and leaders ensure that help is in place so children can keep up if they are struggling, especially in mathematics and phonics. The inspector agrees with one parent’s comment that this is a ‘fantastic place to be a small child’.

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

The organisation of the curriculum is clear. Leaders have identified important knowledge that they want pupils to remember. For example, in mathematics, knowledge of place value becomes increasingly sophisticated as pupils move through the school. This ensures 8 and 9 February 2022

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that pupils are ready to learn about other aspects of mathematics, such as using money. In early years, children excitedly sing songs and rhymes to build a strong understanding of numbers to 10.

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Pupils confidently remember what they have learned. This is because teachers ensure that there are regular opportunities for recall of previous learning. Teachers make regular checks on what pupils have learned and plan catch-up sessions for pupils who are struggling. As a result, pupils speak knowledgeably about artists such as Robert E Fuller. They understand how artists’ lives influence their work. Pupils talk with pride about books they have read and favourite authors such as David Walliams and Michael Morpurgo. All children whom the inspector spoke with enjoy reading. Children in Reception write short sentences independently using their phonics knowledge. Pupils can use subject-specific language to explain what they have learned. For example, children in Reception use words such as ‘trigraph’ and ‘digraph’ confidently. In older years, pupils use, and understand, words such as ‘numerator’ and ‘denominator’ when talking about

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Leaders’ plans for children at the early stages of reading are very well developed. Systems for teaching children to read are consistent. Teachers are incredibly enthusiastic and monitor pupils’ progress very closely. As a result, pupils achieve very well and learn to read very quickly. Teachers help pupils swiftly to ensure that they do not fall behind their peers when learning to read. Leaders’ plans ensure that pupils are given opportunities to read expressively and a focus on the comprehension of language means that pupils develop a sophisticated vocabulary. Books are very closely matched to the sounds that pupils have learned. Strong communication with parents and carers ensures that they clearly understand how to help their children with reading at home.

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Behaviour in lessons is excellent. Pupils show independence and enthusiasm. Teachers monitor classes closely and target questions to help pupils progress. Pupils told the inspector that teachers help them but don’t give them the answers. Pupils appreciate this and say they like to be challenged. Pupils know that good behaviour is about ‘making choices’. They know the school routines very well. When teachers raise their hands, all pupils quickly respond and listen. This helps to ensure that the atmosphere in the school remains calm, friendly and welcoming. Behaviour is therefore likely to be better than the current judgement of good.

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Leaders carefully consider how best to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Mobility aids are on hand to help those pupils who need them. Teachers know their classes well and provide help where it is needed. Early career teachers (ECTs) work closely with the special educational needs coordinator to ensure that pupils receive the additional help they need. Pupils are taught to respect each other through personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons. The impact of this can be seen across the school. Pupils help their peers who may be more vulnerable. The language pupils use to talk about each other and with each other is polite, sensitive and caring. The Christian ethos of the school helps to develop and underpin the need to respect others. The inspector saw a powerful and positive assembly encouraging pupils to carry out ‘random acts of kindness’ based on stories from the Bible.

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Leaders want pupils to ‘live life in all its fullness’. To ensure this, they have been quick to ensure that trips and visits restart after the interruptions due to the pandemic. Residential trips for older pupils are in place. When the inspector visited, pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 enjoyed a trip to The Deep aquarium in Hull. Music, French and multi-sports clubs all took place while the inspector was in school. The pupils who took part in these activities were enjoying them immensely. To prepare pupils for the future, the use of information technology is an important part of the school day. Laptops are used routinely in lessons to help pupils access resources. Leaders were already using online platforms before the pandemic and so were able to quickly set up remote learning during COVID-19 restrictions. One parent told the inspector that support during the pandemic was ‘incredible’. This view was shared by many other parents. The inspector agrees.

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Governors and trustees are fully informed about leaders’ actions. They question leaders about staff well-being. Staff report exceptionally high levels of well-being. Leaders take staff views seriously and have clear systems in place to gather these regularly. Professional development opportunities are frequently discussed. The staff survey showed that staff at the school feel the support they receive to be outstanding. The overwhelming view of parents is positive. Several said how much they ‘love’ the school. Many parents wrote extensively about how glad they are that their children attend Tockwith Church of England Primary Academy.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils told the inspector that they feel safe and that adults take their concerns seriously. They are confident that they can talk to any adult in the school.

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Safeguarding

Leaders keep staff updated on safeguarding issues through regular training and weekly emailed updates. Teachers are alert to the signs they need to look for, and understand the systems for reporting concerns.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work closely with other agencies when necessary and are determined to ensure that pupils receive the support they need. Leaders build and maintain good relationships with families to ensure that they can offer the support needed to pupils at the school.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection a section 5 inspection immediately. 8 and 9 February 2022

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This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Tockwith Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, to be good in June 2015.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 .

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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. 8 and 9 February 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Tockwith Church of England Primary Academy converted to become an academy in November 2017. When its predecessor school, Tockwith Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school uses the Joseph Trust alternative education provider, which is based in York.  Tockwith Primary Academy is a Church of England school. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in February 2017. The next inspection should take place within the prescribed period. Section 48 inspections (or the equivalent inspection of an academy) are usually carried out every three to five years (and usually within two to three years of a new voluntary-aided school or academy or free school opening). Section 48 inspections were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and restarted in September 2021. The first inspection will be within eight years of the last, rather

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Information about this school

than the usual three to five years. 8 and 9 February 2022

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector spoke with the headteacher and two assistant headteachers.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: art and design, reading and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also spoke to leaders for PSHE and looked at curriculum plans for this subject.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised the single central record, spoke to leaders with responsibility for safeguarding and spoke to staff and pupils about safeguarding. The inspector also examined safeguarding records.  The inspector spoke to groups of pupils, including single-sex groups of pupils.  The inspector spoke to members of the local governing board, including the chair of the local governing board, and members of the board of trustees. The inspector also

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Information about this inspection

looked at minutes of meetings of the governing body.  The inspector observed social times and spoke to parents when pupils arrived at school.  The inspector also visited the daily collective worship and visited extra-curricular activities that were on at the time of the inspection.  The inspector spoke with ECTs and their mentors and support staff.

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Inspection team

Matthew Vellensworth, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 February 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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