Eppleby Forcett Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Trinity Academy Eppleby Forcett Eppleby, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL11 7AY

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Inspection dates: 16 and 17 February 2022

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Trinity Academy Eppleby Forcett and Trinity Academy Middleton Tyas staff work together to provide safe, caring environments for the children. Leaders have joined the schools together to become one school split across two sites. Parents, carers, staff and pupils are proud to be part of the family. Pupils are safe and happy on both school sites.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The schools have recently undergone changes to the senior leadership. Leaders are ambitious for pupils’ learning. They have made improvements to the early years environment, the mathematics curriculum and also taken action to improve the teaching of phonics. There is still more to do to improve subjects in the wider curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in both schools are articulate, polite and respectful. They say that bullying is rare. In both schools, most pupils behave well and are positive about their learning. However, a small number of pupils occasionally disrupt the learning of others. Sometimes, a small number of pupils dominate lessons with ‘silly’ behaviour. This is rare, but pupils do not always feel that it is dealt with effectively by adults.

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

The leaders and staff know the families of Eppleby Forcett and Middleton Tyas Schools well. They are committed to ensuring that the communities work together to give pupils the best possible start to their education.

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

Children from both schools benefit from the caring and knowledgeable staff in the early years setting at Eppleby Forcett. Children are confident to talk about their learning and share their ideas with adults. Staff focus on story and song across the school. Leaders have started to develop the environment to support the curriculum. This has resulted in a calm and purposeful area for the youngest children. Further development is needed in the 16 and 17 February 2022

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Reception classroom to ensure that all children remain focused on learning and do not distract others from the planned learning opportunities.

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Leaders are keen to promote a love of reading. They give pupils regular opportunities to hear stories and read books in school. Leaders have recently introduced a new programme to support the teaching of phonics across both schools. Pupils take home books which help them to practise reading words containing the sounds taught in lessons. The staff, in early years and key stage one, who have been trained in this new approach are helping pupils to learn to read more effectively. However, not all staff across both schools have received training yet. Therefore, the approach is not always consistent. Leaders have not checked that all pupils who are finding reading difficult are well supported to catch up quickly.

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Leaders have ensured that the curriculum covers all areas of the national curriculum. In some subjects, such as mathematics, the curriculum is set out to help pupils build learning over time. Pupils remember what they have learned and use this knowledge to help them learn more.

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Other areas of the curriculum are not as well developed. In some subjects, the curriculum is either over complicated or does not contain the specific knowledge that leaders want pupils to remember. This means that teachers do not always clearly identify exactly what it is that they want pupils to learn. Consequently, pupils cannot make links to prior learning and do not always remember what has been taught.

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Adults and resources are generally used well to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to access the full curriculum across both schools. In subjects such as reading and mathematics, pupils have catch-up sessions to help them if they are finding learning difficult. However, these are not planned systematically across both schools. Therefore, some pupils who may need more help are not always identified quickly enough and do not always make sufficient progress.

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Pupils have access to a range of different sporting clubs after school that help them be successful in local competitions. However, pupils and parents say that they would like a wider range of opportunities to try different activities, such as art or crafts.

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Leaders are considerate of staff’s well-being. Staff across both schools are proud to work here. They say that a team approach supports them to manage their workload well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have introduced systems to ensure that staff know how to report any concerns about pupils. Staff across both schools have received safeguarding training. As a result, everyone knows that safeguarding is a vital part of their job. Leaders monitor recording systems and, in conjunction with the trust, are bringing in better systematic processes to ensure that this monitoring is robust. Regular updates about safeguarding are shared with 16 and 17 February 2022

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teachers, but not consistently with all staff. Leaders recognise the need to extend this to all staff to ensure that everyone is clear about the risks that some pupils face.

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Pupils know that they can speak to an adult about any concerns. They are taught how to keep themselves safe online and in the community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in a number of subjects is over complicated or lacks clarification about the subject knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that teachers do not always plan lessons that focus on the key knowledge they want pupils to remember. Consequently, pupils do not always retain knowledge, and learning is not built over time. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum clearly identifies required subject knowledge, and vocabulary, in a consistent and coherent format that supports teaching in all subjects.  Some pupils feel that their concerns about issues, such as silly behaviour, are not always listened to. Consequently, leaders cannot identify if this behaviour is impacting learning. Leaders must regularly seek the views of different groups of pupils and act on them.  Leaders have not rigorously monitored newly introduced systems and processes to record concerns. This means that they do not always know when patterns are

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

emerging. Leaders must ensure that checks are regular and robust to ensure that pupils receive the support they may need appropriately.

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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 as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Eppleby Forcett Church of England Primary School, to be good in January 2014.

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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. 16 and 17 February 2022

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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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. 16 and 17 February 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Trinity Academy Eppleby Forcett works in conjunction with Trinity Academy Middleton Tyas Forcett. They operate as one school, split across two sites. All pre-school and early years pupils attend the Eppleby Forcett site and pupils in Years 1 to 6 attend the Middleton Tyas site.  The schools have been part of the Dales Academies Trust since November 2017.  At the time of the inspection, there was an acting headteacher in post, who was leading both schools. The acting assistant headteacher had recently returned after working in another school in the trust.  Eppleby Forcett CE Primary School received a section 48 inspection in March 2016. Trinity Academy Middleton Tyas’ most recent section 48 inspection took place in February 2020.  The schools do not currently use any alternative provision. 16 and 17 February 2022

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the acting headteacher and other members of the leadership team, subject leaders, staff and pupils in both schools. Further meetings were held with representatives of the trust and with governors, including the joint chairs of governors for both schools. A telephone meeting was held with a representative of the Diocese of Leeds.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, physical education and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils and looked at examples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke with leaders of other subjects and looked at other curriculum plans.  Two inspectors visited the pre-school and the early years provision, based at Eppleby

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Information about this inspection

Forcett. One inspector listened to pupils reading.  Inspectors met with the safeguarding lead for both schools to discuss their actions to keep pupils safe and spoke with staff in both schools about safeguarding.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experiences in both schools. They also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at the breakfast club at Eppleby Forcett and during playtime and dinnertime.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. Staff and pupil surveys were not filled in for the inspection. However, inspectors met with several members of staff from both schools during the inspection in order to consider their views of the schools.

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Inspection team

Andrea Batley, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Suzette Garland-Grimes Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 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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