Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Main Street, Sutton-on-Derwent, York, North Yorkshire YO41 4BN

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Outcome

Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide a caring, friendly and safe environment for all pupils. They place great importance on ensuring the school’s Christian vision allows every child to ‘follow their pathway’ linked to their interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire used the same words to describe the staff and leadership. These were ‘friendly, approachable, welcoming and valued’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have recently introduced a new behaviour policy in response to parent feedback. This policy focuses on restorative conversations. Pupils understand the policy and spoke confidently about the school rules, ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils were cooperative in lessons, taking turns and sharing resources. Pupils know the definition of bullying and were confident that teachers would sort it out if it happened. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning, they listen well and concentrate in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many after-school clubs for all pupils to take part in, like sewing, Lego, football and baking. Some key stage 2 pupils run their own drama and dance clubs at lunchtime.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Since federating with Bugthorpe Church of England Primary School in September 2021, the executive headteacher has secured a strong unity between the two schools. This has enabled the school to strengthen subject leadership to develop effectively the federation’s shared curriculum. 16 March 2022

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

Leaders introduced a new curriculum in 2019. It is well sequenced and builds on what pupils already know. For example, in history pupils develop a sense of chronology. They begin to make links across time in aspects like clothing, housing, settlements and invasion. Teachers choose appropriate texts to support their studies. In Class 3, when they were learning about the Stone Age, they enjoyed the book ‘The Boy with the Bronze Axe’. This term, leaders have developed an assessment system to focus on recording pupils’ achievements in the wider curriculum. This is based on pupils’ recall of the essential knowledge identified for each unit of work. Staff have had training on how to complete it but have not gathered any information yet. Leaders should ensure that the information collected is relevant and used to inform future planning.

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

Leaders have developed subject leadership teams across the federation. These teams include one teacher from each school. They lead and develop different aspects of the federation curriculum and report to the governing body. This has been particularly successful in reducing staff workload.

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

Leaders have recently begun trialling the use of a new phonics programme. Leaders are using the electronic reading books linked to the scheme during the teaching sessions. However, when pupils read to a familiar adult, they read books from a different scheme that are not as well matched to the sounds pupils know. Adults need more training to ensure they focus only on encouraging pupils to use their phonics knowledge to blend sounds in unfamiliar words, as small inconsistencies were evident. Teachers are assessing throughout their phonics lessons to identify pupils who need more support. These pupils have extra phonics interventions. However, teachers are using a different phonics programme for these interventions. This will not help pupils or staff build the necessary familiarity with the structure of the new scheme.

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

The mathematics curriculum ensures pupils develop the knowledge and skills they need for the next stage of their learning. Pupils have very positive views of mathematics. They enjoy mathematics lessons and relish the challenges they are presented with. They especially enjoy applying mathematics in real life, meaningful ways. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully involved and well supported to access the mathematics curriculum.

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

Children in the early years have access to a range of resources indoors and out that are carefully selected to develop independent learning. Each child has a ‘challenge passport’ that identifies challenges they must complete each week. These are usually linked to the week’s core book. Children use the outdoor provision daily, including a garden, two large fields, ponds, vegetable patches, a greenhouse, play equipment, a small forest area and a reflection space.

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

Leaders ensure that educational visits enhance the curriculum. The residential visit for Years 5 and 6, with their partner school, allows pupils to build friendships in readiness for secondary school transition. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) and relationships and sex education curriculums ensure that there is a whole-school approach 16 March 2022

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to teaching about healthy relationships, differences and consent. Pupils enjoy reading to the school’s reading star volunteers and to Beck the ambassador hearing dog. Governors have a knowledgeable oversight of the school’s curriculum through their work as link governors. They know the school well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that staff understand how to handle reports of peer-on-peer abuse and the indicators of harm through their annual safeguarding training. Leaders have produced a fact sheet for volunteers to ensure that they know how to keep pupils safe. Leaders use the local authority partnership advice line when deciding whether to make a referral to an external agency. Pupils have good relationships with trusted adults and know to tell them if they are worried about something. Pupils also have an opportunity to share their concerns in PSHE lessons, in collective worship or with the school’s emotional literacy support assistant.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff are trialling a new phonics scheme, recently introduced by leaders. Staff have not received any recent training. This means there are some small inconsistencies in the support adults give when hearing pupils read and in the delivery of interventions. Leaders should ensure consistency of practise as staff use the new programme.  Leaders do not have a fully embedded assessment system across the wider curriculum. Leaders have redesigned their system to assess the essential knowledge identified for each unit. Leaders should monitor the use of the system to ensure that the information recorded is used to inform future planning.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012. 16 March 2022

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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. 16 March 2022

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School details

Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire

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School details

Inspection number 10211374 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Bracken Holtby (executive headteacher)

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School details

Website www.suttonuponderwentprimary.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average primary school.  The school federated with Bugthorpe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School in September 2021.  They share an executive headteacher and a governing body.  It is a school with a religious character. The last section 48 inspection of the school was in May 2017.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation. 16 March 2022

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 Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, curriculum leaders, staff and pupils. Meetings were also held with representatives of the governing body, the local authority and the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with curriculum leaders, spoke to pupils and teachers, visited lessons and looked at their work. Inspectors heard pupils read.  Inspectors examined safeguarding records, attendance figures, curriculum plans and policies.  The views of parents were considered from 18 responses to Ofsted’s parents’ survey.  The views of staff were considered from meetings with them.  The views of pupils were considered from meetings with them.

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Inspection team

Alison Stephenson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mike Smit Ofsted Inspector 16 March 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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