Lady Elizabeth Hastings' CofE VA Primary School, Thorp Arch

Inspection of Lady Elizabeth Hastings’ CofE VA Primary School, Thorp Arch Dowkell Lane, Thorp Arch, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7AQ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Good 15 and 16 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small, village school with five mixed-age classes. Pupils in different year groups work and play well together. Pupils say they feel safe. Staff nurture pupils to make sure that they thrive. Pupils are typically kind to each other. Leaders are meticulous in taking swift action to resolve the very rare incidents of bullying. Governors check that leaders do this well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There has been significant change at the school since Ofsted’s previous inspection in 2019. Many of the staff and governors left. Four of the five class teachers started working at this school in September 2021. The local authority and the diocese worked closely together to identify a new chair of governors and two temporary leaders. Governors have appointed a permanent headteacher for September 2022.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The quality of education continued to decline during the period of high staff turbulence. However, the new staff team has worked well together to begin to improve the curriculum. Parents are pleased with these improvements. As one parent said, ‘The turnaround has been impressive.’ Leaders rightly prioritised improving the curriculum for reading and mathematics. Teachers have high expectations in these subjects. Subject leaders are still working on their plans to improve the wider curriculum.

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better?

When the new staff team was established in September 2021, leaders prioritised training for all staff in early reading and phonics. Leaders make sure that teachers follow the phonics programme closely. Leaders check that all pupils are learning to read fluently. Pupils can read at least as well as they should for their age, including in the early years.

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better?

Leaders gave helpful information to parents about the new curriculum for children in the Reception Year. Consultants from the local authority helped to train staff who are new to teaching the early years curriculum. Leaders have improved the outdoor classroom. There are lots of opportunities for children to practise their reading, writing and counting outside.

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better?

Reception-age children’s independent writing meets the standard typically achieved by pupils in Year 1. Children in the Reception Year spell most simple words correctly. Children use their phonics knowledge to make a sensible guess when writing words that they cannot spell correctly yet. One four-year-old child, for example, used this knowledge to help write about the queen having tea with Paddington Bear!

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better?

Parents of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) told inspectors that their children are doing well now. Leaders recently appointed a new special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). Staff in the local authority specialist teaching teams, including the autism support team, are providing training and 15 and 16 June 2022

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advice to help the SENCo meet the needs of pupils. Specialist teachers also provide resources for teachers to use in class. This is helping pupils with SEND to achieve well.

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Teachers’ subject knowledge varies. Subject leaders are still refining their curriculum plans in some subjects, including history. Leaders realised that the sequence of learning must be adapted more carefully because of mixed-age classes. Leaders are confident that the new plans will be ready for September.

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All subject leaders are new to their roles. Some staff have not been subject leaders before. The local authority has paid for experienced subject leaders from other schools to come and work alongside recently appointed subject leaders. This is helping to improve school leaders’ knowledge and confidence.

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Some teachers do not know the curriculum well enough in every subject. As a result, they are not always using assessment well enough to help them adapt their teaching. Senior leaders have identified this accurately. They are training teachers in the most effective ways to use assessment in lessons. Leaders are providing time for teachers to improve their knowledge of the national curriculum beyond English and mathematics.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils, including children in the early years, always behave well in lessons. Poor behaviour never disrupts learning.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal development remains good. This is underpinned by the school’s Christian ethos. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities. These are available to all pupils. There is enough space for everyone to take part. Some clubs are offered at lunchtime. This is so that pupils who leave promptly to catch the school bus have equal opportunities to take part in clubs.

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Governors have worked with the local authority and the diocese to plan a smooth handover between the interim headteacher and the permanent postholder. The local authority and the diocese have made a commitment to continue to provide intensive support during this critical period.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Governors thoroughly check the school’s safeguarding arrangements. Leaders ensure that all the necessary recruitment checks are made when appointing new staff.

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Safeguarding

All safeguarding policies are current. Parents were consulted on the new policy for relationships education. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. 15 and 16 June 2022

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Leaders have trained staff to make sure that they can accurately identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff make effective use of the electronic recording system. Leaders act quickly to address any concerns, working closely with other professionals when necessary.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not fully implemented the school’s new curriculum plans in every subject. Some subject leaders do not provide effective guidance and support to other teachers. Senior leaders should continue to train subject leaders to make sure that they all develop the knowledge and skills they need to discharge their leadership responsibilities effectively.  Teachers do not consistently check pupils’ understanding systematically, identify misconceptions accurately and provide clear, direct feedback in every subject. This is slowing pupils’ progress and achievement across the wider curriculum. Leaders should continue to develop teachers’ subject knowledge and improve their use of formative assessment across the wider curriculum so that assessment helps pupils to embed and use knowledge fluently.

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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 .

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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. 15 and 16 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212207 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.ladyhastings- thorparch.leeds.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 1 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a voluntary aided school in the Diocese of York. The diocese completed the last section 48 ‘Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools’ on 4 June 2015. The timescales for reinspection have been extended in light of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The school uses no alternative provision.  An interim headteacher and deputy headteacher were appointed to lead the school for the academic year commencing September 2021. The new substantive headteacher was appointed in May 2022.  Following the last inspection, the local authority and the diocese identified some experienced governors to improve the effectiveness of the governing body. The chair of governors was appointed in March 2022. 15 and 16 June 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 school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met the interim headteacher and interim deputy headteacher, the SENCo and the early years leader. The reading, mathematics, history and computing subject leaders also met inspectors.  A meeting was held with five governors, including the chair of governors.  Representatives from Leeds local authority and the Diocese of York met inspectors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading and phonics, mathematics, history and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  Inspectors visited the early years separately, in addition to lesson visits linked to

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Information about this inspection

deep dives. The early years leader shared examples of children’s learning including examples of children’s independent writing.  Inspectors met the SENCo to discuss provision for pupils with SEND and review the implementation of education, health and care (EHC) plans. Inspectors visited lessons with the SENCo to observe the extra support in place for pupils with SEND.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety was evaluated on arrival at school, at breakfast club, in the dining room and at breaktimes.  Senior safeguarding leaders and the office administrator met inspectors to discuss recruitment and safeguarding records.  Several parents spoke to inspectors during the inspection. Inspectors reviewed the 53 responses to our Parent View survey.  Teachers met inspectors to discuss the quality of education and leaders’ support for their workload. Inspectors also evaluated 15 staff responses to Ofsted’s survey.  Inspectors considered the 51 pupil responses to Ofsted’s survey. Informal

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Information about this inspection

discussions were also held with pupils at breaktimes.

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Inspection team

Tracey Ralph, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Melanie Maitland Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 June 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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