Skipton, Water Street Community Primary School

Inspection of Skipton, Water Street Community Primary School Elliot Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 1PE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected 15 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 7 and 8 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Water Street Community Primary School is a warm and welcoming school. It is at the heart of the local community. Leaders and staff have high expectations for pupils’ achievement and behaviour. These are built around the school’s vision to ‘create bright futures’. Pupils love coming to school. One pupil summed this up by saying, ‘It feels like home as everyone is welcomed.’ They are well cared for by all staff. Pupils say that they are happy here and that they feel safe. Positive relationships between staff and pupils, and between pupils, are evident through the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created a clear behaviour policy, which pupils understand. Pupils are expected to behave well, and they usually do. Pupils say that bullying is rare. Adults deal with it when it does occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have developed a strong offer for supporting and developing pupils’ understanding and learning around mental health. Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy, both physically and mentally. They talk positively about their learning in the personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are very positive about the school. They appreciate the education and care provided. One parent said: ‘The relationship between staff and the families is brilliant. It is a safe and welcoming place where all children are encouraged to shine.’ This typifies the views of many.

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better?

Subject leaders are passionate about their curriculum area. They have planned a curriculum that meets the aims and ambition of the national curriculum. Planning is well sequenced, and subject leaders have identified the knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember over time. However, there is some inconsistency in how these plans are taught across school. Subject leaders do not always make clear to teachers how they are expected to teach the curriculum.

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better?

There is a consistent approach to teaching phonics in Reception and Year 1. Leaders have taken decisive action to develop a curriculum for phonics to meet the specific needs of pupils in the school. The plans are coherent and clear. Pupils have good phonic knowledge and are keeping up with the pace of the programme. However, for those pupils who need more practice with phonics, the reading books are not matched closely enough to their phonic knowledge. They rely too much on adult support to be able to read the book accurately. Reading is seen by pupils as part of their learning, and they enjoy reading to adults in class. Pupils in key stage 2 are inspired to read after listening to class novels. They share ‘recommended reads’ they have enjoyed at home.

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better?

Secure routines are in place in the early years, which creates a calm and focused start to the day. Children are happy to come to school, and they enjoy their learning. 7 and 8 February 2023

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Leaders plan the early years curriculum well to support and challenge children’s interest. All areas of learning are delivered through adult-led sessions and through well-planned and well-structured play activities. Children have a positive attitude to learning, and they engage well in tasks. They listen attentively and respond when adults speak to them. There is a clear focus on phonics and early reading in Reception, and children talk confidently about stories their teacher shares with them. Reception staff skilfully extend children’s learning through questioning. This develops children’s curiosity.

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Pupils have a clear understanding of the expectations in their own classroom for both behaviour and learning. Some pupils can talk about the whole-school values of ‘contribute, respect, enjoy, aspire, teamwork and enquire’ (CREATE). These are linked to the house points reward system. Pupils appreciate the positive rewards that they receive. They say that the rewards show them that they are doing well, and help them to do better. Pupils behave sensibly in lessons. Positive attitudes to learning start in the early years and continue throughout the school.

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Leaders have a well-considered and well-sequenced scheme of work in place for PSHE, which enhances pupils’ personal development. Pupils are able to hold discussions around challenging topics such as bullying, consent, positive relationships and online safety. Older pupils take their responsibilities seriously. These include being members of the school council, school librarians and house captains. Pupils talk confidently about difference and recognise that everyone should be treated with respect.

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Leaders are forward-thinking in their approach, and are always looking for the next steps to improve. Local partnerships and networks support this development, and leaders are not afraid to seek this advice. Governors know the school well and are committed to these developments. Curriculum leaders have good subject knowledge. Through staff meetings and regular communication, they support other members of staff in the school with the content of the curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have very strong safeguarding systems in place. Staff are well trained. They have regular safeguarding updates, which gives them the knowledge they need to report concerns effectively. Leaders respond swiftly to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Any concerns are suitably investigated. Leaders seek the support of outside agencies to help when necessary. Governors receive regular training. They meet with leaders to make sure that safeguarding is effective in school. Pupils know about how to keep themselves safe online. 7 and 8 February 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The implementation of the curriculum varies between year groups. This is because expectations for teaching in some subject areas are not always made clear by subject leaders. This means that pupils do not always benefit from effective teaching. Leaders, including subject leaders, need to ensure that curriculum monitoring leads to coherence across all classes so that pupils benefit from a consistent teaching approach from Reception to Year 6.  Reading books are not matched closely enough to phonic ability for some pupils. This means that some of the younger pupils are unable to read independently without adult support. Leaders should support teachers to ensure that they are selecting reading books which have the sounds that pupils know well.

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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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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. 7 and 8 February 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 June 2007

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the local governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, conducted joint lesson visits with leaders, had discussions with 7 and 8 February 2023

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teachers, spoke to pupils about their work and looked at pupils’ books and samples of their work.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, around the school and at playtime and lunchtime. They spoke with pupils about their views of the school and their learning, behaviour and safety.  During the inspection, a range of safeguarding information was scrutinised, including the school’s policies and records. Inspectors spoke to pupils and observed relationships between pupils and pupils, and pupils and adults. The lead inspector also met with the designated safeguarding leads.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff and pupils and Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. This included comments received via the free-text facility. They also talked to some parents in the school playground.

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Inspection team

Nicola Beaumont, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mel Garlick Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 February 2023

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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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