Naburn Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Naburn Church of England Primary School Naburn, York, North Yorkshire YO19 4PP

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Inadequate 25 and 26 April 2023

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and governors have made rapid and effective improvements to the school. Teachers now successfully help pupils to make progress in their reading and mathematics. While they are on the right path, leaders and governors know that there is still much more to do. Other subjects in the curriculum, such as geography or computing, are not as clearly mapped out. Pupils are not gaining the knowledge and skills that they need in these subjects.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a harmonious and positive place to be. Parents and carers are very well informed about what is happening in the school. As one parent said, ‘it is more like a family than a school’. Pupils respect the staff and each other. Relationships between pupils and the staff are very strong. Pupils help each other out in lessons and encourage each other to do well. Pupils present their work to a high standard because they understand the importance of trying their best.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to play sport and learn about how to be healthy. There are other opportunities to learn and live the school values, such as hosting village events to encourage the value of ‘community’. Personal, social and health education (PSHE) is now taught weekly to all pupils. However, wider experiences, such as visits from charities or external experts, are not linked well enough to what pupils learn in the PSHE curriculum. Pupils have limited knowledge about some parts of the curriculum, such as how to form healthy relationships.

p.2

better?

Governors have used their precise planning and regular visits to school to ensure that the school is constantly improving. The ‘rapid improvement group’ uses information from a variety of sources, such as local authority representatives or the headteacher’s report to check on this. This has helped and challenged the leaders in the school to keep pace with the improvements that have been needed. Staff appreciate the way in which leaders have managed their workload and well-being, despite the pace of improvement.

p.2

better?

Leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the strengths of the school and what needs to improve. They know that some parts of the curriculum need significant development to get them to the standard that is needed.

p.2

better?

Leaders have trained all staff to teach phonics effectively. Leaders have introduced a new curriculum that clearly states when pupils are taught each sound. Pupils get to practise the sounds that they know at the start of lessons and by reading books. Teachers are expert at quickly assessing pupils who are new to the school. Staff then give these pupils extra support to quickly learn the phonics that they need in order to read books. Alongside phonics, teachers also read stories to pupils that they enjoy. Pupils get to know the characters well and like to predict what will happen next. 25 and 26 April 2023

p.2

3

Leaders have designed an effective mathematics curriculum. Teachers use this curriculum well to support pupils of all ages in mixed-age classes. Teachers are quick to pick up when pupils have not grasped a method or concept that they need. They then give pupils helpful tips and advice or show them how to do it again. Children in the early years quickly grasp an understanding of number, such as five being one more than four. Teachers continue to use the same methods and resources to build up this knowledge as they move through school. Pupils are confident in their mathematics and can show what they have been taught in the past.

p.3

3

Other subjects are much less developed than English and mathematics. Leaders have just started to add the detail needed to these curriculums. Currently, subjects such as geography have too little mapped out about what should be taught and when for pupils in mixed-age classes. Leaders have not broken down what pupils need to learn into small enough steps in these subjects. Teachers sometimes then try to cover too much in one lesson or ask pupils to do activities that they are not ready for. Some pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge, such as not knowing where the continents are in key stage 2. Sometimes, pupils are asked to do tasks in one subject that they have no knowledge of in another, for example pupils being asked to make bar charts in computing before learning about them in mathematics.

p.3

3

Teachers do not have the subject knowledge that they need in some subjects in key stages 1 and 2 and areas of learning in the early years. Subject leaders have not trained teachers in how to deliver these subjects as they are still developing the curriculum itself.

p.3

3

Teachers respond well to the needs of the pupils in the school. Many pupils come to school with significant gaps in their attendance. Leaders make sure that these new pupils are welcomed into the school and given the support that they need. This helps them settle quickly. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified and assessed accurately. Leaders work well with other agencies to gain more specialist advice or support where needed for pupils with SEND. For those pupils who struggle to concentrate at home, leaders run a homework club, where pupils get help and a quiet place to work.

p.3

3

Leaders now have a sharp focus on improving the attendance of all pupils. Pupils who are new to the school nearly all attend more than they did at their previous school. If pupils are off school regularly, leaders are quick to see what is happening. Leaders are not complacent and continue to work to improve attendance further.

p.3

3

Leaders have introduced a ‘traffic light’ system for behaviour. This is well understood by staff and pupils. Staff use it effectively to make sure that everyone understands what they expect pupils to do. There is a positive culture in the school, where pupils want to do well for their teachers and their fellow pupils. Classrooms are calm and purposeful. New arrivals to the school quickly get up to speed with these expectations and feel proud in their new school. 25 and 26 April 2023

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.4

Safeguarding

Leaders use an electronic recording system so that staff can log any concerns that they may have about a pupil. Leaders pick up on these concerns quickly and contact parents or other agencies when needed. This includes absence from school that leaders now track closely as a safeguarding concern when they are unsure about a pupil’s whereabouts.

p.4

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is another part of leaders’ work where they have used advice and expertise from the local authority well. Staff are now all fully trained to spot signs of concern. All visitors to the school are recorded on the school’s single central record. Leaders make sure that visitors have all the checks that they need to come into the school. There is a culture of vigilance in what staff do. Governors check up on this in their visits and through their meetings.

p.4

Safeguarding

Pupils have a clear understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Leaders consider the local context for pupils and ensure that they talk about what is important to them. For example, pupils have a very good understanding of how to be safe online.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are in the process of redesigning the curriculum in many of the foundation subjects in key stages 1 and 2 and some areas of learning in the early years. Teachers are not clear on what to teach in these areas and there is sometimes little coherence from one year group to another. Leaders should continue their work to develop the curriculum and ensure that there are clear links from what pupils have been taught in the past so that pupils have the prior knowledge that they need to access the new content.  Teachers do not break down what pupils are being taught into small enough component parts in some foundation subjects. Pupils are taught too much content all at once and fail to grasp the key knowledge that teachers want them to remember. Subject leaders should ensure that the curriculum is broken down into sufficiently small steps for pupils to build up their knowledge over time and that teachers are aware of what the core knowledge pupils need to remember is.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders recognise that some teachers do not have the subject knowledge that they need to teach some of the foundation subjects well. Teachers sometimes lack the knowledge of what precisely they need to teach and how they should teach it. Leaders should ensure that, as the curriculum is further developed, staff are given the subject knowledge training needed to implement it well.  Leaders have not matched the wider experiences that pupils have to the PSHE curriculum. The PSHE curriculum, like foundation subjects, lacks important precision of what is taught at each stage. Pupils have a limited understanding of important topics such as healthy relationships or the protected characteristics. 25 and 26 April 2023

p.4

5

Leaders should, as with foundation subjects, further break down the PSHE curriculum so that it is clear what is taught and when and that this links meaningfully to other experiences that pupils have in school.

p.5

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.

p.5

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.5

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.5

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. 25 and 26 April 2023

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.6

School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 and 24 November 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.6

Information about this school

 The headteacher works in the school for three days a week. Other leaders cover the statutory roles when he is not present.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider.  Governors plan to move from three classes to two classes from September 2023.  A significant proportion of pupils who attend the school are from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.  The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works two days a month in the school and is based at a local school in York.

p.6

Information about this inspection

The inspector carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act.

p.6

Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. 25 and 26 April 2023

p.6

7

 This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The headteacher spoke to the inspectors, as did other staff with leadership responsibilities. Inspectors also spoke to members of the governing body, a representative from the local authority and the SENCo and business manager, who work part time in the school.  To gain information about the quality of education, inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Teachers in the early years spoke to inspectors while children were engaged in

p.7

7

activities.  Inspectors spoke to staff and pupils at breaktime and lunchtime and observed pupils in their play. Inspectors spoke to pupils in groups about other parts of school life.  To evaluate safeguarding, inspectors checked safeguarding records, the single central record of pre-employment and vetting checks, spoke to staff in school and spoke to pupils among other activities.  The attendance policy and monitoring that leaders use to check this were looked at and discussed with leaders.  The views of parents were considered by talking to some parents and taking note of the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. Staff were also spoken to as a group and individually and their responses to the staff survey evaluated.

p.7

Inspection team

Matthew Knox, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.7

Inspection team

June Richardson Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 April 2023

p.7

8

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.

p.8

8

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

8

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

8

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

8

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8