Kirkby Malzeard Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Kirkby Malzeard Church of England Primary School Church Street, Kirkby Malzeard, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 3RT

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Outcome

Kirkby Malzeard Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school. Pupils are happy and safe in this nurturing environment. The school’s values of kindness, patience, love and peace thread through every aspect of school life. Excellent relationships develop between staff, pupils and families. Many pupils move into the area from other schools. They settle in well and make new friends quickly. Staff listen well to pupils and value their ideas. They encourage pupils to be resourceful and community-minded. This is shown in gardening club where pupils grow produce and gift it to local residents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the high expectations of behaviour set by staff. Through the buddy system, older pupils mentor younger pupils in a caring way. Pupils get to know each other really well. They treat one another with high levels of respect. The school is calm and the classes have a working ‘hum’ as pupils focus on their learning. Bullying is rare. Staff deal with any incidents of bullying quickly and fairly. Pupils trust adults to resolve any concerns that they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff encourage pupils to be physically active. The school skipping sessions are helping pupils to become fitter. Through the cycling programme, pupils develop great awareness of road safety.

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

The school’s curriculum is well designed and ambitious from early years onwards. The curriculum deepens pupils’ thinking about culture and life beyond Kirkby Malzeard. For example, pupils learn about the reasons why people migrate. They study the Industrial Revolution and the Windrush generation. Pupils describe the push-pull factors of migration and relate these to both historical and modern-day events competently. The topics chosen help pupils connect their learning from different subject areas. This makes pupils’ learning more memorable. Teachers know exactly what subject knowledge should 26 September 2023

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be taught and when. Leaders support staff in considering the best approach to teaching subject matter. As a result, there is consistency in the delivery of the curriculum. Pupils have excellent recall of their learning in some subjects. They are well prepared for their next phase of learning.

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Pupils are hugely enthusiastic about reading. Leaders ensure that there is a structured approach to teaching pupils to read. This starts in Reception class, where staff model the joy of reading. Pupils learn phonics quickly. In key stage 1, there is a particular emphasis on developing fluency and expression. The school is trialling two approaches to teaching reading in key stage 2. The aim is to further develop pupils’ comprehension skills. A few pupils are less engaged in these lessons. In the library, pupils have a wide variety of high- quality texts to choose from. These include many books that they have won by entering reading competitions. Pupils look forward to their reading buddy time. They share their ‘recommended reads’ and do book swaps.

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Some teachers do not consistently check pupils’ understanding of new learning in lessons. Some do not provide feedback quickly enough. Opportunities to discuss misconceptions or extend learning there and then are sometimes missed.

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Leaders work with local childcare providers to support children transferring into Reception class. The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. Pupils with SEND have personalised learning plans. These contain clear targets and guidance for staff. The number of pupils with more complex needs has risen significantly in recent years. Leaders make sure that pupils and parents contribute to the personalised learning plans. This means that parents know how to support their child’s learning at home as well as at school.

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Subject leaders have time allocated to check what happens in lessons and to look at pupils’ work. As a result, improvements have been made to the way the curriculum is delivered. This includes the introduction of ‘sheep tracking’, a time for pupils to recap on prior learning. The recap helps pupils to know more and remember more.

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Leaders promote positive mental health. Pupils appreciate the work of the pastoral support assistant, particularly the walk-and-talk sessions. Pupils have an excellent understanding of the protected characteristics, such as disability and age. Leaders signpost after-school sports clubs so that pupils have opportunities to develop their unique talents. Pupils are active citizens in the wider community and help with the local lunch club. The school choir has performed at the Royal Hall in Harrogate. Pupils grow in confidence in their various leadership roles.

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Members of the governing body support and challenge senior leaders well. They receive updates from the headteacher and act on them assertively. For example, they wrote to parents to promote regular attendance when this dipped due to holidays taken in term time. Governors review the standard of education and the difference that the curriculum is making. The governing body understands the pressures of working in a small school and tries to reduce staff workload. Governors set the example that safeguarding is everyone’s business. 26 September 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is a lack of consistency in the way in which members of staff check pupils’ knowledge systematically, identify misconceptions and provide direct feedback. This means that some pupils are not given a direct steer to make their learning better. The school should ensure that all staff are trained to assess pupils’ knowledge and give them timely feedback.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2013.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, 26 September 2023

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 26 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.kirkbymalzeard.n-yorks.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is federated with St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, West Tanfield. The governing body and headteacher lead both schools. Subject leaders also work across the two school sites.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school is a member of the Diocese of Leeds and has a Christian character.  A section 48 inspection was carried out in January 2019. The school was graded good overall.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 26 September 2023

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher. Meetings were also held with the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, class teachers, some support staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors looked at curriculum planning, conducted joint lesson visits with leaders, spoke to pupils about their work and looked at books and samples of work.  Prior to the inspection, the lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance and previous Ofsted inspections.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, around the school and at playtime and lunchtime. They spoke with pupils about their views on the school and their learning, behaviour and safety.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  As well as speaking to parents at the school gate, inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The views of staff were taken into account through a number of meetings as well as their responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Mary Cook, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dawn Foster Ofsted Inspector 26 September 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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