Egton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Egton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Egton, Whitby, North Yorkshire YO21 1UT

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Outcome

Egton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Egton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a school where the values of trust, friendship and respect are lived out by all. The school has a distinctive family ethos. Adults know the pupils well. They understand the needs and backgrounds of individual pupils. Because of this, pupils are happy and safe. Pupils feel cared for in this school and, in turn, they take care of each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for what pupils can achieve academically and for their personal development. As a result, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for life beyond school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and throughout school. They are polite and courteous. Pupils have strong relationships with adults. Positive behaviour and relationships are founded on a culture of mutual respect. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The majority of pupils access after-school activities through ‘Wednesday Club’. This includes disadvantaged pupils. Activities include dance, cookery, gardening and sports. These opportunities help pupils to widen their experience and develop their interests and talents. Pupils also enjoy opportunities to be involved in sporting competitions with other schools.

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

The school has developed a broad and balanced curriculum. The curriculum has undergone significant adaptations over recent years to ensure coherently planned and sequenced content for each subject. It is designed to give pupils the most important knowledge that they need to learn. Teachers feel confident and are well prepared to teach the curriculum. In lessons, teachers intelligently meet the needs of mixed-age classes. For 10 October 2023

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example, in mathematics, teachers skilfully alternate their focus between year groups to ensure pupils receive age-appropriate learning while maintaining the engagement of all pupils. Teachers make links with previous learning to help secure pupils’ knowledge. For example, pupils called upon their knowledge of Ancient Egypt when making links with sacrificial rites in other civilisations and faiths. Teachers use questioning deftly to check pupils’ learning and to identify gaps in knowledge. The school achieves the same ambitious outcomes for all pupils, including those with SEND.

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Reading is a high priority. The school recognises how important it is to get pupils reading successfully and as soon as possible. The school’s chosen scheme for the teaching of reading is used consistently by staff who are well trained. The school has recently invested in high-quality texts to ensure that pupils have a wide choice of books to enjoy. Pupils talked enthusiastically about their visit to a bookshop in Whitby where they helped choose books for their school. The pupil library monitors are passionate advocates for reading. They help foster a love of reading by sharing books with younger pupils.

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Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour, and pupils are keen to meet these expectations. They respond to the well-established routines. The behaviour policy is applied consistently, and pupils feel that everybody is treated fairly.

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In planning the personal development curriculum, the school has carefully considered the backgrounds and circumstances of the pupils. They want pupils to have a wide range of experiences that extend beyond their community and locality. Leaders’ ambition is that pupils will have high self-esteem and confidence and be resilient. These ambitions are realised. Through the personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum, pupils learn about difference and diversity. They are tolerant and respectful of differences between people. While pupils learn about important values, the PSHE programme does not afford pupils sufficient opportunities to learn about some aspects of fundamental British values in sufficient depth. For example, pupils do not have a sound understanding of democracy and what it means to live in a democratic society.

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Leaders and governors have a strong and clear vision for the school, its pupils, their families and the community. Much of this vision is founded on strong Christian values. This is enhanced by the strong link with the diocese. The school is very outward-facing and benefits from many collaborations with similar schools. The advantages that come from the federation with a similar school are maximised.

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Leaders and governors are mindful of ensuring that the well-being of staff is a priority. Staff speak highly of how well they are looked after and how their professional development is a priority. Governors are skilled and committed. They understand their roles well and ensure that they visit the school to check the actions of leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 October 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The PSHE programme does not cover aspects of British values in sufficient depth. As a result, some pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of the importance of these values in modern British society. The school should ensure that its PSHE curriculum deepens pupils’ knowledge and understanding of all aspects of British values.

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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 June 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, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 10 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller-than-average primary school.  The school is federated with Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School. The two schools share the same governing body and the headteacher leads both schools.  The school is a Church of England voluntary-aided school and is part of the Diocese of York. The last statutory inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 took place in December 2022.  The school is part of the St Hilda’s Moorland Federation.

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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.  Inspectors held meetings with governors and representatives from the local authority 10 October 2023

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and the diocese. Further meetings were held with a range of school leaders, including those responsible for early reading, the special educational needs coordinator and the leader for early years.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. Pupils were heard reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors studied a variety of documents. These included the school’s self-evaluation, the minutes of governing body meetings, attendance information and safeguarding records.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single 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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The views of parents and carers, staff and pupils were gathered through Ofsted’s surveys and face-to-face discussions.

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Inspection team

Dughall McCormick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kathryn Fenwick Ofsted Inspector 10 October 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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