Martongate Primary School

Inspection of Martongate Primary School Martongate, Martongate Primary School, Bridlington YO16 6YD

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 3 and 4 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Martongate Primary School are happy and polite. The school ensures that everyone understands its vision to develop pupils into active citizens, who ‘can contribute to a better tomorrow’. For example, pupils in the eco-club support environmental sustainability by holding toy and clothes swaps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The ethos of the school focuses on care and nurture. Pupils feel safe and relationships with adults are positive and supportive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Although pupils largely behave well, behaviour can be variable in lessons. The new behaviour policy is not securely understood by pupils. Pupils do know what bullying is. Some parents and pupils consider that bullying is a problem and is not dealt with effectively. However, the school does take bullying seriously and follows up any alleged bullying incidents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils generally benefit from calm classroom environments in which they can learn. Despite this, the school has not overcome some pupils’ reluctance to interact with or contribute to learning discussions. The school community was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is still recovering. The school has reviewed its curriculum to better meet the needs of the pupils after their lockdown experience. In some subjects, curriculum development is at an earlier stage.

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better?

Post pandemic, the school recognised pupils’ resilience and motivation to learn was weak. The school consequently reviewed the curriculum with an aim of inspiring pupils to learn. The curriculum structure of some subjects is more advanced than others. In some subjects, like art and design and geography, the curriculum is well planned and sequenced. The school has mapped out what pupils need to learn. In other subjects, such as design and technology, this is less clear. In these subjects, the curriculum, and the work that pupils produce, does not show a coherent building of knowledge over time.

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better?

In most subjects, the school checks what pupils remember at the end of each unit of work. However, the school does not use this information effectively to address gaps in pupils’ learning. Some pupils struggle to connect their knowledge. For example, some pupils can talk about what they are currently learning in geography but cannot link this to any previous learning. In addition, work in pupils books lacks sequence over time.

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better?

The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is variable. Systems to indicate how adults should support pupils with SEND in class are unclear. The school does not have a secure picture of how well the needs of pupils with SEND are met. 3 and 4 October 2023

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The school prioritised the teaching of early reading with the introduction of a new phonics programme in January 2022. Currently, some pupils in every year group require extra phonics or reading support. The school recognises that the additional phonics catch-up sessions delivered during the 2022-2023 academic year were not effective enough. This year, the school is providing these important sessions more regularly. Pupils’ reading books match the sounds they know. Pupils are using their phonic knowledge to blend new and unfamiliar words.

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Post pandemic, the school analysed the gaps in pupils’ mathematical understanding. The weaknesses were in key areas, such as number bonds and calculation. The school has introduced several new approaches, reacting to weak end of key stage outcomes. In lessons, pupils work with a partner to help and support each other. While this engages some pupils, others do not answer questions and become disengaged. This behaviour is not challenged sufficiently in some classrooms. Gaps in pupils’ understanding persist.

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The school provides a range of opportunities, including whole-school assemblies, to teach aspects of the personal development curriculum, such as fundamental British values and the protected characteristics. However, pupils have a limited understanding of this important curriculum content.

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The school has a whole-school approach to improving pupils’ mental health and well-being. Adults support pupils well in the ‘Honeypot’ enhanced provision with initiatives, like art therapy, music or gardening tasks. Pupils access this space to help regulate their behaviour.

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In the early years, the school has the highest ambition for children. There is a clear focus on language and communication development. Adults model sentences to children to encourage conversation. The learning environment is well planned, inviting and engaging. There is an underpinning ethos to teach children about the world around them. Children enjoy a range of learning experiences, such as counting chess pieces in the mathematics area, writing on easels or using equipment in play dough. As a result, children have a positive start to their education.

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The governing body has systems to hold leaders to account. They link their governor activity to an aspect of school improvement. However, their endeavours have not ensured that pupils receive a good quality of education.

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The school has begun to address the demands of staff workload. Subject leaders have additional time to lead their subject. However, for some staff, workload has a negative impact on their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 and 4 October 2023

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During the inspection there were some minor improvements the school made to ensure that the checks on adults who work at the school were complete.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not have a sufficiently consistent approach to improve pupils’ understanding and achievement in mathematics. Pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of key stage 2 is below national expectation. The school should develop and implement a consistent approach to teaching mathematics, which enables pupils to build and recall the most important mathematical knowledge they need to achieve success.  In some subjects, the learning sequence is inconsistent. Pupils struggle to recall key subject knowledge and to make links between current and prior learning. Staff are not clear on when to move learning on. The school must ensure that the learning sequence is clear in all subjects and that there are clear processes for checking what pupils know and can remember over time.  The school does not ensure that there are clear systems to support pupils with SEND. This means the school does not have an accurate picture of what these

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils need and how they are supported. The school should ensure that systems to identify and support pupils with SEND provide the information needed to enable pupils to succeed.  Some aspects of the school’s personal development offer are not as well developed as others. This means that some pupils’ knowledge of British values and world religions is insecure. The school should provide more explicit opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding in these areas.

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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’ 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 3 and 4 October 2023

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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). 3 and 4 October 2023

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School details

Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 October 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average sized primary school.  The school does not use any alterative providers.  The school has the ‘Honeypot’ provision on site. It supports pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs and pupils who need time out of class to regulate their behaviour.

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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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 3 and 4 October 2023

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, staff and pupils.  Meetings were also held with representatives of the governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, art and design, and design and technology. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors 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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The views of parents, carers, staff and pupils were considered from meeting with them and from the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire and Ofsted’s Parent View.

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Inspection team

Alison Stephenson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrea Batley His Majesty’s Inspector 3 and 4 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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