Long Marston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of Long Marston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Angram Road, Long Marston, York, North Yorkshire YO26 7LR

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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 Outstanding Previous inspection grade Requires Improvement School 10 and 11 April 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Long Marston Primary is a small school with large ambitions. Pupils are safe and feel happy within the nurturing, family ethos. Pupils benefit from a much-improved quality of education. They learn a broad range of subjects. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), increasingly progress well through the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years thrive socially and academically. They enjoy learning in an environment that sparks their interests. Children are highly motivated and eager to make new discoveries. Staff provide children with opportunities to investigate and explore the world around them. For example, when studying plants, children cut and crush fresh herbs, talking to one another about the smell of the leaves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn in the school without disruption. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Pupils are respectful towards each other and staff. Bullying is rare. Pupils have a trusted adult they can turn to. They particularly enjoy working with pastoral staff, who provide a range of bespoke interventions and support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep themselves safe online and offline. This is supported by an effective programme of personal, social and health education. Older pupils enjoy working with their peers across the federation of schools. The annual cross-federation sex and relationships education event teaches them important lessons about growing up.

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better?

Since the last inspection, leaders have made improvements to the quality of education. A well-designed curriculum is now in place. It is fit for purpose for this small school. The school makes clear the key knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. Staff now use effective methods to put this in place. In class, pupils recall and use this knowledge well. They work independently when the teacher is instructing other groups. However, the quality of teaching over time has not been consistently strong. Pupils have gaps in their knowledge, and some do not achieve as highly as they should. The school has taken important steps to address this. This is starting to have an impact.

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better?

The effective curriculum begins in the early years. Staff plan learning so that it supports a seamless transition into Year 1. The school sets no limits for the standards children can achieve. During taught sessions, children are highly attentive. They listen well and take turns to contribute. In continuous provision, children become engrossed in their learning. They enjoy practising mathematics. Children create repeating patterns using conkers and leaves. Children’s knowledge and skills develop strongly over time. They try hard to get things right. For example, they persevere writing numbers with a paintbrush in sand. This develops their fine motor skills and supports future writing. School 10 and 11 April 2024

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Reading is at the heart of the school. Pupils understand that it is the key to their wider success. Learning to read begins from day 1 in early years. Children in this setting enjoy a learning environment that is rich with books. In Year 1, pupils build on these strong foundations. If pupils struggle or fall behind in phonics, staff help them to keep up or catch up. Pupils with SEND receive extra support if they need it. Staff are well trained to support pupils to become fluent readers. Older pupils enjoy whole-class reading sessions. They talk excitedly about their visits to the school library. Pupils also enjoy listening to their teachers read.

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Pupils are proud of their inclusive school. They value kindness and friendship. During social times, pupils of all ages play well together. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Their positive rates of attendance are indicative of this. Staff emphasise positive relationships as the key to pupils’ success. If staff do need to address pupils’ behaviour, they do so quietly and consistently. They use the clear systems and expectations of the school. The school is a calm and pleasant place to be.

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The school ensures that pupils enjoy a range of experiences to enrich their learning. Pupils fondly recall trips to museums, outward-bound centres and a wildlife park. Pupils relish the chance to take on responsibilities. They enjoy leading assemblies and supporting with collective worship. Pupils also raise money for a variety of charities.

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Being part of the Togetherness Inspires Growth (TIG) Federation supports the school to make improvements. It helps leaders to increasingly develop sustainable and effective subject leadership. Sharing planning across the schools reduces workload for staff. Staff enjoy working at the school. They feel proud of the improvements the school has made over recent years. Staff feel valued by senior leaders. Governors commit to supporting high-quality education for the children in their community. They are reflective and adjust their work when necessary. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They particularly value the high-quality foundations the school’s early years provision provides.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Changes to the quality of education are new and not fully embedded. Some pupils do not achieve highly enough and have gaps in their learning that need to be closed rapidly. The school should continue their work to support, evaluate and secure high-quality teaching and learning across the school. School 10 and 11 April 2024

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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 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). School 10 and 11 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 November 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is of a Church of England religious character. The most recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) inspection took place in November 2017.  Long Marston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is part of the TIG Federation of schools. There are two other primary schools in the federation.  The executive headteacher took up post in September 2023. They have responsibility for all schools in the federation.  Some pupils attend school on a flexible basis. They receive some education in school and some at home. This is called ‘flexi-schooling’.  The school does not use providers of alternative provision for its pupils.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. School 10 and 11 April 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the assistant headteacher and other leaders from the federation over the course of the inspection. The lead inspector also met with the local authority adviser.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the local governing body and three other governors. They reviewed documentation relating to governance, including minutes from governor meetings.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. 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. The lead

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inspector discussed the science curriculum and looked at a sample of pupils’ work in this subject.  The lead inspector met with the leader responsible for early years. The inspectors also spent time in the early years provision across the course of the inspection.  The lead inspector met with the special educational needs coordinator, the leader responsible for flexi-schooling and the leader responsible for personal development.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors met with groups of pupils formally throughout the inspection and spoke with them informally at social times and in lessons.  A range of school documents was reviewed, including the school’s self-evaluation

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and the school improvement plan.  The inspector considered the views of pupils, parents and staff gathered through Ofsted’s questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Hannah Millett, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Emma Watson Ofsted Inspector School 10 and 11 April 2024

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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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