West Heslerton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of West Heslerton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School West Heslerton, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 8RD

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good School 18 and 19 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is a warm and welcoming place to learn. Pupils, parents and staff are enormously proud to be part of the school community. Pupils are exceptionally kind and caring towards each other. They have excellent relationships with their teachers. Staff know each pupil very well. Pupils arrive with a smile, ready for a day of learning and enjoyment. The approach of the staff and the attitudes of the pupils reflect the Christian ethos of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for every pupil. They ensure that pupils study a well-planned curriculum. Pupils benefit from a supportive learning environment. Pupils thrive and learn with enthusiasm. They achieve well. Pupils love to read and enjoy every opportunity to do so. In the early years, children experience a joyful day of learning and discovery.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers appreciate the high level of care and support given to pupils and their families. This is especially so for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They are unfailingly polite. They talk with pride about their responsibilities and the many wider opportunities the school provides to develop their interests. Pupils are proud of the fact that the school respects difference.

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better?

Leaders have created an ambitious curriculum. Pupils build important knowledge and skills across many subjects.

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better?

In the early years, children benefit from a carefully planned curriculum. Staff communicate in purposeful ways with children. The learning environment supports learning. Children become curious and excited learners. By the end of Reception, children are well prepared for key stage 1.

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better?

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils in Reception and Year 1 experience a structured approach to teaching phonics. Staff are highly skilled. This means that teaching is focused and precise. Pupils learn sounds quickly. They confidently use this knowledge to read books matched to the sounds that they are learning. Pupils who find reading difficult are quickly identified and given support to help them catch up.

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better?

Older pupils love to read and enjoy their teachers reading to them. They talk with confidence and insight about the books that they are reading. Pupils recognise that reading is important. They talk confidently about learning skills, such as inference. They appreciate all of the opportunities that they have to read and highly value the school library. School 18 and 19 June 2024

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Teachers are knowledgeable. They plan learning that builds over time. In some subjects, pupils revisit prior learning to help them remember important knowledge. In these subjects, pupils have a very secure knowledge. They can discuss their learning with ease. For example, in mathematics, pupils show a deep knowledge and understanding of square numbers and fractions. They also demonstrate expertise when recalling their times tables. However, in other subjects, such as computing, strategies to help pupils to remember important learning are less securely developed.

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Every child is seen as unique in this highly inclusive school. Staff are clear about individual pupils’ needs. Staff are determined that barriers to learning are addressed. Pupils with SEND have clear support plans to ensure that targets are known by staff. They are helped to learn successfully.

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The school ensures that pupils behave in an exceptional way. Pupils manage their own behaviour well because they know what excellent behaviour is. Throughout the day, they are focused on what they are doing and maximise every minute of their learning.

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The school provides an environment in which pupils can flourish. Personal development is deeply rooted in the culture of the school. It is woven through the curriculum. Learning is underpinned and enriched by visits and experiences that deliberately extend the pupils’ experience of life. For example, pupils took part in a mock general election, supported by a visit from the local MP. Pupils model tolerance and respect. They understand and value difference. They enjoy opportunities to be a leader. Pupils are articulate when discussing the importance of values, such as democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. They understand that everyone is unique and that our individual characteristics are protected by law. They have an excellent knowledge of different faiths and cultures.

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All staff value the support that they receive. They appreciate that their well-being and workload are carefully considered by leaders. Parents are universally positive about the school. They appreciate the support it provides to pupils and their families. One parent said, ‘I feel both proud and lucky that my children are able to attend West Heslerton school.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is some variation in how well teaching helps pupils to remember important knowledge and skills. This means that pupils retain knowledge in some subjects better than in others. The school needs to develop strategies that enable pupils to School 18 and 19 June 2024

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remember important knowledge across all subjects and to check that this is happening.

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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 18 and 19 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Ian Pennock/Tracy Reynolds

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School details

Website http://www.heslerton.n-yorks.sch.uk/

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller-than-average primary school.

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England primary school. Its last section 48 inspection took place in February 2020.

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this school

 The school has a forest school after-school club.

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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. School 18 and 19 June 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection 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.

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and other members of staff.

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 The lead inspector met with representatives of the board of governors, a representative of the local authority and the diocese education adviser.

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 Inspectors met with the leader for behaviour and attendance, the leader for personal, social and health education and the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator.

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading and phonics, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, conducted joint lesson visits with leaders, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at planning for all other curriculum areas.

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 Inspectors met with the leader for the early years and carried out lesson visits to the Reception/Year 1 class.

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, around school and at playtime and lunchtime.

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 Inspectors met with pupils to talk about behaviour and personal development.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.

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 Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff and pupils, and Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Parent View. These included comments received via the free-text facility. Inspectors also talked to some parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Chris Jennings, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Hassack Ofsted Inspector School 18 and 19 June 2024

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