Melsonby Methodist Primary School

Inspection of Melsonby Methodist Primary School West Road, Melsonby, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL10 5ND

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This small school cares well for its pupils. Leaders are determined that pupils will experience a range of opportunities outside of their village community. They enjoy city residentials to London and Edinburgh. Pupils take part in after-school clubs, including crafts and cooking. The school is part of a federation with another local school. It takes part in ‘Federation Fridays’ every week. This helps pupils to learn and socialise in larger groups. Pupils who make up the federation school council meet every week. Pupils gain confidence and are ready for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of all pupils. Teachers know pupils well individually in such a small school. They use this knowledge to personalise learning for each pupil. When pupils fall behind, staff put in additional support quickly. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and behave very well. They show respect for adults and each other. Pupils are kind and look after each other. They are encouraged to be accepting of people from faiths and cultures different to their own. As a result, conflict is rare. When pupils do fall out, they make friends again quickly. Pupils feel safe and know that adults will help if they need support.

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

The school has adapted the curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of mixed-age classes effectively. Reading is a priority. The phonics scheme is well embedded. All staff are experts in the teaching of early reading. Routines and consistency in teaching are strong. Pupils needing additional support to develop their reading fluency receive it. They catch up quickly. The school gives pupils ample opportunities to practise writing the sounds and words they learn. Older pupils have regular guided reading lessons. They can choose books from a wide range of quality texts. Pupils vote to select a class novel. As a result, pupils develop a love of reading and regularly read for pleasure.

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

The mathematics curriculum is well established. The curriculum is coherently sequenced to ensure pupils make good progress. Teachers address misconceptions and intervene quickly. Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. Staff support pupils with SEND so that they achieve in line with their peers in mathematics lessons. The early mathematics curriculum in reception has strong links to the Year 1 curriculum.

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

In other subjects, the school has recently introduced a new curriculum. The school carried out research to ensure the new curriculum meets the needs of the pupils in this school. It is too early to see the impact of these changes yet. The school is continuing to monitor the new curriculum areas. Across all subjects, teachers check what pupils know and can do. At times, the school is not as rigorous as it could be in using this information to identify and address gaps in pupils’ learning.

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

In the early years, staff know the children well. Children and their families visit the school before they start. School staff visit children in their Nursery settings. As a result, children 8 and 9 October 2024

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settle quickly and develop positive professional relationships with school staff. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly, sometimes before they begin at the school. Staff plan additional support for those children who need it. This begins as soon as children start at the school. The school checks that there are clear links to the Year 1 curriculum for early years children. Key stage 1 pupils have access to areas of provision. Staff model language and introduce ambitious, planned vocabulary through the class novels.

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Pupils behave well, including during playtime and in the lunch hall. They look after each other. There is a calm atmosphere in the school. Most pupils are attentive in lessons. Pupils attend school well. The school helps families who need additional support to attend school.

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The school councillors are proud of the charity work they are involved in. They also help to organise the village duck race. The school is part of the wider village community. Pupils take part in events at the local church. The ‘Friends of Melsonby’ support the school through fundraising activities. Staff ensure that pupils develop character. They are ready for life in modern Britain.

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Staff feel well supported by the school. Governors support leaders and staff workload and well-being. As a small school, leaders have forged strong links with the federation school and another local, larger school. This helps them in their drive for continuous improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, changes to the curriculum are recent and need time to embed. In these subjects, pupils are not yet able to connect their current learning with what they have learned previously. The school should continue to implement the planned changes to the curriculum and monitor impact so that pupils can recall their learning across all subject areas securely.  In some subjects, teachers are not systematic enough in how they assess and check what pupils have learned. This hinders how well they identify and address gaps in pupils’ prior learning and, on occasion, stops some pupils from making sense of new learning. The school should ensure that strategies used to check what pupils know give teachers enough information to address gaps in prior learning before moving on.

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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 8 and 9 October 2024

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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). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteachers Helen Robinson and Ian Mottram

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school runs its own wraparound care clubs.  The school is part of the Methodist diocese. The last section 48 inspection took place in January 2024.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke to the headteachers, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and school staff.  The lead inspector held meetings with the chair of governors, a foundation governor, the local authority school improvement adviser and the Methodist diocesan representative.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. 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 inspector listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult. The lead inspector also discussed the newly implemented science curriculum with the headteacher.

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 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.  To gather the views of pupils, inspectors spoke informally to pupils to gather their opinions on school life.  Inspectors considered the views of parents from responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. They also spoke to parents at the end of the school day.  To gather the views of staff, inspectors took account of responses to the staff survey and met with groups of staff.

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Inspection team

Helen Haunch, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lynn George Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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