Sleights Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of a school judged Good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Sleights Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Ingham Close, Sleights, Whitby, North Yorkshire YO22 5DN

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that the school’s work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff are proud to be part of this welcoming school community. Parents commented that the school often goes ‘above and beyond’ for its pupils. Staff are ambitious that every pupil will achieve their best. Pupils’ enthusiasm to learn is palpable. Those responsible for leading the school, including governors, have taken the school from strength to strength. Consequently, many pupils achieve exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is committed to helping pupils thrive, both personally and academically. Pupils take on leadership roles, support their local community and learn about different beliefs and cultures. Children in the early years learn from carefully selected activities. Staff ask questions that develop children’s curiosity about the world around them. Pupils are polite, punctual and rates of attendance are high. Pastoral care is of the highest quality. The school has created a sense of belonging that enriches pupils’ lives.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well. They are taught to work together and communicate with confidence. Incidents of poor behaviour or bullying are extremely rare. Pupils experience a calm, purposeful and stimulating learning environment. Partnership work with a school in Africa and a local care home broadens pupils’ life experiences. Pupils develop respect and empathy for those who are different from themselves.

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

Since the previous inspection, the curriculum has undergone significant improvement. The school has made thoughtful choices about what pupils will learn at each stage of their 11 February 2025

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education. For example, the range of artists and historical figures within the curriculum is diverse. Locally important topics and people are also included. The skills that pupils are taught increase in complexity over time. Regular opportunities to revisit prior learning are woven into lessons. Pupils develop mastery of the curriculum over time.

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Staff are experts in the subjects they teach. They bring learning to life with careful activity choices and questioning. Pupils respond to these questions with enthusiasm. Staff quickly identify if a topic or task has been understood. Support staff are highly effective in their roles. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from strategies developed specifically to assist them. As a result, pupils with SEND thrive at school and achieve highly.

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The school has an accurate view of gaps in pupil’s learning and skills. These have reduced over time. Leaders have identified pupils who would benefit from additional help with reading fluency, spelling accuracy and mathematical understanding. These interventions are regularly reviewed and are highly effective.

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When children join the school in the early years, they are surrounded by opportunities to engage with words and numbers. Staff skilfully develop children’s language through the questions they ask. The school’s approach to teaching children to read is highly effective. Staff emphasise the important vocabulary they expect pupils to use. Older pupils build upon their reading skills and vocabulary knowledge to produce increasingly complex pieces of writing.

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The early years provides a solid foundation on which the rest of the curriculum builds. Children begin to explore ideas, skills and language that prepare them exceptionally well for their next stage of education. Tasks are carefully chosen to stimulate children’s imagination and complement the curriculum. Children maintain excellent focus during learning activities. They respect each other and their environment. Relationships between staff and children are warm and caring. Children know how to stay safe when moving around the setting.

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Pupils experience a curriculum beyond the academic that is broad and balanced. It takes account of risks pupils might encounter, for example online or near water. The school have planned a personal, social and health education curriculum that is relevant to pupils. The curriculum is flexible to the changing needs of the school and community. Because of this, pupils are incredibly well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Enrichment opportunities at the school are varied. These include a range of extracurricular clubs, often led by pupils themselves, and musical performances in the local community. Educational visits engage and enthuse pupils. Several pupils talked passionately about how these deepen their understanding of the curriculum. Residential trips provide valuable experiences for a wide variety of pupils.

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Professional development at the school is highly effective. Staff work together in school, as well as with other schools, to strengthen their skills and knowledge. The school evaluates the impact of this work precisely to plan future training. Staff say that their 11 February 2025

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well-being is a priority at the school. Changes are introduced mindfully so that each has time to embed effectively.

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Those responsible for governance are highly effective in their roles. They challenge and support school leaders. The governing body brings about tangible change that benefits pupils’ education. Funding to support vulnerable pupils and school improvement priorities is carefully managed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2019.

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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. 11 February 2025

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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). 11 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this school

 The school runs breakfast and after-school clubs.

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Information about this school

 The school has a religious character and is part of the Diocese of York in the Church of England. It received a diocesan inspection under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in March 2019.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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. 11 February 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and those responsible for governance. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority. One inspector spoke with a representative of the diocese.  The inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils and teachers and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in a range of situations, including at breaktimes and in lessons. The inspectors also spoke to pupils about behaviour and bullying. The inspectors spoke with leaders, teachers and pupils about the school’s

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programme of personal development.  The inspectors considered the responses from parents to Ofsted Parent View. This includes the comments submitted via the free-text facility. The inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online pupil and staff surveys as well as speaking to parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

John Linkins, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Pearce His Majesty’s Inspector 11 February 2025

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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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