Thornton Dale CofE Primary School

Inspection of Thornton Dale CofE Primary School Castle Close, Thornton-le-Dale, Pickering, North Yorkshire YO18 7TW

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Camarah Mosey. This school is part of Elevate Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Nigel Ashley, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Brear. 4 and 5 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Thornton Dale Primary are happy, polite and articulate members of the school family. They enjoy numerous opportunities to thrive and flourish in the school’s carefully crafted, nurturing environment. Pupils embody the school’s values of kindness, friendship and respect. Relationships between staff and pupils are highly positive. Pupils are at the heart of all that the school does. Staff value each pupil as an individual.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Over time, the school has established extremely high expectations for all. Well-trained and talented staff ensure that all pupils have many opportunities to succeed and to meet these high expectations over time. Pupils achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop exemplary attitudes to one another. As a result, behaviour is highly positive across the school. Pupils’ empathy towards others is remarkable. They talk about the need to ‘take charge of yourself and respect and show tolerance to everyone’. Others talk about ‘uniqueness being like a superpower’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They appreciate the work that staff do to get to know their children. Parents’ comments about the school, such as ‘staff are caring and nurturing’ and that their children are ‘thriving in all areas of the school’, reflect the findings of the inspection team.

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

Children in early years get an exceptional start to their journey at Thornton Dale. Talented staff immerse children in high-quality experiences to deepen their learning through play. These staff model adventurous language and vocabulary. This gives children the confidence to use this language in their own play. Children explore the provision with high levels of independence and resilience. The well-crafted early years curriculum develops children both socially and academically. Children are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

Pupils at the earliest stages of reading benefit from quality phonics provision. Over time, they develop into highly confident and fluent readers. Where pupils may struggle to keep up, staff ensure that they get the support they need to catch up over time. However, a small number of pupils do not have gaps in their phonics knowledge addressed swiftly enough. This can limit their ability to read confidently.

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

The school’s work to identify the needs of pupils with SEND is of a very high standard. These pupils receive appropriate support to address their needs. This means they achieve well over the course of their time in school.

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

Pupils talk with confidence and excitement about their learning. For example, a large number of children in early years worked collaboratively to create a ‘racing ship’ from crates and added ‘cannon boosters’ for extra speed. They were keen to invite an inspector into their creation and explained at length how it worked. Older pupils talk with a keen 4 and 5 March 2025

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understanding of the Roman occupation of Britain. Others demonstrate how they extend their learning in gymnastics lessons from year to year. Pupils’ ability to connect learning across different subject areas is notable.

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Pupils love to come to school. Attendance is high. The school does all it can to improve attendance even further. Behaviour across school is of a very high standard. Parents and staff agree. When some pupils occasionally struggle with self-control, highly trained staff take sensitive and effective action to support them. The school has created a warm and welcoming safe space, the ‘Burrow’, where pupils are well supported where necessary.

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The school ensures that pupils’ wider development is a high priority. An exemplary programme of personal development allows pupils to blossom spiritually and socially. A detailed plan of educational visits and other experiences is designed to give pupils the opportunity to visit a mosque and a synagogue, for example. These experiences contribute strongly to pupils’ high levels of understanding, respect and tolerance to those with different faiths. Other opportunities, such as visits to a local residential home for the elderly, caring for the local environment and numerous pupil leadership roles within the school, allow pupils to make significant contributions to the school and to the wider community. There are also explicitly planned opportunities for pupils to engage in debate linked to their academic learning. For example, older pupils talked with a deep understanding in a debate around whether Boudicca was ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

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Leaders at all levels have been relentless in making continued improvements throughout the school. Knowledgeable governors fulfil their roles with diligence. Expertise from school leaders, governors and the trust has been instrumental in strengthening the school across all aspects of its work in recent years. The workload and well-being of staff are of the utmost importance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of pupils have gaps in their phonics knowledge that are not identified and addressed effectively. This means that these pupils do not achieve as well as they might. The school should ensure that gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge are addressed swiftly and effectively. 4 and 5 March 2025

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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.

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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). 4 and 5 March 2025

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School details

Website www.thorntondaleprimaryschool.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school converted to become a sponsor-led academy on 1 April 2020. When its predecessor school, Thornton Dale CofE (VC) Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The school is one of 18 schools in the Elevate Multi Academy Trust.  The school has undergone a significant change in staffing since the predecessor school’s last inspection. The headteacher was appointed in 2022. Over half of the staff who responded to the staff questionnaire have been appointed since the predecessor school’s last inspection.  At the time of this inspection, the substantive headteacher was on maternity leave. She came into school for the two days of the inspection. A senior leader has been appointed as acting headteacher to cover this period of maternity leave.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  Wraparound care operates on site under the school’s management.

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 As the school is designated as having a religious character, it is also inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The last such inspection was in November 2023. The school’s next section 48 inspection is due before November 2028.

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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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, some other school staff, members of the local governing board, representatives of the trust, the trust’s CEO and the director of education from the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 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.  An inspector listened to some pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 reading to a familiar adult.

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Information about this inspection

 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 considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  An inspector also spoke to some parents at the end of the school day.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online staff and pupil questionnaires and spoke to some staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Richard Beadnall, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Hassack Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 March 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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