Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School

Inspection of Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School Maxwell Road, York, East Yorkshire YO42 2HE

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 13 and 14 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School is highly nurturing. Pupils benefit from the caring atmosphere throughout school. They know they are safe and belong here. This helps them to be happy and confident individuals.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has raised the ambition of the curriculum and has made recent improvements to it. In the early years and in reading, these changes, alongside the development of staff expertise, are having a positive impact. However, in other subjects, improvements are still at an early stage and have not yet had the intended positive impact on pupils’ learning. This means pupils are not prepared well enough for Year 3.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school supports all pupils to develop their talents and interests. The school has ensured that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included and know they are valued as part of the school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They play and work well together. They learn to treat others with kindness and respect. Staff know pupils well. Relationships between staff and pupils are delightful. The personal, social and health education provision teaches pupils how to manage friendship issues and stay safe online.

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

Children make a positive start to their education in the early years. The school has carefully considered the early years curriculum and learning environments to help children learn effectively. Staff know the skills and knowledge that children need to be ready for the next stage in their learning. Children are highly engaged in the learning opportunities provided for them. They happily join in with the familiar songs, rhymes and stories shared by staff. Staff skilfully extend children’s language through high-quality interactions. The outdoor areas are thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of the children, allowing plenty of opportunities for them to apply newly taught skills. Children leave the Reception Year well prepared for Year 1.

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

Reading is a priority across school. Children who attend in the Nursery Year are well prepared to start phonics in Reception. This helps them get off to a flying start with learning to read. There is a meticulous approach to checking pupils’ progression through the reading curriculum. Staff are expert in teaching children to read, and pupils who need additional help receive timely and effective support. The school fosters a love of reading. As a result, pupils are keen to discuss books they are reading in class and at home.

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

In some subjects, curriculum development is at an early stage. The school has introduced a more ambitious curriculum overall. However, in some subjects, the school has not clearly identified the essential knowledge and skills that pupils need to be well prepared for the next stage of their education. In these subjects, the curriculum is not broken down into sequential steps. This lack of clarity is particularly evident in key stage 1, where staff are unsure how best to deliver the curriculum to build pupils’ knowledge securely over time. In addition, staff do not know what they should be checking pupils know and can 13 and 14 May 2025

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do. Too often, assessment is ineffective because it focuses on the wrong aspects of learning or does not address pupils’ misconceptions.

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Pupils with SEND work towards the same curriculum end points as their peers. Staff understand these pupils’ needs well. Leaders have recently improved the provision for pupils with SEND and this is helping some pupils to make better progression through the curriculum. Pupils with complex SEND needs receive timely support that helps them access their learning. However, for some pupils with SEND, the school does not provide staff with the precise information they need so that they can support these pupils effectively in lessons. This hinders these pupils’ learning and means they do not achieve as well as they should.

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Pupils’ behaviour in school is good. The school’s behaviour management approach has a positive impact on pupils’ behaviour and conduct in lessons. Staff regularly praise pupils, who respond well to staff’s caring manner. Most pupils attend school well. Pupils enjoy coming to school.

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The school provides a variety of clubs and educational visits that develop pupils’ experiences and character. The school provides sensory areas and quiet spaces for reflection time. This helps pupils to regulate their feelings during the school day.

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The school is dedicated to creating a nurturing environment, but it has not made sure that its policies and improvement strategies are implemented effectively enough. This means that the overall quality of education that pupils receive is not good enough. Governors are aware of their statutory duties. They are supportive, but the rigour of their challenge to leaders is variable. Staff workload and well-being are well managed.

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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, the curriculum is not broken down into clearly defined, sequential steps. As a result, staff are unclear about the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to be successful in the next stage of their education. The school should ensure that all subject curriculums are carefully sequenced and broken down into manageable steps so that staff can build pupils’ knowledge effectively over time.  Teachers do not consistently check what pupils know and can do. This means they are unable to identify and address gaps in learning or misconceptions effectively. The school should improve its systems to check what pupils know and can do so that staff accurately check pupils’ understanding and use this information to inform teaching.  Some pupils with SEND do not receive precise support. This means that the school does not remove barriers to their learning to help them be successful in the work that

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is set for them. The school should ensure that pupils with SEND receive precise support that meets their individual needs and enables them to succeed.  Leaders do not effectively evaluate the impact of the changes they have introduced. As a result, they do not always know which actions are improving the quality of education. The school should ensure that staff implement its improvement strategies and agreed policies effectively and in a timely manner so that pupils can achieve well across the curriculum.

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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). 13 and 14 May 2025

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School details

Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 January 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This Church of England school is part of the Diocese of York. The school’s last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in February 2020. The school’s next section 48 inspection is due to take place by the end of 2025.  The school provides a before-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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. 13 and 14 May 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 spoke to senior leaders, including representatives from the governing body, local authority and 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.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  Inspectors listened to a range of pupils from different year groups reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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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.  Inspectors met the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, spoke to pupils with SEND and reviewed plans to support these pupils. They visited lessons to see how pupils with SEND are supported.  Inspectors visited the early years provision to check safeguarding arrangements and discuss the learning with children and leaders.  Inspectors observed behaviour at the start of the day, at lunchtimes and in lessons.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and staff survey. They also considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including any free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Georgina Chinaka, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kate Hall His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 May 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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