Newbald Primary School

Inspection Report Newbald Primary School

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117859 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire LEA 280168 Inspection number 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 Inspection dates Mr Alastair Younger Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Beverley Road School address Primary Type of school North Newbald Community School category York, East Yorkshire 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01430 827612 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01430 827067 Fax number 68 Number on roll Mrs Francine Holmes Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Steve Cattle Headteacher 1 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280168 7 February 2006 - 3 to 11 8 February 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an additional inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small, rural primary school with 68 pupils. Eleven are in the Foundation Stage. The school has a falling roll. Pupils come from a wide range of family backgrounds and attainment on entry is broadly average. Nearly all pupils are white and British. Seven have learning difficulties and/or difficulties but none have statements of special educational need. No pupils are looked after by the local authority. Small numbers of pupils in each year group mean that the performance of one or two pupils dramatically affects overall results in tests.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Newbald Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Grade: 3

The school is satisfactory. It is over optimistic in judging itself to be a good school, being sustained by significant improvements over the past year, but not fully acknowledging underlying weaknesses. Achievement is satisfactory but varies between groups of different age and ability. Children get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage. They make good progress in all areas of learning because they are well taught in a stimulating environment. This good progress continues in Key Stage 1, but slows to satisfactory in Key Stage 2 because teaching is not as strong and pupils are not working as hard as they could. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall but the falling roll has contributed to a growing debt. Managers hope to redress this situation by attracting more pupils, but this alone will not be enough and alternatives have not been sufficiently well considered. This undermines prospects for improvement

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Grade: 3

at a time when developments in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 give so many grounds for optimism. Parents are satisfied with the work of the school. Pupils feel happy, safe and cared for, and their enjoyment of school is evident in their good attendance. The school has the capacity to improve further and is giving satisfactory value for money. not applicable

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What the school should do to improve further

• Stabilise the budget to ensure that the future prospects of pupils are not hindered by the need to pay off debt incurred by previous generations. • Raise standards in Key Stage 2 by improving teaching and lifting the expectation on pupils to work harder.

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Grade: 3

Achievement and standards are satisfactory overall. From their good start in the Foundation Stage, pupils continue to thrive in Key Stage 1. They are particularly well taught and expectations are high. Test results from last year are not a true reflection of current standards, as a new class teacher took over midway through the year. Results showed that, on average, pupils attained a higher standard than the year before, especially in reading. The current work of pupils is of a good standard. Records show they are all making good progress and this was clearly evident in lessons during the inspection. Progress in Key Stage 2 is satisfactory. Last year’s test results for Year 6 pupils showed that they attained the level that had been predicted of them, which was slightly above the national average. This was a considerable improvement on the previous year, when results were much lower than expected, the worst for several years

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Grade: 3

and well below the national average. Targets for Year 6 pupils this year are lower than last year but are a fair reflection of their previous attainment. However, teachers are expressing concern that pupils are not working quickly enough and are not meeting enough of their learning objectives, especially in mathematics. The lessons seen support 2 Inspection Report: Newbald Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 the view that progress is satisfactory; teachers should have higher expectations, and pupils could work harder to achieve more.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are satisfactory. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory, as is their preparation for future economic well-being. The school has a settled atmosphere. Pupils are happy and enjoy their education. This is reflected in above average attendance and is supported by the views of parents. Occasionally, older pupils do not work as hard as they could. Pupils are sensible and show awareness of others. This helps to promote safety and reduces the frequency of accidents. Good attention is paid to helping pupils to stay safe out of school, for instance through learning about road safety. A good emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles also contributes by helping pupils to avoid bad habits. Pupils are energetic and wholeheartedly join in with physical activities, but the lack of a school hall restricts opportunities when the weather is bad or nights draw in.

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Grade: 3

Behaviour is satisfactory. Serious incidents are rare but have caused parents concern in the past. Bullying is very rare and there is no evidence of racism. Pupils contribute satisfactorily to the community through environmental projects and regular fundraising activities.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory. Some excellent teaching was seen in the Key Stage 1 classroom, where outstanding organisation and preparation led to a careful grouping of pupils that enabled work to be carefully tailored to different needs. Teaching at Key Stage 1 made abundantly clear to pupils what they are expected to achieve in lessons. The great variety in activities keeps pupils interested and keen to learn. A close watch is kept on the time being spent on activities. This brings urgency to lessons and ensures that a good balance is maintained between revising old work and promoting new learning. In the Key Stage 2 classes there appears to be less urgency. Symptomatic of this is the fact that teachers have recently commented that pupils are working too slowly in mathematics. A tendency not to recognise the different speeds at which individuals learn sometimes limits their opportunities to achieve well. Occasionally,

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Grade: 3

higher attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged or allowed to work more independently. Marking pupils’ work is an area that has seen good developments. A consistent system throughout the school makes pupils increasingly aware of the mistakes they are making and how they can improve their work. The display of pupils’ work contributes well to creating a stimulating learning environment and encourages pupils to take care with their work. 3 Inspection Report: Newbald Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It includes all the subjects that primary schools are expected to teach. Literacy and numeracy feature strongly. Information and communication technology (ICT) is taught as a separate subject in Key Stage 2 and computers are well used to support learning in other subjects. Sufficient time is given to other subjects but, because there is no formal check of this and some subjects are timetabled together, it is possible for imbalances to creep in. All classes combine two year groups. Work is planned to prevent undue repetition. A satisfactory range of visits and visitors enriches the curriculum. On residential trips, in preparation for their future economic well-being, pupils assume responsibility for budgeting their spending for the week.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. Most parents express satisfaction with the school’s procedures for looking after their children. Staff have a good awareness of their responsibility to keep pupils safe and healthy. Child protection procedures have recently been reviewed and improved. Potential risks in most activities are considered and the process is currently being extended to make it comprehensive. Procedures to encourage attendance work well. Serious misbehaviour is rare, but the school does not follow best practice in recording incidents in a way that is useful for monitoring and improving behaviour. Good attention is given to identifying pupils’ additional needs but teachers’ planning does not always reflect how work will be varied for them. Pupils are listened to and a school council has been formed this term to add weight to their views. When necessary, visitors from other support agencies are brought

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. Renewed vigour in management at all levels and the provision of more management time for the headteacher have contributed to good recent improvements. Morale is improving and staff share a combined optimism that a corner has been turned. The new mathematics coordinator sets an excellent example in her monitoring and evaluation of learning. However, the school is slipping into debt. This is projected to grow alarmingly. Managers, including governors, have not acted urgently enough to address the problem, which can almost certainly only be solved by a reduction in staffing. There are insufficient funds to provide the required books for Foundation Stage pupils, or to upgrade security systems. This impacts directly on pupils’ progress and care. The monitoring of teaching is satisfactory. It would be better if it were more focused, for instance on increasing the pace of learning in Key

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Grade: 3

Stage 2. Self-evaluation is satisfactory but not always accurate. It demonstrates that management recognises strengths and weaknesses, but it is over optimistic in that it 4 Inspection Report: Newbald Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 tends to focus on the good improvements made recently, rather than on the distance it has to go to catch up with good, and better, schools. 5 Inspection Report: Newbald Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Newbald Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 Newbald Primary School Beverley Road North Newbald York East Yorkshire YO43 4SQ 9 February 2006 Dear Pupils I popped in the other day to see how you were getting on. I was lucky enough to have a chat with a few of you and it was good to hear that you enjoy school. In lessons you seemed interested and had no problems explaining your work to me. That’s a good sign. You’re very friendly and I’d especially like to thank the youngest children for sharing their refrigerator cake with me. I couldn’t eat it all, so ‘well done’ to the lad who offered to help me out. Your school is OK, but is that enough? I saw a lot of good things but also some that could be better. Those of you who are just starting out in school get a good deal. Learning seems fun, especially in the outdoor area. It must be special; I couldn’t believe how you chose to go out

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

there in the freezing cold instead of staying snug in the classroom. Do you Year 1 and 2 pupils realise how good your teacher is? Look after her and you won’t go far wrong. I made a note about a lesson I saw; it ended, ‘If this is the future, it’s uplifting’. I was writing about you as well as your teacher. You older pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 are lovely people, but I’m not convinced you’re working as hard as you could. You get by, but a little more effort would go a long way and I’m asking your teachers to push you a bit harder. We all want this school to be a good one as well as a nice one. Did you know that schools cost money? Believe me, they do and yours hasn’t got enough of it. That worries me and I’ve asked the headteacher and governors to try and sort it out. Thanks for putting up with me for two days. All the best and good luck for the future. Yours faithfully Alastair Younger Lead inspector

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