Sheriff Hutton Primary School

Inspection Report Sheriff Hutton Primary School

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121342 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire LEA 280988 Inspection number 23 January 2006 to 24 January 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Linda Murphy CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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West End School address Primary Type of school Sheriff Hutton Community School category York, North Yorkshire YO60 6SH 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01347 878441 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01347 878441 Fax number 103 Number on roll Mrs L O'Neill Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs P Powell Headteacher 22 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280988 23 January 2006 - 4 to 11 24 January 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 small school serves Sheriff Hutton and neighbouring villages - areas of socio-economic diversity. Very few pupils are entitled to free school meals. All pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. Children enter the school with standards that are broadly typical for their age.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Sheriff Hutton Primary School, 23 January 2006 to 24 January 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. A key strength is that the support given to pupils' social and moral development is outstanding and as a result pupils' behaviour and relationships are excellent. Pupils make fast progress and reach standards that are overall above average in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6. This is because the quality of teaching, learning and the curriculum is good. Provision in the Foundation Stage is good and standards are on course to be above those typically expected for pupils' ages by the end of the Reception year. Assessment is used well to set goals for learning. The school is developing this by encouraging pupils to assess their own learning and to understand better how they learn. The school is well led at all levels; teamwork is a strong element of the school's success. The leaders are spot on with their self-evaluation, which is used well to plan for the future. The school

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Grade: 2

improvement plan has clear priorities, although the supporting action plans lack precision. Good progress has been made since the last inspection because of the strong professional links between staff, leaders, governors and parents. This has brought about almost seamless development. The school provides good value for money and has a clear capacity to improve. The school gives a good level of care for all groups of pupils and knows the individual pupils well. As a result pupils' personal development is good overall.

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What the school should do to improve further

The school has already identified, and inspection judgement confirms, that in order to build on its strengths and improve standards it should: • build up pupils' skills of self-assessment to deepen their understanding of how well they are doing and what they need to explore next • develop planning for school improvement so that the actions taken are easier to monitor, more clearly linked to the budget and easily measurable through pupils' achievement.

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Grade: 2

The school fulfils its belief that 'A big journey begins with a little step'. From a broadly average point on entry pupils make good progress across the school. In the Reception class pupils are likely to attain the nationally expected standards and a good proportion to exceed them. Standards are clearly above average by Year 2. By Year 6 standards are above average overall. They are exceptionally high in mathematics because of extra training received by teachers which has increased the pace of pupils' learning. In English and science, a good proportion of pupils attain higher than typically expected for their ages. In writing, pupils start from a below average baseline yet by Year 6 are good writers because, well planned initiatives to improve pupils' writing have been effectively led, resulting in improved standards since the last inspection. 2 Inspection Report: Sheriff Hutton Primary School, 23 January 2006 to 24 January 2006

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Grade: 2

The groups of children taking the national tests each year are small so the school's test results should be treated with caution when compared nationally. Nevertheless, standards have regularly been higher than average since the last inspection. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make equally good progress as other pupils because of the effective support they receive. There is no significant difference between the rate of progress made by boys and girls, and pupils meet the challenging targets they are set.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is good with some outstanding features. The support for pupils' moral and social development is excellent. This leads to outstanding behaviour, which promotes pupils' learning exceedingly well. The school has a strong 'family' ethos where relationships between pupils and staff are excellent. Pupils are encouraged to have a high regard for their personal safety and to enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle: they like the lunch time salad bar and successfully compete in a range of sports. Pupils are tenacious and the school maxim 'never, never, give up' sums up their approach to life. They thrive socially and are keen to do well and meet the challenges presented to them. Pupils contribute to the school and local community admirably. They are proud of their work on the school council which gives the pupils a voice, for example, in the review of the school rules. Pupils are well aware of a spiritual

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Grade: 2

dimension to life especially through art and music. The school enhances pupils' understanding of the multicultural society in which we live through carefully chosen visits and an enriched curriculum. Pupils are equipped with basic skills in literacy, numeracy and computers which sets them up well for their future. Attendance is good.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good: on occasion the teaching of mathematics is outstanding. This is because of the very rigorous questioning and excellent opportunities for all pupils to discuss answers with a partner. Importantly, pupils are happy and enthusiastic learners. This thirst to learn is underpinned by first-rate relationships and the fact that teachers make clear that 'nothing will work unless you do'. Expectations are high and clear routines well established so that no time is lost. Teachers help pupils to understand their learning better by a focus on what the pupils are to learn and why it is important. Assessment is used well and the headteacher and senior teacher are taking a good lead in developing it further to include self assessment for the pupils. This is not yet fully embedded so not all pupils are fully aware of what they need to do next to improve. Computers are used well to support learning - an

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Grade: 2

improvement since the last inspection. When teachers see that pupils' progress might be slowing down, they take prompt action. They find out what is wrong and quickly 3 Inspection Report: Sheriff Hutton Primary School, 23 January 2006 to 24 January 2006 put it right, often drawing up an individual plan to accelerate individual pupils' learning. Pupil's learning gets a good boost from well deployed teaching assistants who are well informed about what is required of them in each lesson. They are confident to use their initiative and build well on pupils' knowledge and skills.

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Grade: 2

The good quality curriculum is well planned and meets statutory requirements. It accommodates variations in year group organisation easily - a priority in this small school. The structure is clear yet flexible and provides a broad range of pertinent opportunities that help all pupils to do their best. Subjects are taught through a themed approach rather than in isolation. This gives an effective context for learning which is rooted in pupils' experience. Pupils are involved in planning aspects of their learning such as investigating what they need to find out to meet particular objectives. They regularly work toward a 'golden moment' when the learning from one theme culminates in a presentation to parents or classmates. The curriculum is enriched through a good range of well attended clubs and through visits and visitors. For example, visitors to school include historians and a potter. Good attention is given to pupils' awareness

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good level of care for all its pupils. The strong ethos nurtures pupils' confidence and self esteem - aspects held in high regard by parents. The school sets clear guidelines for its pupils and celebrates pupils' excellent behaviour and good deeds by recognising 'stars of the week'. Strong links have been forged with external agencies and the local community which supports pupils' well-being and sense of place. The school has clear health and safety procedures, including those for child protection. These are regularly checked because the safety and well-being of all pupils is central to all the school does. Pupils are at an early stage in critically reviewing their work in line with the targets they are set.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are of good quality. The headteacher has been the driving force behind the good improvement made since the last inspection and the school demonstrates it has the capacity to get even better. Good support from the senior teacher and subject leaders enables the school to take an innovative approach. It takes advantage of local and national initiatives to improve standards. This is an important contributory factor in the pupils' good achievement. The headteacher has a clear vision and high aspirations. The school aim to develop pupils' full potential is met well. 4 Inspection Report: Sheriff Hutton Primary School, 23 January 2006 to 24 January 2006 Self-evaluation is effective and draws well upon the views of governors, staff, parents and pupils. Key priorities are relevant and well chosen. The school improvement plan is underpinned by action plans but the latter are insufficiently clear to form a really

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Grade: 2

helpful working guide that can be easily checked and that are linked directly to standards and the budget. There are excellent relationships at all levels throughout the school. This is evident in the mutual respect between adults and pupils. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive. This has created an atmosphere in which pupils say they are very happy, and where their achievements are recognised and warmly celebrated. The governing body is well informed and astutely led. It is well integrated into the life of the school. This is through formal procedures and informally through direct professional links to staff. Governors take turns to be the 'governor of the month' to attend school events and join classes to gain a greater understanding of the way the school works. 5 Inspection Report: Sheriff Hutton Primary School, 23 January 2006 to 24 January 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: Sheriff Hutton Primary School, 23 January 2006 to 24 January 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 2 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 2 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 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 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 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 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 2 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 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

Thank you very much for the very friendly welcome you gave me when I inspected your school - it was a delight to see how happy you are. Your mums and dads think Sheriff Hutton is a good school and I think so too. The best things are that your headteacher and governors do a good job, which means that: - you behave exceptionally well and get on extremely well with each other - the teachers and assistants make lessons great fun and give you lots of help - you are cared for well - you work hard and learn fast - your headteacher and senior teacher know how to make the school even better - there are plenty of clubs for you to join after school. I have asked your headteacher and school governors to make things even better by: - helping you understand how well you are doing - improving the school's plans for the future so that the links between the money spent on your education and the progress you make can be more easily checked. This will

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

help the school ensure that you make even faster progress.

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