St Peter's Brafferton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection Report St Peter's Brafferton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

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121606 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire LEA 281057 Inspection number 30 January 2006 to 31 January 2006 Inspection dates Mr Peter Howard 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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Brafferton School address Primary Type of school Helperby Voluntary aided School category York, North Yorkshire YO61 2PA 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01423 360250 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01423 360250 Fax number 61 Number on roll Mrs P Nash Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Kate McEvoy Headteacher 19 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281057 30 January 2006 - 4 to 11 31 January 2006 Inspection Report: St Peter's Brafferton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January 2006

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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

St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided School is a small rural primary school serving an area of social advantage. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average and the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those with learning difficulties and/ or disabilities is very low. The numbers of pupils entering or leaving school during the year is broadly average. Most pupils start school with skills and knowledge 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: St Peter's Brafferton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January

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Grade: 2

The school judges its overall effectiveness to be good and inspectors agree. Quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are good. Standards at the end of Year 6 are above average in English, mathematics and science and all groups of pupils make good progress at all stages of their time in school. Pupils achieve well because of good teaching and the school's strong ethos, based on its Christian foundation. Pupils enjoy school and behave well. The school's own monitoring identified issues connected with assessment in Key Stage 1 and they have been addressed, but a range of strategies involved in undertaking assessment for learning are not yet consistently applied across the school. The curriculum is good and makes effective use of enrichment and after school activities to broaden pupils' experience; good links to the local community are a real strength of school life. Pupils are well cared for and valued by staff. As a result,

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Grade: 2

relationships in school are good and pupils develop self confidence and self esteem, which helps them become more effective learners. The quality of leadership and management is good. The recently appointed headteacher has steered the school well through a period of significant staffing change. Self evaluation and school development planning are satisfactory; however, greater rigour is required to make them fully effective. The school has made good improvement since its last inspection, sustaining standards above national averages and successfully addressing issues for improvement raised at that time. The school gives good value for money and has good capacity to further improve its performance.

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What the school should do to improve further

In a situation where achievement and standards are good, but the school is determined to improve further, it should focus on: • ensuring the consistent implementation across school of the full range of assessment for learning strategies • increasing the rigour of self evaluation and development planning to ensure that the strategy for school improvement is fully effective in securing school improvement.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enter school with skills and knowledge that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress at all stages of their life in school, leaving Year 6 with attainment that is above average. Attainment in Key Stage 1, which in the past was above average, has moved in the last two years closer to the average. Given that the group being assessed has ranged in number from as little as five to twelve children, it is to be expected that group performance will vary. However, inconsistency over time in the school's approach to assessment has contributed to the variance. The school has now addressed this issue and policies are in place to ensure that assessment in this phase is secure. In 2005, attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 was broadly in line 2 Inspection Report: St Peter's Brafferton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January with the national average, although mathematics was below average. In Key Stage 2

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Grade: 2

over the last five years, except in 2004, test results have been consistently above average in English and science and well above in mathematics. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well taught and make good progress.

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Grade: 2

The personal development and well-being of pupils are good. Pupils enjoy learning and talk enthusiastically about the opportunities school offers. The provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Spiritual growth is fostered very well through religious education, but it also draws on the school's positive ethos and curriculum. Pupils and staff respect one another's feelings and this contributes well to the good relationships and good behaviour within the school. Pupils' opinions are listened to, taken into account and acted upon. For example, they suggested and helped set up a 'walk to school' scheme. Their ideas about lunchtime arrangements were listened to and an improved system designed with their help. As a result of this involvement in school life, pupils gain valuable social skills. Their experience of other cultures and faiths is satisfactory. Pupils feel safe; they are growing as confident

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Grade: 2

individuals and they have sensible attitudes to their own health and safety. They are beginning to understand the importance of practising a healthy lifestyle and the need to enjoy a healthy diet and take exercise. They gain a good awareness of community through their involvement in local clubs and activities. Pupils are prepared well for the world of further study and work. Attendance is consistently above average and punctuality is good.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good and, as a result, pupils make good progress. Relationships between staff and pupils are good, pupils enjoy learning and they respond well to teachers' clear expectations. In the best teaching, teachers set clear objectives and fun activities motivate pupils to want to learn. Teachers manage their mixed age groups well, providing work that meets the diverse needs of the pupils in their class. They also make good use of group and individual work to encourage both the skills of team work and to develop independence. A lack of consistency in the approach to assessment in Key Stage 1 has been a cause for concern within school, but the school has put policies in place to address this issue. However, the school has rightly identified the whole process of assessment for learning, from the quality of marking, through the use of learning objectives in lessons to the setting of targets for individual pupils,

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Grade: 2

as an area requiring more consistency of approach throughout school. Teaching assistants give pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities strong support and contribute well to the good progress those pupils make. The school makes good use 3 Inspection Report: St Peter's Brafferton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January of the partnership with parents, who give strong support in school, for example by running clubs, to extend pupils' learning.

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Grade: 2

The quality of the curriculum is good. Statutory requirements are met and the school provides a varied and stimulating curriculum, which meets the learning and personal development needs of all pupils. The school holds the Basic Skills Quality Mark, a nationally recognised standard for the teaching of literacy and numeracy. The recently extended accommodation provides space for a well used library and support from volunteers to listen to readers helps to engender a love of books and promote high standards of reading. There is a wide range of enrichment activities, which broaden pupils' experience and contribute to their academic and personal development. These include a good range of provision for music, visitors to school, such as Zoolab and a planetarium, offsite visits, such as visits to the Viking Village and a residential trip, and a good range of extra curricular activities, which involve a high proportion of

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Grade: 2

pupils. The school has good links with its local community, for example, with involvement in the Helperby Open Gardens Day and participation in local drama performances.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of all its pupils, who in turn are appreciative of their school and the care it gives them; one child commented that, 'school is like a family.' There are effective arrangements to ensure pupils' health and safety and procedures for child protection are good. Pupils feel safe in school and are confident that, if they were in difficulty, the staff would give them the help they need. The school makes effective use of data about pupil progress to plan provision to meet individual pupils' needs. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported by staff, who work closely with these pupils and their carers to ensure that they make good progress. There are effective arrangements for transfer to the high school. Parents and carers are welcomed into school and are very well informed about school life. They have confidence in the school and recognise its contribution to the care and well-being

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Grade: 2

The quality of leadership and management are good. The headteacher manages her heavy workload effectively, finding an appropriate balance between her leadership role and teaching commitment. There have been significant changes to the staff over the last two years, including the appointment of the headteacher herself in January 2004, and she has been successful in creating a staff team with a common purpose to take the school forward. Working together during this period of change, staff have 4 Inspection Report: St Peter's Brafferton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January been successful in ensuring that pupils continue to make good progress and to develop good personal skills. A successful building programme has resulted in an improved environment for learning. Effective action has been taken to address weaknesses in assessment and a school priority to ensure more consistent implementation of

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Grade: 2

assessment for learning strategies throughout school is soundly based. The school's arrangements for checking the quality of teaching are effective. The school's self evaluation and development planning are satisfactory. However, greater rigour is necessary to maximise their impact on school improvement. Governance of the school is good. Governors are supportive, well informed and committed to the school and are effective in helping the school to move forward. Within that positive picture, fuller understanding of school performance data on the part of governors is necessary to ensure they can play their part to the full. Parents and pupils are consulted about aspects of school life and feel that their views are listened to and acted upon. The school has strong support from parents who appreciate its commitment to the children; one expressed the view that the school 'treats every child as an individual.'

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: St Peter's Brafferton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January .

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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: St Peter's Brafferton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January

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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 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 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 2 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 3 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 welcoming me to your school and being so polite and friendly. I enjoyed my visit. What I liked most about your school: - how hard all the staff in school work, how well they look after you and keep you safe and how much they want you to do well in school - the conversations I had with you that showed me how grown up you are when you talk about school life - that you behave so well and work so hard - the wide range of interesting and fun activities that the school provides - the improvements to the buildings that have created a library and teaching space and the plans to create an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) suite and develop areas in the school grounds to make them more interesting - the way you get involved, in what goes on in your local community as well as in school. I have asked the governors and all the staff in school to work together to: - ensure that all of you get the benefit of staff explaining what they really want you to learn

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

in a lesson, marking that tells you how you can do better with your work next time and targets that give you a goal to aim for in your work - ensure that when they think about how they are going to make school even better, they do so really carefully, so that their ideas are as good as they could be. I enjoyed meeting you and seeing you in your lessons and I wish you all the best for the future.

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