Ben Rhydding Primary School

Inspection Report Ben Rhydding Primary School

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107281 Unique Reference Number Bradford Local Authority 287778 Inspection number 14 November 2006 Inspection date Arthur Markham Reporting inspector

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

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Bolling Road School address Primary Type of school Ben Rhydding, Ilkley Community School category West Yorkshire LS29 8QH 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01943 431133 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01943 433479 Fax number 214 Number on roll (school) Mrs M Cook Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Caroline Lynott Headteacher 5 March 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 287778 14 November 2006 4 °11 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized school serving a prosperous area in the village of Ilkley. The vast majority of pupils are of White British background with only a small number from minority ethnic groups, all of whom speak English fluently. The number of pupils claiming free school meals is low. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below that found in most schools. The school has been awarded the Artsmark and has Healthy School and Investor in People status.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ben Rhydding Primary School, 14 November 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. The high emphasis given to pupils' personal development and well-being is a very positive factor in the good rate of progress they make. Pupils develop into mature, self-assured young people who are well prepared for the next stage of their education because close attention is given to developing their self-esteem and confidence. They carry out a range of responsibilities enthusiastically and efficiently and are pleased that their views are taken into account through the work of the school council. They have a good understanding of the importance of a healthy diet and are given a range of opportunities to participate in physical activities. Pupils are cared for well and staff work hard to provide a stimulating environment in which they can learn. The curriculum is good and enriched by a wide range of visits and visitors to excite pupils and make

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Grade: 2

learning interesting. The good emphasis given to the arts and healthy living is reflected in the high quality art and singing evident in the school and pupils' awareness of the need for a healthy lifestyle. Consistently good quality teaching stimulates pupils, who say their teachers 'make learning fun'. As a result, their attitudes to learning and behaviour are excellent. The pupils' enjoyment in learning is reflected by the good progress they make and the way that standards have been maintained at a high level over the last five years. Children become effective independent learners from an early age in the Foundation Stage, because provision is good and they are presented with a wide range of stimulating teacher-directed and independent activities. The vast majority of children reach the standards expected nationally, and some exceed them. Throughout the school pupils enjoy very positive relationships with their teachers and they work hard

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Grade: 2

to please them. As a result, they attain standards that are significantly above those expected nationally at both Year 2 and Year 6. A notable feature is the large proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels. However, the school is not complacent and realises that although pupils' achievement is good it could be even higher. Throughout the school, the more able pupils are not always challenged enough to do better with their writing and the number attaining the higher levels could be improved. The relatively newly appointed headteacher is introducing a number of changes aimed at addressing this issue in order to further improve the achievement of all pupils. Her determination to raise standards by accurately monitoring pupils' progress and providing them with a rich diet of learning experiences to meet their needs is appreciated by the staff. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides a clear educational

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Grade: 2

direction for the school with a strong focus on ensuring equal opportunities. She is well supported by the deputy headteacher. A new management structure has been drawn up, but this is yet to be fully implemented. As a result, the work of middle managers is not well developed. Governors are involved and provide effective support and challenge. Self-evaluation procedures are rigorous and accurately identify the school's strengths and areas requiring development, although the judgement of pupils' personal development is somewhat modest. The school provides good value for money. There has been good improvement since the last inspection and taking into account 2 Inspection Report: Ben Rhydding Primary School, 14 November 2006 the determined leadership of the headteacher, the commitment of staff and the effective support provided by governors, the school is well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Set the more able pupils increasingly challenging work in writing. • Develop the role of middle managers to enable them to take a more active role in improving standards.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well. They enter the Reception class with skills that are above those expected for their age and make a good start to their learning. The well organised routines and stimulating activities develop good learning habits from an early age and by the end of Reception virtually all achieve the standards expected and some exceed them. Throughout Years 1 to 6 this good progress continues because pupils are well taught and they have very positive attitudes to learning. By the end of Year 2, standards are consistently high in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 6, standards in English, mathematics and science are exceptionally high. Pupils' performance in national tests has been maintained at this level over the last five years. However, fewer pupils throughout the school attain the higher levels in writing than in the other subjects. This is because the work presented to the more able pupils is

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. The inspection finds that the school has underestimated its performance in this aspect of its work. Pupils really enjoy school, as indicated by their high level of attendance. They have very good relationships with their teachers and say, 'Teachers work hard to help us and they give us praise when we work hard.' Pupils consequently have excellent attitudes to learning, take great pride in presenting their work neatly and behave extremely well. They show a very mature approach to school and work together amicably on shared tasks, taking on responsibilities in a very sensible manner. Their views are heeded through the impressive work of the school council and they are very pleased that a number of changes have been made as a result. Pupils say they feel safe in school and are confident that there

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Grade: 1

is someone they could turn to if they needed help. They have a very good understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Their very good basic skills and excellent interpersonal skills prepare them well for the next stage in their schooling. 3 Inspection Report: Ben Rhydding Primary School, 14 November 2006

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. In the Reception class well planned routines and interesting activities develop good learning habits from an early age. Throughout the school lessons are well planned and move at a fast pace. Teachers explain tasks clearly and use questions well to ensure that pupils know what they have to do. Tasks are usually suitably challenging, although the more able pupils are not always challenged enough by the writing tasks they are set. Close attention is given to developing pupils' self-esteem and confidence, and relationships are very good. Pupils respond by behaving extremely well and there is a pleasant atmosphere in classrooms. Pupils consequently are eager to do well, work hard, and make good progress. Teachers use assessment well to check pupils' progress and give them clear guidance for improvement when marking their work. Effective use of teaching assistants

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Grade: 2

ensures that good quality support is given to those pupils with additional learning needs.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum matches the needs of the pupils well. Close attention is given to the basic skills in literacy and numeracy and links between subjects are being developed to make learning more interesting. Provision in the arts is strong and pupils enjoy taking part in music, sport and drama lessons. Specialist lessons in French and Spanish enrich their learning experiences. Provision in the Foundation Stage is good with children being presented with many interesting and challenging ways for them to learn. Throughout the school, the strong focus on personal, social and health education and citizenship is reflected in the pupils' outstanding personal development. A wide range of visits and visitors contributes to pupils' enjoyment and supports their learning well. Pupils are given many opportunities to contribute to the life of the community through charitable events. The school's achievement of the Healthy Schools Award is

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Grade: 2

reflected in the pupils' awareness of the need for healthy lifestyles, which is supported through a range of physical activities. Good provision is made for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support provided for pupils is good. The warm and caring atmosphere within the school ensures that pupils feel safe and confident that there is someone they can talk to if they are troubled or upset. Procedures for ensuring pupils' health and safety are thorough and child protection procedures are in place. Assessment procedures are well organised. Pupils value the help they are given through their targets and the teachers' marking of their work, which helps them understand 4 Inspection Report: Ben Rhydding Primary School, 14 November 2006 how they can improve. The recent introduction of more rigorous tracking procedures is resulting in their progress being more accurately monitored, but this is not yet fully embedded. As a result the achievement of the more able pupils in writing is not as high as it should be. Good arrangements for the pupils' transfer to the next stage of

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Grade: 2

their schooling ensures that this happens smoothly.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The relatively new headteacher is giving a strong direction to the school and is instigating a number of changes aimed at further raising the achievement of pupils. She is well supported by the new deputy headteacher, but although a team approach is developing, recent staffing changes have affected the work of middle managers, which is not well developed. In general parents are very pleased with the quality of education provided for their children, although some have expressed a concern that the staffing issues may have affected the progress made by their children. The school is taking determined action to avoid this happening and, inspection evidence indicates, with success. School development planning is based on an accurate analysis of the school's strengths and those areas requiring further development. Performance management is used well and is closely linked to priorities

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Grade: 2

in the development plan in order to support the raising of standards. The governors fulfil their responsibilities well. They are very supportive of the school and have a good awareness of its strengths and areas for development. 5 Inspection Report: Ben Rhydding Primary School, 14 November 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Ben Rhydding Primary School, 14 November 2006

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Ben Rhydding Primary School, 14 November 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Ben Rhydding Primary School, 14 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

As you know, I recently visited your school to find out how well you are learning. Thank you for being so friendly and talking to me. I very much enjoyed being in your school and listening to what you had to say. I judged that Ben Rhydding Primary is providing you with a good quality of education. It is a very welcoming place and is always trying to improve so that you enjoy your learning and do well. The things that I judged to be particularly strong were: • the good progress you make and the high standards you reach • the mature approach you have to your learning • your very good behaviour in lessons and around the school • your understanding of the importance of a healthy diet and how to keep fit and healthy • the way your teachers and other adults take good care of you and make sure that you feel safe and happy. To make it even better the school now needs to: • make sure that those of you who are really good at writing are set work that challenges

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you more and makes you do your best • ensure that those teachers in charge of areas of the school's work are given opportunities to make the school even better and help you improve. Thank you for helping me so much with the inspection of your school. I hope that you will continue to work hard in school and help the teachers so that Ben Rhydding Primary becomes an even better school. 9 Inspection Report: Ben Rhydding Primary School, 14 November 2006

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