North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection Report North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

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117985 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority 290990 Inspection number 12 °13 October 2006 Inspection dates Kathryn Dodd 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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Church Road School address Primary Type of school North Ferriby Voluntary controlled School category HU14 3BZ 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01482 631200 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01482 631200 Fax number 265 Number on roll (school) Mrs Allette Garnett Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Anne Goforth Headteacher 1 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290990 12 °13 October 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. Inspection Report: North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 12 °13 October 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This slightly larger than average sized school serves a residential area of social advantage. It occupies two sites that are separated by the main village road. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is much lower than average and the proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. Most children in the Reception class have previously attended pre-school education. Pupils are taught in mixed age classes. The widely fluctuating year group sizes mean that there is no established method of grouping pupils into classes.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 12 °13 October

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Grade: 3

The school’s overall effectiveness is satisfactory and it has some good features. Parents, rightly, say that this is a friendly and welcoming school, which fosters a sense of community in which children are cherished, nurtured, valued, grow in self-confidence and show an eagerness to learn. Making sure that pupils enjoy learning, keep safe and healthy and play an active part within the community have a high priority in the curriculum and in the day-to-day life of the school. Consequently, pupils’ good personal development and well-being give them a head start with their education. Standards in Year 6 are above average, representing satisfactory achievement from pupils’ above average starting points and capabilities. Girls and boys throughout school, including children in the Reception class, make satisfactory progress because of satisfactory teaching, learning and a satisfactory curriculum. Recent adjustments to

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Grade: 3

the curriculum are successfully promoting a more interesting and enjoyable curriculum that is enthusing pupils’ learning. There is insufficient priority, however, given to developing basic literacy skills and allowing pupils to practise them in all areas of their learning. As a result, not all pupils make the expected rate of progress in English, especially in writing. Although there are examples of good teaching across the school, best practice is not always highlighted, shared or adopted consistently by teachers to improve the overall quality. Furthermore, teachers do not always plan and provide work that matches the varying capabilities of all the pupils in the mixed age classes, particularly in challenging the most capable ones to reach even higher standards. Leaders and managers are very committed and hard-working. They work together closely with the best interests of the pupils at heart. The school has an accurate view

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Grade: 3

of its strengths in relation to the pupils’ personal development but, overall, its evaluation of its effectiveness is too generous. Although leaders and managers have broadly identified the right priorities for improvement, they have not responded swiftly enough to address emerging weaknesses in pupils’ academic achievement. Efforts to check the quality of teaching and learning or the suitability of the curriculum have not yet resulted in raising achievement, especially in English. Before the next section 5 inspection, the school may receive a visit from Ofsted inspectors to monitor the progress it has made in remedying this weakness. The school would receive two to five days notice of such a visit. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection and demonstrates satisfactory capacity to improve in the future.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Make more regular and robust checks on the quality of teaching and learning and on the curriculum, and take the necessary action to raise pupils’ achievement, especially in writing. • Ensure that pupils’ work builds step by step on what they can already do, and helps them to reach challenging targets, particularly for the more capable pupils. • Provide more opportunities for pupils to learn and practise their basic literacy skills, particularly in writing. 2 Inspection Report: North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 12 °13 October

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Grade: 3

When children start in the Reception class, their attainment is above what is typical for their age. They make satisfactory progress and most children exceed the goals set nationally by the end of the Reception year. In Years 1 to 6, girls and boys make satisfactory progress overall from above average starting points and capabilities, so that standards are above average in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave school in Year 6. In 2005, however, test results showed that pupils’ progress in writing was slower than in reading, mathematics and science. This was reflected in a lower proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels of attainment in English, in comparison to mathematics and science. When the 2006 national tests are published, the school expects results to be similar. The good quality support received by pupils that have learning difficulties and/or disabilities helps them to achieve well.

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Grade: 3

In Years 1 and 2, pupils make satisfactory progress. Their achievement is satisfactory and they attain above average standards in English and mathematics. Standards in writing are lower than those in reading and mathematics. The results of national tests and assessments for seven-year-olds do not reflect this picture accurately. This is because teachers have been over cautious in their assessments during a time when changed procedures for assessing pupils were being introduced.

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Grade: 2

Good attitudes and behaviour make an important contribution to the pupils’ achievement. Pupils respond well to the value placed by staff upon their achievement in aspects of their personal development. They say that it motivates them to try hard and to do their best. Parents are pleased that their children enjoy school, and this is reflected in their consistently good attendance. Pupils’ spiritual moral, social and cultural development is good. They develop a keen sense of social responsibility. The many opportunities they have to support charities help pupils to appreciate the plight of others close by and around the world. Furthermore, pupils understand the importance of making a positive contribution to their own community, both at school and in the locality. Pupils know how to keep fit and can explain why it is sensible to eat healthily. By the time pupils leave school, they are mature, happy and confident young people.

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Grade: 2

There is scope for better preparation for the future, however, by ensuring pupils always reach their full academic potential.

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Grade: 3

Pupils make satisfactory progress as a result of satisfactory teaching and learning. Lessons are usually interesting and purposeful. Staff forge positive relationships with 3 Inspection Report: North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 12 °13 October the pupils and encourage them to get involved in activities. As a result, pupils are attentive, well behaved and open to learning. Teachers ensure that there is additional help for those pupils who need an extra boost to their learning. Consequently, pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. There is scope, however, to increase the proportion of good and better lessons in all classes, so that pupils build sufficiently well on their good starting points and their thirst for new learning. Teachers do not always make it clear enough to pupils what it is they are expected to learn. Assessments of what pupils can already do are not robust enough

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Grade: 3

to ensure a good match of tasks to the varying ages and capabilities of the pupils in each class. As a result, the challenge for pupils capable of reaching the higher levels of attainment in English is insufficient to enable them to reach their targets.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum enables pupils of all ages to make satisfactory progress. In conjunction with other local schools, this school gives high priority to enriching the curriculum and enlivening pupils’ learning. The school’s strong emphasis on educating the ‘whole child’ is seen in a good range of interesting and exciting opportunities in lessons, extra curricular activities, educational visits, visitors to the school and links with the local community. This makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development, and they say that they enjoy school a good deal. The school has, rightly, recognised that pupils’ rate of academic progress, especially in writing, could sometimes be better with greater attention to developing their basic literacy skills. Although outline plans to address this matter are in hand, more stringent changes are needed in order to guarantee success, including matching the curriculum to the varying needs and capabilities of

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Grade: 3

As one parent commented, ‘There is genuine care and concern for children’s welfare’. Appropriate procedures for protecting and safeguarding pupils are in place. Staff know pupils well as individuals, and relationships are good. Pupils know that staff will help them to overcome any difficulties, and this helps them to feel safe and secure. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well because they receive good support, including through close links with external agencies. Although teachers set targets for pupils’ future learning, the targets are not always sufficiently challenging. Furthermore, teachers do not always help pupils to understand how well they are getting on and what they still have to do to reach their targets. Parents, rightly, think that there is scope to improve links between home and school, so that they are more informed and feel better placed to help their children work towards their targets at

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Grade: 3

home. 4 Inspection Report: North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 12 °13 October

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Grade: 3

By working together, leaders, managers and governors have created an ethos of valuing and nurturing all pupils as individuals. This is reflected in pupils’ enjoyment, confidence and good attitudes to learning. Parents appreciate the open and welcoming approach, particularly that of the headteacher. She has led the school positively through a very challenging period of instability, including redundancy, financial uncertainty and significant changes to the curriculum. As a result of a falling roll and fluctuating year group sizes, there has been the continual challenge of organising pupils into manageable classes, while keeping within the constraints of the budget. The split-site nature of the premises has been an added consideration. Despite this, most pupils have continued to make satisfactory progress. Although the school has an accurate view of its strengths in relation to the pupils’ personal development, it has been slow

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Grade: 3

to respond to weaknesses in pupils’ performance, as highlighted in national tests and assessments, particularly in English. Checks on the quality of teaching and learning, and on the impact of changes to the curriculum, have not been regular and robust enough to secure the desired improved achievement for the pupils. 5 Inspection Report: North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 12 °13 October .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 12 °13 October

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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? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 4 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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

3 How well do learners achieve? 2 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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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?

3 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: North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 12 °13 October

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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: North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 12 °13 October

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Church Road North Ferriby HU14 3BZ 12 October 2006 Dear Pupils Thank you for making us feel so welcome when we visited your school. You were all very keen to talk to us and answered all our questions really thoughtfully. Your behaviour was good and you worked hard in lessons. I can see why you told us that you enjoy coming to your school and why most of your parents are pleased with it. All the adults care about you doing well, and are working hard to make sure that you get lots of chances to take part in interesting and exiting activities in your lessons and after school. I am particularly pleased to know that if you have any problems or are upset about anything, there is always someone you can talk to and get help and so you feel happy and safe in school. Your headteacher, teachers, governors and the other adults that help in school are working

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

hard to make your school even better. I have asked them to make sure that the work you are given in your lessons is never too easy for you and always gives you the chance to show what you are capable of. I have also asked them to make sure you get even more chances to practise your writing so that you do as well in this subject as you do in mathematics and science. Your headteacher, other managers and teachers are going to keep a closer check on how well you are getting on in your learning so that they find out how you might do even better. You can help your school become even better by making sure you know and understand what your targets are and checking all the time what you have to do to reach them. Also, you should make sure that you tell your teacher if your work is too easy or too hard for you and, of course, continue to try your very best in everything that you do. I wish you all the very best for the future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours sincerely Kathryn Dodd Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: North Ferriby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 12 °13 October

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