Hellifield Community Primary School

Inspection Report Hellifield Community Primary School

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121402 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 292102 Inspection number 8 °9 January 2007 Inspection dates Ross Parker 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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Kendal Road School address Primary Type of school Hellifield, Skipton Community School category North Yorkshire BD23 4HA 5 °10 Age range of pupils 01729 850215 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01729 850215 Fax number 71 Number on roll (school) Mr Mark Wilcock Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Susan Lawson Headteacher 24 September 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292102 8 °9 January 2007 5°10 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 a very small school with equal numbers of boys and girls, all of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is low, as is the number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. A new acting headteacher took up post in January 2007 and there have been three other acting headteachers since the last inspection. A Children's Centre is being developed on the site and is due to open in April 2007.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hellifield Community Primary School, 8 °9 January 2007

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Grade: 3

Hellifield Community Primary school provides a satisfactory standard of education. It has recovered its balance after a period of inconsistent management and inexperienced teaching. Standards had dipped in recent years, particularly in numeracy, and pupils had not made sufficient progress in the middle years of Key Stage 2. Extensive local authority intervention has created a good mesh of support from nearby schools. This has rebuilt confidence and established a programme of improvement. Achievement is now satisfactory for all pupils, including those who find learning difficult, and the school gives satisfactory value for money. Pupils' personal development is good. Children are confident and feel secure. They are well aware of factors that affect their own health and their safety. Their contribution to the community is satisfactory. They operate a school council and do incidental jobs to help the smooth running of daily activities. They do a lot of group activities and

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Grade: 3

opportunities to develop responsibility and independence start in the Reception class. These, together with good opportunities to use information and communication technology are preparing them well for a successful life beyond school. Pupils clearly enjoy their lessons, playtimes and additional activities such as swimming or a visit to Skipton Castle. They say that the best things about school are the teachers and the other pupils and these good relationships have formed the basis of the recent improvements. Teaching and learning are currently satisfactory but there are underlying good and outstanding features. Recent staffing changes mean that two of the three classes have been reorganised. Consequently, teachers are not yet able to adapt the work precisely enough to meet the full range of individual needs in each group. Planning is imaginative and thorough. Assessment is rigorous and accurate. Tasks set for pupils are challenging

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Grade: 3

and interesting, so pupils are already beginning to make better progress. Standards and provision in the Foundation Stage are good. The curriculum is currently satisfactory. There are good elements such as a well-organised Indian theme which links different aspects of work across all years. However, building developments have restricted outdoor play activities and work by teachers to take on leadership responsibility for different subjects has not yet had an impact on the curriculum. Care guidance and support are satisfactory. Adults provide good personal support, but arrangements to track individual pupils' progress across all subjects are at an early stage so that signs of under-achievement are not easily spotted. Leadership and management are satisfactory. A new, albeit temporary, headteacher and leadership team are beginning to pull the various strands of recent improvement together. They have the support of a closely knit staff team who have a realistic view

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Grade: 3

of how effective the school is. They are working alongside a newly formed, determined and effective governing body. Priorities are very clear and improvements through the autumn term show good capacity to keep moving the school forward. 2 Inspection Report: Hellifield Community Primary School, 8 °9 January 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards for all pupils, particularly in numeracy. • Develop the system to track pupils' progress and set appropriately challenging work that meets the needs of all pupils. • Develop subject leadership to improve the learning opportunities available across all areas of the curriculum. • Improve the facilities for outdoor learning and play.

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Grade: 3

When children begin their schooling in the Reception class their standards across the different areas of learning are slightly above average. They make good progress during their time in Reception and are well prepared for Key Stage 1. Standards by the end of Key Stage 1 have been average over recent years. Pupils do not take the statutory tests at the end of Key Stage 2 until they move on to the middle school. Local authority data suggests that they have reached average standards by the time they have taken these tests in recent years. However, performances in optional tests at the end of Year 5 have shown standards to be below average. Pupils have not achieved as well as they should have done, particularly in numeracy, though writing remained a stronger aspect of their work. Work seen in pupils' books and in classes during the inspection shows a significant improvement since the start of the current school year. Pupils are working

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Grade: 3

hard. Tasks are challenging and pupils are enjoying their work, so that achievement is satisfactory and some of the higher attaining pupils are now making rapid progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Social development shows up clearly in good relationships in lessons and at playtimes. A good example was seen as one boy helped a younger pupil to cut her food at lunch time. Moral development is reflected not only in pupils' behaviour from day to day, but in their ability to describe what good behaviour entails. In lessons and in the school assembly pupils showed a good awareness of spiritual issues. In reflecting on the nature of their own life in a small rural village and comparing it with life in other countries they show good cultural development. Attendance levels are well above average.

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Grade: 3

Teachers manage behaviour well so that pupils are adapting to their high expectations in the newly formed groups. They give pupils very clear guidance about the activities 3 Inspection Report: Hellifield Community Primary School, 8 °9 January 2007 and the reasons for them. In one lesson the teacher described how each person should speak and listen to others in a discussion about the characteristics of their village. This helped pupils to work hard and collaborate well. Teachers assess pupils' learning carefully and are working to adapt their planning to revisit skills or ideas that are causing problems for individuals or groups. They work closely together and with teaching assistants to find ways of improving what they do. They are beginning to make good use of the electronic white boards to sustain pupils' enthusiasm at a high level. They also use a wide range of interesting resources and pupils show good

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Grade: 3

independence when selecting the ones that are most relevant for their needs.

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Grade: 3

Local authority consultants have supported significant improvements in the numeracy curriculum. Individual teachers have taken on responsibility for particular subjects so they can help their colleagues to improve the opportunities for pupils in every lesson, but have not had time to do this effectively. The new Children's Centre will extend support for parents from birth through to age ten. Currently the building site has covered most of the playground. Although staff have made huge efforts to overcome these limitations, pupils' experiences have been restricted. A strength of the curriculum is the support from the local cluster of schools. For example, visiting staff teach exciting lessons in design and technology and French. Another strength is the way work in one area is planned to enhance every other area of the children's learning. An example of this was when Reception pupils made chupatis linking their understanding of food

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Grade: 3

and other cultures, but also reinforcing their grasp of 'ch' sounds.

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Grade: 3

The school judged this aspect of its work to be good, but the inspection showed it to be satisfactory. In this small school the adults know each individual child and their needs very well. This means that pupils are confident and feel able to tell them about their concerns. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils are fully in place. The learning needs of pupils with special educational needs are clearly understood. However, the system for pulling together up to date information on how well each child is doing is not fully in place. The assessment data that is available is not yet being used effectively to anticipate potential under-achievement and to focus attention and resources where they are most needed.

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Grade: 3

The recently appointed headteacher continues a trend of temporary appointments. However, recent support from another local headteacher and a seconded assistant headteacher have already set a train of improvements in place. Teachers now have 4 Inspection Report: Hellifield Community Primary School, 8 °9 January 2007 clear guidance how to assess work accurately. The strong morale amongst the teaching and support team has developed out of a period of stability after considerable inconsistency, as well as from training in middle management skills. The team has also benefited from working with a governing body which has recruited new members and has undergone training so that they clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. They have quickly faced up to the reality of the substantial financial deficit which had accrued and have already taken effective steps to put financial management onto a sounder footing. They have continued to upgrade the school environment and the

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Grade: 3

result of all these developments is that there is now a lively learning atmosphere in the school. Response to the issues from the previous inspection was appropriate, but difficulties with achievement and staffing overshadowed the progress. Since the start of the school year there have been clear improvements in assessment, self evaluation, governor involvement, the curriculum and pupils' achievement and behaviour. 5 Inspection Report: Hellifield Community Primary School, 8 °9 January 2007 .

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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: Hellifield Community Primary School, 8 °9 January 2007

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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 3 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

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 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 3 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: Hellifield Community Primary School, 8 °9 January 2007

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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: Hellifield Community Primary School, 8 °9 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you all for the friendly welcome you gave me when I came to visit your school recently. I really enjoyed meeting you and having the chance to talk to you. Here are some of the really good things about your school I was impressed by your behaviour and by the way you get on with each other. I particularly noticed how you help each other out if somebody has a problem. The grown ups know you very well and take good care of you. Your classrooms are full of interesting displays and equipment that help to make the lessons interesting. The teachers also organise your lessons so that learning is fun. What I have asked the school to do to make it even better • Help you all to reach higher levels, especially in your number work. • To keep a close eye on how you are doing and then set different work for pupils who find it harder or easier so that everybody is working hard all the time. • Find out about new ways of teaching each subject and get teachers to share their best ideas

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

so they can keep on making your lessons really interesting. • Get you back into your playground as soon as they can and make sure there is plenty to do at playtimes. 9 Inspection Report: Hellifield Community Primary School, 8 °9 January 2007

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