Darley Community Primary School

Inspection Report Darley Community Primary School

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121410 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 292104 Inspection number 18 October 2006 Inspection date Margaret Lewis 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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Darley School address Primary Type of school Harrogate Community School category North Yorkshire HG3 2PZ 5 °11 Age range of pupils 01423 780234 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01423 780234 Fax number 92 Number on roll (school) Mr J Campbell Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Wheatcroft Headteacher 12 March 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 292104 18 October 2006 5 °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

Darley is a small rural village school situated in Nidderdale, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. It is near Harrogate and close to an American air force base. Pupils come from Darley, the surrounding villages and the base. Almost half of the pupils are American citizens and a few children come from Eastern Europe. Most of the pupils are of White heritage backgrounds with a small proportion of other mixed backgrounds. Almost all speak English fluently. An above average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities but very few have statements of special educational needs. High proportions of pupils enter and leave school throughout the year as a result of their parents' military responsibilities. The school holds the Basic Skills Award and has registered for the national Healthy Schools Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Darley Community Primary School, 18 October 2006

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Grade: 2

Darley is a good school with many outstanding features. It gives good value for money. The excellent leadership of the headteacher is the major factor behind the school's success. It has an outstanding capacity to improve because of the successful changes made since the previous inspection, particularly in the use of assessment. As a governor commented, 'The staff team are calm, professional and know exactly what they are doing.' The governing body is led well and supports the school wholeheartedly. Governors bring expertise from different areas to bear on the school's work. Provision for pupils' care, support and guidance is excellent. Every adult takes a part in nurturing and supporting individual pupils so that they are able to explain and articulate their feelings and ideas. Pupils' personal development is good and the school gives excellent support for pupils' social and cultural development. All children's

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Grade: 2

achievements are celebrated and they are made to feel special. As a result, standards of behaviour are high. The headteacher has a clear vision and firmly believes that the purpose of the school is to 'Inspire learning'. The integration of the diverse school population together with raising standards is at the heart of the school's work. Children start school with below average attainment especially in their personal, social and emotional development. Because of the good support they receive, they make good progress in the Foundation Stage and quickly gain confidence and develop their communication skills well. Teaching is good overall and pupils make good progress as they move through the school in English, mathematics and science. Because of good and some excellent teaching in Years 5 and 6, progress accelerates so that by the end of Year 6 pupils reach well above average standards. All groups of pupils including higher attainers and those with

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Grade: 2

learning difficulties and/or disabilities do very well. One parent wrote to the inspector, 'the school is excellent at meeting both my children's needs' and goes on to say that each child is at different ends of the academic spectrum. The school tracks pupils' progress very carefully as they move through the school. However, this is difficult for pupils who arrive part way through the year with few records. Induction procedures do not fully cater for the many pupils who join the school at other than the usual time. Nevertheless, induction procedures are effective for the majority of pupils. In recent years, a good rapport has been forged with the local community and this is still being strengthened. Led by the school council and staff, pupils are increasingly becoming involved in community events and fundraising for charities. The school has built up a good relationship with staff and parents from the nearby American base

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Grade: 2

and liaise with the Family Support Services and the base police who have brought the drugs awareness and relationships education (DARE) programme into school. Pupils enjoy coming to school and make favourable comparisons with other schools they have attended. The many questionnaires returned by parents support this positive view. Many pupils say that they like the small size of the school. They say it is not too big and that they have plenty of friends. However, they are sad when friends have to leave at short 2 Inspection Report: Darley Community Primary School, 18 October 2006 notice. Given this, it is a pity that a few pupils have poor attendance records. The school does all it can to improve attendance. With resolve and persistence on the part of the school, attendance is improving and is close to the national average.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop effective induction procedures for pupils and their parents who arrive part way through the year.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. This is reflected in the above average standards reached by Year 6 pupils in English, mathematics and science in 2005. This has been a consistent picture over the past five years, despite the changes in groups of pupils and the very small number of pupils who sit the tests. The most recent school data indicate that pupils' results were even better in 2006. The main improvement was in mathematics and in the increased number of pupils attaining at the higher levels in all subjects. Challenging targets for English and mathematics were met and exceeded. There is good performance by all groups of pupils including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Achievement is very good in other subjects such as art and history. Many examples of pupils' work around the school and in photographic portfolios celebrate their achievements in art and design and history. Pupils' standards on entry

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Grade: 2

are variable from year to year, but children generally begin in the Reception year with standards below those usually found for their ages, particularly in their personal, social and emotional understanding. All children from America who join the school midway through have had one year less schooling than the other pupils. Overall, current standards are well above average.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding and this results in exemplary behaviour and good attitudes to work. Pupils' success is celebrated, as is the cultural diversity of their backgrounds. As a consequence, pupils have a good understanding of living and working in a multicultural community. Pupils are friendly, polite and respectful to adults and each other. Older pupils are considerate and helpful to the younger ones and are developing personal qualities to help them contribute well to the community and to their future working life. They know how to keep themselves safe and are beginning to understand the need to keep fit and eat healthily. The school works very hard to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and on time. The rate of pupils' attendance has improved over recent years and is now satisfactory. However, leave entitlement for military families impacts adversely on the number of

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Grade: 2

unauthorised absences. 3 Inspection Report: Darley Community Primary School, 18 October 2006

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. The best teaching is in Year 5 and 6 so that progress accelerates rapidly. Lessons are planned well and generally proceed at a good pace and teachers question children skilfully. Targets for improvement are shared and understood by individual pupils. Teachers make good use of interactive whiteboards for demonstrations and to involve pupils in lessons but information and communication technology (ICT) could still be used more extensively to support learning in all lessons. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with complex needs, are very well supported by teaching assistants. Higher attaining pupils are catered for well, particularly in mathematics within targeted groups and in their work with pupils of similar attainment from other schools.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is stimulating with a positive emphasis on creativity that contributes much to pupils' personal development. Several subjects are taught through topics which help children, especially older children, to understand the relevance of their learning, as well as giving additional coverage of basic skills. Pupils are positive about how they enjoy subjects such as history and mathematics. One boy commented that, 'mathematics is fun and helps you get a better job'. Pupils are pleased about the opportunities they get to learn French and to play musical instruments such as the guitar and the saxophone. They were also excited about how well their small school did in local swimming and football tournaments. Provision for pupils' personal, social and health education is good and suitable emphasis is given to drugs education and sex and relationships education. Visitors and visits, including residential visits, are used

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Grade: 2

well to enliven the teaching of the curriculum.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support given to pupils are outstanding. Pupils feel safe and cared for. They know who to approach when they need help. Child protection procedures and risk assessments are in place. Staff know the individual pupils very well and work hard to ensure that all children enjoy being at school, which is confirmed by the views of parents. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported very well. The school has developed excellent records of pupils' academic progress so that focused support is being used to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they can. 4 Inspection Report: Darley Community Primary School, 18 October 2006

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good with several outstanding features that are having a positive effect on raising and maintaining standards. The school knows itself well because it has rigorous self- evaluation systems. The school is led excellently by the headteacher who teaches for a significant amount of time in Year 4, 5 and 6 classes and still manages the school extremely well without the assistance of a deputy or assistant headteacher. There is a clear vision for the school and all staff work really well together. The analysis of pupils' progress and the subsequent grouping and organisation of pupils show an impressive understanding of pupils' attainment and a flexible way of working. However, whilst induction procedures for children starting in the Reception and transition arrangements for those leaving in Year 6 are firmly in place, induction procedures for pupils who arrive part way

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Grade: 2

through the year are not as robust. The effective governing body has designated areas of responsibility. It challenges school decisions and sets a clear direction for its development. The headteacher and governors manage well the rapidly changing circumstances the school faces. For example, good arrangements have been made at short notice to deal with an unpredicted rise in numbers by restructuring staffing and classes. The response to the parents' questionnaire was overwhelmingly positive and a significant proportion expressed high praise for the school. Under the Primary Leadership Programme, good links have been made with other schools and the school has made good progress with the issues from the previous inspection. 5 Inspection Report: Darley Community Primary School, 18 October 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: Darley Community Primary School, 18 October 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 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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? 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 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?

1 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: Darley Community Primary School, 18 October 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: Darley Community Primary School, 18 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I enjoyed visiting your school and really appreciated the way in which you made me feel so welcome. Thank you for talking to me when you were working in lessons, at playtime and at lunchtime. The pupils who talked to me from the school council were keen to show me how involved they are in organising fundraising events for charities. Many of you told me how much you enjoy being at Darley and how you find lessons interesting and fun. Here are some of the things that make Darley a good school. • You work hard and make very good progress so that by the time you leave the school in Year 6 you reach above average standards in English, mathematics and science. • You are polite, friendly and extremely well behaved. You develop into sensible, mature young people who are able to express your views confidently. • You help each other and the older ones look after the younger ones. I think the playground assistants are a good idea and work well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Your teachers teach you well and you have many interesting things to do in lessons. • Your headteacher cares very much about your school and each one of you. • All the staff look after you extremely well and know many ways to help you to do your best. To make things even better, I have asked that your headteacher makes arrangements so that new children starting at the school part way through the year get off to a flying start. You can make sure that your school becomes even better by doing your very best at all times. 9 Inspection Report: Darley Community Primary School, 18 October 2006

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