North Duffield Community Primary School

Inspection Report North Duffield Community Primary School

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121455 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 292120 Inspection number 21 November 2006 Inspection date Honoree Gordon HMI 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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Broadmanor School address Primary Type of school North Duffield, Selby Community School category North Yorkshire YO8 5RZ 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01757 288487 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01757 288487 Fax number 153 Number on roll (school) Mr J Stanton Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs E Ward Headteacher 25 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 292120 21 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 two of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

North Duffield Community Primary School is a smaller than average size school, situated in a village south of York. The village has grown and the school's popularity also, causing considerable pressure on space. The school draws on a prosperous area with pupils' attainment on entry usually above average. A few pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school holds several awards including Arts Mark, Basic Skills and Healthy School status.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: North Duffield Community Primary School, 21 November 2006

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the quality of education it offers. Many wrote with glowing comments, for example: 'Every child is special to the staff and it is this attitude that makes North Duffield School head and shoulders above the rest' and 'I cannot speak highly enough of how proud I am of our little village school. children learn to live as part of a community as well as how to do well in tests!' The school is at the heart of its community and is recognised by parents as providing an all-round education which equips the pupils well for moving on to secondary school. A truly 'smiling school', as it claims. There were a minority of adverse comments from parents about class sizes and cramped accommodation, but a recognition that pupils were progressing very well despite this. Pupils themselves are hugely enthusiastic and talked endlessly about the range of interesting things to do.

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Grade: 1

One pupil's comment was typical, when asked what pupils did not like: 'going home at the end of the day'. Pupils really enjoy school: they think that their lessons are fun and inspectors agree. Standards and achievement at the school are consistently well above national average and the care and support given to pupils are outstanding. The proportion of able pupils gaining above average results in the tests at the end of Year 6 has begun to rise, following a focus on literacy, but is not yet as high as it could be. Pupils are not set specific academic targets related to what levels they could achieve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Refine the systems for tracking pupils' progress so that pupils have more specific information on how they are progressing in core subjects. • Increase the proportion of high-attaining pupils who gain above average levels in national tests at the end of Year 6.

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Grade: 1

Standards are consistently above the national average in all years and especially strong in science and mathematics. Standards have been showing an upward trend in recent years, despite some variation in the abilities and the size of particular year groups. There has been a noticeable improvement in pupils' performance in national tests at age 7. Standards in literacy are also above average and high in listening and speaking. The school continues to give priority to the improvement of writing skills and, consequently, results here, too, are beginning to rise, especially for the most able pupils. Pupils make very good progress, faster than many pupils do in schools in similar circumstances. The last published data show that this places the school amongst the top tenth of schools nationally. Boys and girls achieve equally well and pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve as well as their peers. Pupils in the

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Grade: 1

Foundation Stage normally achieve or exceed their early learning goals. 2 Inspection Report: North Duffield Community Primary School, 21 November 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development is outstanding. Pupils respond well to the vibrant and caring atmosphere in school. Each has a part to play in the school's success and expectations within the school are high, with ample opportunities for individuals to flourish. Pupils exude confidence and are eager to participate in all aspects of school life. As a result, their independence and self-esteem are high and many display a far greater maturity than would be expected for their age. Older pupils feel that they have a duty of care towards younger pupils. The school council gives pupils an 'active voice'. Pupils' behaviour is excellent. They are keen to learn and they get involved in a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities, showing particular strengths and enthusiasm for music and drama. The provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils have a very good understanding of values, such

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Grade: 1

as care, cooperation, honesty and respect. They make an active and positive contribution to the wider community. Examples include work with older members of the community, charitable work and music performances. The school makes very good provision for helping pupils stay safe and healthy.

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Grade: 1

Inspectors saw many outstanding lessons. Teachers have very good expertise and relationships within the classroom are excellent. Lessons are stimulating, with high levels of challenge for pupils, very well planned with different activities to suit the various ability groups. 'Lessons are fun,' was a typical pupil comment. Pupils are actively encouraged to become independent learners and their personal responses to tasks are frequently sought. Although classes are large the teaching assistants are used very effectively to ensure that pupils' different needs within the class are met. They also help to ensure that lessons are well organised and proceed at a good pace. Teachers and pupils have made considerable progress in using information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance enjoyment and learning. Pupils commented how much they enjoy working with computers and could tell the inspectors clearly how they use

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good, with an appropriate priority on acquiring basic skills. Links between subjects are developing through the 'themes and schemes' approach, so that numeracy and literacy are being reinforced in other lessons. The provision for arts education is an outstanding feature of the curriculum. There is 3 Inspection Report: North Duffield Community Primary School, 21 November 2006 considerable emphasis on music and dance which contribute greatly to pupils' enjoyment of school and allow them to participate in a range of exciting activities. Pupils speak with great enthusiasm of the interesting range of visits outside school. All pupils, whatever their ability or difficulty, are encouraged to get involved in what the school offers and the teaching assistants help them to do so. This is a strength of the school.

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Grade: 1

The care and support for pupils is a key priority. Very positive relationships ensure high levels of care, guidance and support for all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. In this, the role of the teaching assistants is crucial. The headteacher and all the staff know the pupils well and everyone is valued for their individuality. The school is welcoming and has a harmonious atmosphere. Pupils say they feel safe and very well looked after. They know that they can express themselves in 'Circle Time', where their feelings are shared in a supportive atmosphere, or through the 'Worry Box' for more private concerns. Staff and pupils, in their role as buddies, support any pupils experiencing social and/or emotional difficulties. Appropriate care is taken over child protection and health and safety. Exceptionally good procedures in the Foundation Stage enable children to settle into school routines happily. Pupils

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Grade: 1

in Year 6 are very well prepared to move on to their next school through a programme of planned visits. The systems for tracking pupils' academic progress and personal development are good overall. Pupils have some general targets, but they do not have specific targets they are working to in the core subjects and so they do not know what levels they are expected to achieve.

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Grade: 1

The quality of leadership and management is high. The school has really moved forward in recent years. The headteacher has taken the opportunity as staff have left to bring forward new, talented teachers who are leading initiatives aimed at further improving achievement. For example, developing effective use of ICT and encouraging a greater focus on pupils' different writing styles. New tracking systems have been introduced which show how pupils are progressing. As a result, the achievement of the most able pupils has begun to improve, but this system is not yet fully developed. Despite cramped accommodation, pupils are making very good progress: space is used creatively and staff are deployed well to minimise the drawbacks of large classes. This is a school which continually seeks to improve further and has clear ideas about what it needs to do next. The staff and governors work together effectively as a team, with pupils' best

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Grade: 1

interests at heart. The school provides excellent value for money. 4 Inspection Report: North Duffield Community Primary School, 21 November 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: North Duffield Community Primary School, 21 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? 1 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

1 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 1 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?

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. 6 Inspection Report: North Duffield Community Primary School, 21 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? 7 Inspection Report: North Duffield Community Primary School, 21 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I am writing to thank you for your help when we came to inspect your school and to tell you what we thought. You were very enthusiastic and we liked talking to you. We can see how much you enjoy school. You work very hard and your behaviour is excellent. You get very good results in your tests, better than many boys and girls in other schools, so well done! Keep trying your best! We think your school is excellent. You told us your lessons were fun and we agree. Your teachers are super. They work very hard to make sure that you can understand and that you have lots of interesting things to do. You told us how much you enjoyed your visits out of school, the music and the sports. I liked listening to the choir: you sang very well. All these different things are very important too, because they help you as you grow up. Your parents said lots of nice things about the school in their letters. You are all very proud to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

be there. We think Mrs Ward and the teachers care for you very well indeed. The teaching assistants also do lots to help you in the lessons. We know you are doing really well, but we think that it would be a good idea for you to have some targets to aim for in your work, so that you know what levels you might be able to get. Then maybe you could get even better results in your tests! But, most important of all, we agree that your school is a 'smiling school' and we enjoyed our visit. 8 Inspection Report: North Duffield Community Primary School, 21 November 2006

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