Bolton-On-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School

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121604 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 292173 Inspection number 27 °28 September 2006 Inspection dates 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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Scorton School address Primary Type of school Richmond Voluntary aided School category North Yorkshire DL10 6AQ 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01748 818401 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01748 818401 Fax number 92 Number on roll (school) Mrs Andrea Offord Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Bridget Watt Headteacher 24 September 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292173 27 °28 September 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 small, rural school is situated in the village of Scorton near Richmond. Pupils come from several nearby villages and farms. Almost all are of White British background. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is lower than average, as is the percentage of pupils with identified learning difficulties and disabilities. No pupil has a statement of special educational need. Pupils are taught in one Reception class, and three mixed- age classes. The school has recently gained a National Healthy School Award and the North Yorkshire Inclusion Quality Mark, and is working towards the Basic Skills Quality Mark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It is very popular with parents, who give it their overwhelming support. They and their children are rightly proud of the school. It is a happy, welcoming and vibrant place in which pupils' personal development and the care, guidance and support they receive are outstanding. This helps them to achieve well and make good progress. Pupils attend school regularly and arrive in good time. They apply themselves well to their work, thoroughly enjoy school life and quickly gain the confidence to make the right choices about living a healthy and active life. They show consideration for others and an understanding of the wider world and people of different faiths. Children have a good start in Reception. Consistently good teaching and a stimulating curriculum enable them to settle well and make good progress. The well planned curriculum is greatly enhanced by music, sport, visitors, visits and an excellent range

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Grade: 2

of extra-curricular activities. Pupils greatly appreciate and benefit from residential visits. Good teaching enables pupils, including the more able and those with learning difficulties and disabilities, to achieve well. Children in the Foundation Stage reach or exceed the goals set for them in all areas of their learning by the time they enter Year 1. However, limited space and the lack of a designated hard play area restrict children's opportunities to learn outside. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 achieve well because their progress is carefully tracked and the work they are set is well matched to their needs. In Years 5 and 6 high quality teaching and support mean that pupils' progress accelerates. Although resources in information and communication technology (ICT) have improved since the last inspection, the lack of enough interactive whiteboards for teaching and learning and the absence of the systematic development and assessment of pupils'

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Grade: 2

skills in ICT are weaknesses. Leadership and management are good. The school gives good value for money. Recent and rapid progress is due to the excellent leadership and management of the headteacher. She has been exceptionally effective in moving the school forward and in building a strong staff team which works well together for the benefit of pupils. Governors have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development and contribute well to school improvement. The school knows where it is going and how to get there. However, it is modest in its judgement of pupils' personal development and care, guidance and support. It has a well crafted, detailed strategic development plan that is shared by staff and governors and the local authority. It has a good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for pupils to use ICT across subjects, increase the number of interactive whiteboards and assess pupils' skills in the subject more systematically. • Improve the quality of the outdoor area and learning environment for children in the Foundation Stage and Year 1. 2 Inspection Report: Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006

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Grade: 2

Children join the Reception class with a wide range of abilities and although some have difficulties with their communication skills their abilities are broadly average. By the end of the Foundation Stage standards are good and children achieve well. Pupils continue to make good progress in Years 1 to 6 and make particularly good progress in the Years 5/6 class as a result of very good teaching. Throughout the school standards are above average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Standards have improved well since a dip in 2004. Challenging targets have been exceeded in English and met in other subjects at Year 6.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being is outstanding as is their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Throughout their time in the school, pupils make excellent progress in developing their personal skills and qualities; this helps them develop into considerate, thoughtful, confident and mature individuals. Pupils develop very positive relationships with each other, teachers, visitors and other adults who work with them. They enjoy coming to school, attend regularly and appreciate the friendships that they make. Pupils have extremely good attitudes to lessons and work hard to do their best and as a result they make good progress in their learning. They have good attitudes towards healthy living and know the importance of eating healthily, keeping fit and keeping themselves safe. Behaviour is outstanding both in lessons and outside in the playground where older pupils are proud to show responsibility and consideration for the younger ones.

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Grade: 1

Representatives from each year group take their work on the school council very seriously. They know that they can influence school decisions which affect their provision. Pupils' good basic skills and excellent personal development equip them very well for their future and for the next phase of their education.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good with evidence of some excellent teaching. Teachers have high expectations that enable pupils to learn very well and to make good progress. Teaching is especially good in the Foundation Stage where staff are particularly aware of how young children learn and use inspirational ideas to promote learning. Children's personal, social and emotional development is promoted particularly well and this enables them to quickly gain confidence and make a good start in their learning. Throughout the school, teachers plan lessons with thought and care so that work is 3 Inspection Report: Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006 well matched and relevant to individual pupils' needs. Pupils with learning difficulties receive a good level of support and high achievers extend their learning effectively. Relationships with all adults who help them are good and this underpins pupils' learning

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Grade: 2

and achievement. Teachers are confident in using ICT in the computer suite although its use is not planned sufficiently into all subjects. Pupils' skills are not developed systematically enough. Teachers use resources well, but there is a lack of interactive whiteboards to promote pupils' skills and engage their interest. Teachers ask pupils probing questions which make them think and understand the purpose of their tasks. High expectations of their behaviour, along with plenty of praise, encourage pupils to concentrate well on their work and to try their best at all times.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It ensures that pupils experience a breadth of activities and it focuses appropriately upon teaching basic skills. The curriculum is carefully planned to cater well for the mixed year classes. The range of learning activities provided for children in the Foundation Stage is stimulating. Many outdoor activities are provided to make learning interesting and enjoyable. However, their learning is restricted by limited space and the lack of a secure hard surface for use in inclement weather. In Years 1 to 6, the curriculum is tailored to fit the particular needs of the pupils and they achieve well as a result. Events such as an Arts week, when professional artists visited the school and worked with the pupils, and opportunities for sport, are particular strengths which contribute well to pupils' outstanding personal development. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are identified early and catered for very well. The parents of these pupils

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Grade: 2

cannot praise enough the care and support that their children receive. Enrichment is very good. The addition of French to the curriculum is popular with the pupils. There is an excellent range of extra-curricular activities.

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Grade: 1

This is outstanding, exemplary in its work with parents and its work with outside agencies to ensure that pupils, especially the most vulnerable, achieve well. Staff provide high quality care for pupils and all, including the governors, promote their health and safety well. Child protection arrangements are robust and risk assessments are in place and regularly reviewed. The school is quick to obtain help from outside agencies if necessary and it makes excellent provision to ensure a safe and supportive environment. Very good induction procedures help Reception children and their parents settle happily into new routines. Pupils and parents value the guidance provided by the improvement targets contained within school reports and in teachers' marking. The school enables pupils to achieve independence and responsibility for their own learning and provides particularly well for the transition of Year 6 pupils to secondary

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Grade: 1

school. 4 Inspection Report: Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher's leadership is outstanding and has been instrumental in aiding the school to recover from a difficult period. She has the confidence of staff, pupils, governors and parents. Since her arrival at the school she has created a common sense of purpose amongst staff, who work very well together. Leadership of the school is successfully focused on raising standards and promoting the personal development and well-being of learners. Self-evaluation is considerably enhanced by seeking, taking account of and acting upon the views of parents, pupils and of local authority personnel. The clear way that teachers' personal targets are linked to priorities in the school development plan ensures that the whole school pulls together effectively to make improvements The keen focus on developing the professional skills of staff, including subject leaders, teaching assistants and newly

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Grade: 2

qualified teachers, is highly valued, has led to improvements in management and has contributed well to raising pupils' achievement. Governors ensure that all statutory requirements are met and they plan strategically for the future. They have a good understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development, provide good support and work effectively for the benefit of pupils, staff and parents. These factors illustrate the strong commitment to improvement and reflect the school's good capacity to move forward. Financial planning is good and the school is successful in gaining additional funding to enhance resources and facilities. The school gives good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 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: Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 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? 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 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 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: Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 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: Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making me so welcome in your school. It was a delight to spend some time with you. Your school gives you a good education and things are getting better and better all the time. You and your parents are right to be very proud of it. Here are some of the things I thought were really good about your school. • All the staff care for you exceptionally well. They work hard to make your lessons and school life as interesting as possible. • You are polite, kind and considerate to each other and to the adults who work with you and enjoy school. It was good to see the way that you help each other and how responsible the older ones are for the younger ones. This makes play times more fun for everyone. • You all know a lot about eating healthily, keeping fit and staying safe and you enjoy your school dinners which are all freshly cooked. • The teachers teach you well. They make sure that the work they ask you to do suits you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

well and helps you to improve. • You work hard and behave extremely well in lessons which helps you do well. One of the main reasons why your school is so good is because of the hard work and care shown by your headteacher. She has made many improvements since she came to the school and knows exactly what needs to be done next. She manages the school very well and helps everyone to do their best. There are two things I have asked the school to do to make it even better: • to improve the outdoor area for the youngest children so that they can play and work more often outside • to give everyone more opportunities to use ICT to help their learning in different subjects and to make sure that the skills you learn develop gradually and build on what you already know. Once again, thank you for talking to me and being so helpful during the inspection. 9 Inspection Report: Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006

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