Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled SchoolOfsted inspection, 1 Nov 2007

Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School Inspection report

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117994 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority 312773 Inspection number 31 October °1 November 2007 Inspection dates Linda Murphy 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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Primary Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 182 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Diana Hoskins Chair Mrs Catriona Williamson Headteacher 1 January 2004 Date of previous school inspection Balk Lane School address Sproatley Hull HU11 4PR 01482 811499 Telephone number 01482 817017 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 31 October °1 November 2007 Inspection dates 312773 Inspection number .

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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. 31 October °1 November 2007

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The vast majority of pupils at this smaller than average primary are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average. The proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average, although the percentage with a statement of special educational need is above average. A new headteacher has been appointed since the last inspection.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, 31 October °1 November 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that is well placed for further improvement. The very effective leadership engenders a strong team spirit leading to good achievement, an improvement since the dip in performance following the last inspection. From starting points in the Nursery and Reception that are typical for their age, pupils attain above average standards by Year 6 in English, mathematics and science. This represents good achievement overall. At Key Stage 1, achievement is satisfactory and standards are average in writing and mathematics because the school’s actions have not yet led to improved progress at this stage. Parents enjoy helping with homework and reading and having the opportunity to attend courses to develop their own skills. They are very generous fund raisers and this supports the curriculum very well. For example, they established a fitness trail to enhance pupils’ physical development. Parents are full of praise for the school and many travel some distance because they are pleased

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Grade: 2

with its provision. The school enables pupils to grow in self-assurance and self-esteem so that older pupils are confident, friendly and outgoing young people who are well prepared for their next educational step. Pupils develop a good understanding of how to live a healthy lifestyle because health and safety are promoted well, as reflected in the school’s Healthy School status. Pupils understand the importance of keeping safe and caring for others. They contribute exceedingly well to their school and wider communities and learn much from local people and businesses. Their behaviour is exemplary and this adds significantly to their readiness to learn. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Learning is well supported by an enriched curriculum with a clear focus on basic skills, as recognised in the Basic Skills Quality Mark. A

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Grade: 2

wide range of extra-curricular activities, including residential experiences for older pupils, adds interest and excitement to pupils’ learning. Care and guidance are good, and pupils feel safe. Those pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported well to make good progress towards their targets. Good new systems aid the leadership and management of the school to evaluate its work well, although proven effective systems for monitoring teaching and learning are not yet fully embedded in its day-to-day work. Everyone in school works with determination to do their best for the pupils; relationships are very good. The leadership promotes staff confidence and professional discussion which benefits pupils’ achievement through teaching innovations. Since the last inspection, improvement has been satisfactory. The school is now well placed to help pupils achieve at a faster rate because of clear leadership and effective recent changes. The

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage is well led and, as a result, the children make good progress. As one parent confirmed, ‘My child has come on in leaps and bounds!’ Most children enter Nursery or Reception with standards that are typical for their age, although a significant proportion has difficulties with speech and language. These difficulties are overcome because of the good teaching and learning. Consequently, most children attain the levels expected for their age and 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, 31 October °1 November 2007 some attain beyond this. Enjoyment in learning and discovery are promoted well because stimulating activities are well matched to the children’s needs, setting them up well for transfer to Year 1. The indoor provision is organised well and routines are clear, but outdoor learning is only satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Accelerate pupils’ progress at Key Stage 1 to raise standards in writing and mathematics.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Monitor and evaluate teaching and its effect on pupils’ progress more closely to improve the amount of good and outstanding learning across the school.

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Grade: 2

Standards are usually above average by Year 6. In 2007, they were only average because the small group of pupils in that class contained a high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. As a result, some targets were not met. Currently, school data show that a good proportion of pupils in Year 6 attain above expectations for their age and have already met challenging targets. Achievement at Key Stage 1 is satisfactory but too few pupils attain above expected levels, especially in writing and mathematics. This is in large part the legacy of unavoidable staff changes and insufficiently high expectations. Across the school there are strengths in reading because the school nurtures a love of books and works well with parents to promote reading. Weaknesses in writing are being overcome by building on pupils’ sound sentence structure to develop a more imaginative and individual

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Grade: 2

approach. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress as do those who have special gifts or talents. This is because good leadership of the support ensures that staff are carefully trained to deal with pupils’ specific needs. The school holds the local authority’s gold inclusion mark for its good work in this area.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Pupils contribute extremely well to school life and events in the local community. Pupils are proud of their school and are excellent ambassadors when on visits, following the good example set by staff. Pupils are well prepared for their future life. They behave tremendously well, their manner is engaging and their thoughtfulness evident in all that they do. Pupils enjoy selecting fresh fruit to eat at break time. They also like the healthy school lunches, especially the salad bar, introduced through the good work of the school council. Pupils say they feel safe and well cared for and have ‘loads of people’ to turn to should they have any problems. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils develop a good understanding of their own culture and that of others through music in particular. They are taught to be observant and thankful for the world around them, such as

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Grade: 2

in noting how autumn leaves catch the sunlight as they float to the floor. Attendance is good and reflects pupils’ enjoyment of school. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, 31 October °1 November 2007

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good, but varies between satisfactory and outstanding. For example, marking is at times exemplary and provides pupils with a clear way to improve while at other times it gives praise but with little direction. Across the school, warm relationships and generally well organised lessons mean that pupils behave very well and enjoy learning. Strengths are in the way that teachers make clear what pupils are to learn in a lesson and then check throughout how well they are doing. Subject knowledge is strong so that questioning is deep and meaningful and takes pupils’ learning forward at a good pace. Such effective use is made of homework that by Year 6, pupils are, of their own accord, researching topics and writing and drawing in addition to set work. The innovation to move away from learning spelling by rote to a more dynamic approach is already paying dividends. When teaching is more pedestrian it is because

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Grade: 2

work is not well enough matched to individual need, resources are not used well, or lesson timing is misjudged.

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Grade: 2

The quality of the curriculum is good and meets the needs of all pupils. Creative elements are strong with good use made of specialist rooms. There are many examples of enrichment that support learning well. The regular residential trips, for Years 5 and 6, help promote team work, independence and self-esteem, so that pupils' personal development is very well supported. The school teaches information and communication technology well as reflected in its achievement of the National Association of Advisers Computer Education mark. The staff have recently planned a new approach to developing pupils’ writing through themes across subjects; this has good potential. The good range of extra-curricular activities is very popular with pupils. They derive great pleasure from the ‘parent and child’ cooking sessions, and all the musical activities.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Required arrangements for securing pupils' safety and well-being are in place. As a result, pupils feel happy, safe and well cared for. One or two parents have concerns over bullying but the school has effective systems in place to combat this. Pupils confirm that the rare incidences of bullying are quickly resolved by staff. Most parents are very pleased with the school's work with many typically saying, 'a happy caring environment where staff are friendly and approachable'. Induction procedures are good and children in the Nursery and Reception settle into school life very quickly. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive good support, ensuring that they are included effectively in all activities. The most able are given challenging extension work. Academic guidance is good overall. In some classes, pupils help to assess their own and others' work and therefore begin to understand

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Grade: 2

how to improve their own progress. However, this is not consistent between classes. A good start has been made in implementing a new and timely system of assessment and tracking of pupils’ progress. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, 31 October °1 November 2007

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. After an unsettled period and a dip in standards and achievement, the school has now picked up because it is taking the right action to become increasingly effective. The headteacher provides clear educational direction and all the staff and governors are working well together to improve the school and ensure that challenging targets are set. Staff report that a big change this year is that they are working successfully as a team towards a common goal. School self-evaluation is accurate. However, the school has yet to develop a robust system to monitor and evaluate the impact of teaching and learning on progress and standards, particularly at Key Stage 1. Governors feel well informed. They have strengthened their role by asking challenging questions, as well as by giving valuable support, and they keep themselves abreast of developments. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School,

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, 31 October °1 November 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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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?

2 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, 31 October °1 November 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, 31 October °1 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

2 November 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU11 4PR Thank you for welcoming me when I came to visit your school recently. I found that yours is a good school because your headteacher and other staff want the best for you and work hard to make sure that everything is as good as it can be. You play your part very well. For example, your behaviour is excellent and this means that you come to school ready to learn and enjoy lessons. Did you know that your attendance is better than in most schools? Well done! Keep it up! You receive good teaching and this helps you to learn quickly. The school offers you a lot of very interesting things to do in lessons and also at lunch time and after school. This promotes your enjoyment in learning. You also have good opportunities to air your voice through the school council. Older pupils have lots of responsibilities around school which helps the smooth

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

day-to-day organisation and gets them ready for secondary school. You also contribute enormously to the village and wider communities. You know the importance of eating sensible food and taking lots of exercise. The school is going to make things even better for you by checking your lessons more often and by giving pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 a boost to their learning so that they are even better prepared for their time in Years 3 to 6. For your part, I hope that you will always enjoy school as you do now because it will help you to be happy and successful as you grow older. With best wishes. Yours sincerely Mrs L Murphy Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Sproatley Endowed Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, 31 October °1 November 2007

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