West Burton Church of England Primary School

West Burton Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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121482 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 314005 Inspection number 27 September 2007 Inspection date Bernard Jones 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 46 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Christine Pratt Chair Mrs Carol Brotherton Headteacher 26 January 2004 Date of previous school inspection West Burton School address Leyburn North Yorkshire DL8 4JY 01969 663230 Telephone number 01969 663846 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 27 September 2007 Inspection date 314005 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: achievement and standards; teaching and learning; personal development and well-being; care, guidance and support; and leadership and management. Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, the scrutiny of pupils' work, assessment data and documents. In addition, interviews were held with pupils, parents, members of the governing body and the headteacher. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but no evidence was found to suggest that the school's self-evaluation was not accurate.

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Description of the school

This is a small church controlled school that serves several local rural villages, hamlets and isolated farmsteads. A small minority of pupils travels from outside the immediate area. All pupils are White British and they come from a wide variety of social circumstances. There are no pupils claiming a free school meal. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities varies each year, but currently the proportion is broadly average. There are no pupils with a statement of special educational need. Much of the school's work in areas such as physical education, drama and collective worship takes place in the nearby village hall. Pupils are organized into two mixed-age classes, taught by four teachers, including the headteacher, two of whom are part-time. The school has attained the Healthy Schools Award and a local authority Special Educational Needs Quality Mark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: West Burton Church of England Primary School, 27 September 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that gives good value for money. It is very popular because parents are confident that pupils are exceptionally well cared for and challenged to do well. Pupils' personal development is excellent. This reflects the inclusive nature of the school and the strong Christian values taught. The happiness and success of each child is high on the school's agenda. This makes a positive impact on pupils, resulting in their developing excellent attitudes. Attendance is above average and pupils come to school regularly because they enjoy school life. The teaching of spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects is undertaken very effectively and makes a significant contribution to pupils' development. As a result, pupils make a positive contribution in the school and wider community, for example by their fund-raising for a variety of causes. Good teaching, particularly in personal, social, health and

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Grade: 2

citizenship education (PSHCE), develops in pupils a concern for others and good understanding of personal safety. Pupils develop good literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills, which stand them in good stead for the future. They gain an outstanding knowledge of how to stay healthy, reflected in the 'Healthy Schools' award. The quality of teaching, allied to accurate knowledge of the progress they are making, leads to pupils relishing their achievement in lessons. Pupils are given responsibilities and take them very seriously. For example, older pupils help younger children both in the classroom and in the playground. The school council operates efficiently and ensures that pupils are given a voice in school and learn about the democratic process. Pupils receive outstanding pastoral care and guidance and the school goes to great lengths to turn out well developed and mature young people ready to progress to their next stage of

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Grade: 2

education. Behaviour is invariably good and ensures that there is always a good working atmosphere in classes, where pupils of all levels of ability can flourish and make good progress. Pupils find the variety of subjects they are taught stimulating and show enthusiasm in taking part in the many and various activities the school offers. Appropriate emphasis is given to teaching basic skills. Pupils' experiences are further enhanced by the outstanding and interesting curriculum. Visitors to school and educational visits out of school extend pupils' learning experiences well. For example, good links with an inner city school with a high proportion of pupils of the Muslim faith provides a stimulating experience of other cultures, contexts and traditions for pupils from both schools. Excellent links with the community, including local schools, further extend the curriculum. The displays in classrooms and around the school are

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Grade: 2

testament to the rich curriculum in place. A great strength of the school is the care taken to ensure pupils' safety, including robust vetting of adults who work in the school. Arrangements for health and safety, including safeguarding and protecting children, are in place. Pupils say that they feel safe and very well cared for. All groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, also receive excellent academic guidance. The overall support provided for pupils with widely differing needs ensures their good progress. Great emphasis is placed on helping pupils move on from the small village school setting to the larger secondary school. Parents report that, as a result, pupils settle in well. Good links are established with parents and carers. They and their children relate how teachers are very committed and approachable. The governors and headteacher communicate well with parents and their views, along with those of pupils, are sought, valued

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Grade: 2

and taken into account. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: West Burton Church of England Primary School, 27 September 2007 Pupils achieve well across the age range. The school's meticulous charting of pupils' progress is a feature of the excellent care and guidance provided. As a result, standards are well above average at the end of both Year 2 and Year 6. Standards in science are particularly high. This is because lessons build on the experiences and knowledge that pupils have of the world around them and ensure that practical work features strongly when investigating science topics. This process stimulates pupils' curiosity and develops a real enthusiasm for the subject. Standards in mathematics and reading are significantly above average, but standards in writing are average. Although pupils have improved the way they choose language, for example in writing to suit the audience they are trying to reach, their use of grammar is relatively weak.

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Grade: 2

Consistently good quality teaching is a feature throughout the school. Teachers prepare well and manage their mixed-age classes skillfully, leading to good behaviour and positive attitudes. Pupils come to class ready and willing to enjoy their learning. Typically, teachers use questioning techniques to challenge pupils to think hard and work out problems for themselves. Here, teaching is demanding and learning proceeds at a good pace. On occasion, teachers miss the opportunity to improve pupils' speaking and listening skills during these question and answer sessions. There are common elements to all lessons seen, which reflects good leadership in the school. Assessments to chart and check progress are used very effectively to inform pupils about how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve further. They also form the basis for challenging targets, which are generally met. Pupils are encouraged to cooperate

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Grade: 2

and share ideas and they benefit from taking responsibility for their own learning. Teachers' planning is good overall and effectively meets the needs of the different groups of pupils in their classes. However, planning of individual lessons sometimes lacks the precision needed so that teachers can judge accurately how much progress has been made in the lesson by the different groups of pupils. Teaching assistants make a good contribution, particularly in helping those who need a little more support to progress well. Teachers mark pupils' work conscientiously and encourage them by acknowledging their good efforts. Good relationships between teachers and parents are apparent. This is helpful in the school's use of homework, which is effective in developing pupils' basic literacy and numeracy skills. The quality of leadership and management is good. The school's self-evaluation is accurate, but somewhat modest in judging the contribution made by the curriculum and the provision

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Grade: 2

for the care, guidance and support of pupils. Staff cooperate well to share best practice in their teaching, and the general monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning is regular, rigorous and accurate. As a result, staff know what they need to do to improve further and are keen to do so. The school has taken successful action to maintain higher than average standards and to identify and start to tackle writing, where standards have not been as high. Successful action has been taken to improve pupils' achievement which reflects a good capacity to improve further. The contributions of the headteacher and governing body in giving direction and impetus to the school's work are outstanding. As well as supporting the school, the governors challenge effectively and their general contribution is good. They work hard to ensure that their knowledge of strengths and weaknesses is based on their first hand experience gained

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Grade: 2

from close and regular contact with the day-to-day life of the school. As a result, the school has a clear view of where further improvement is needed. This clarity of vision has enabled standards to be maintained during a period of significant changes to staffing. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: West Burton Church of England Primary School, 27 September 2007

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Reception class is good. Most children enter it with some pre-school experience and overall skills that are above expectations for their age. Good quality teaching by staff who share a common understanding of young children's needs leads to them all, whatever their ability, making good progress. Good management ensures that structured and purposeful play, sound planning and the good use of assessment of children's progress are all used to good advantage. Sharing much of their day with pupils in Years 1 and 2 means that children learn how to get on with others and to behave well. It also helps them to gain a basic understanding of how language is used for communication. Through practical activities and first hand experiences within a rich environment, they acquire a good knowledge and understanding of basic numbers and the world around them. Children's physical and creative development is

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Grade: 2

above expectations. Children join Year 1 with skills above those expected for their age, fully ready for more formal learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve writing skills throughout the school, particularly relating to pupils' use of grammar. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: West Burton Church of England Primary School, 27 September 2007 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: West Burton Church of England Primary School, 27 September 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?

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

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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: West Burton Church of England Primary School, 27 September 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: West Burton Church of England Primary School, 27 September 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you all for being so helpful and friendly to me when I visited West Burton, which I found to be a good school. I enjoyed watching you learn during your literacy lessons and reading your work and talking to you. Please thank your parents and carers for all their letters, and for talking to me. You take a good level of pride in your school and liven up the classrooms and corridors with interesting displays of your work. The large picture of the elephant and man is particularly impressive and one that each of you can be proud of because every one of you helped by contributing a part to the picture. You have a good knowledge of your targets and what you have to do to improve your work. I was very impressed by the way older pupils care for those who are younger in the playground and by your good and responsible behaviour generally. Very importantly, you can be trusted to get on with your work while your teacher helps other

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

groups. You take responsibility well, for example in your work on the school council. Your school helps you to develop into mature young people, who consider others. You show that you enjoy coming to school. You like your teachers and the way they take good care of you and teach you to be safe and healthy. You obviously enjoy having visitors and you are very welcoming and polite. Some of you told me about meeting pupils in a very different school in Halifax and how much you learned about other faiths and traditions from the experience. You make good progress in your learning and achieve above average standards of work overall, doing particularly well in science. I have asked your headteacher and teachers to help you improve your writing, particularly your use of grammar, to bring it up to a similar standard. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: West Burton Church of England Primary School, 27 September 2007

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