Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Inspection report

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121566 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 314040 Inspection number 4 °5 June 2008 Inspection dates Kathryn Dodd 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 5 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 124 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Anne Perry Chair Mr Jonathan Swain Headteacher 21 February 2005 Date of previous school inspection Gateforth Lane School address Hambleton Selby North Yorkshire YO8 9HP 01757 228391 Telephone number 01757 228363 Fax number

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5-11 Age group 4 °5 June 2008 Inspection dates 314040 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.

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Description of the school

All the pupils at this smaller than average sized school are from White British family backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average, as is the proportion entitled to free school meals. The school has been accredited with the Activemark award. The headteacher has recently returned to the school following a period of absence.

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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: Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 °5 June 2008

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Grade: 2

This good school has an accurate view of its effectiveness and provides good value for money. Some aspects are outstanding, particularly pupils' personal development and well-being. Other strong elements include the warm and nurturing way that pupils are cared for, and the exciting range of extra-curricular activities that enable pupils to develop a real joy in learning. Pupils behave extremely well, show exemplary attitudes to learning, and speak very knowledgeably about how to keep safe and healthy. Pupils are very keen to contribute positively towards their school and local community. These striking personal qualities provide a positive platform upon which to improve their academic achievement even further, and prepare them to become responsible and confident young citizens of the future. The school enjoys a very good reputation in the locality. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive. They are confident that their children

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Grade: 2

receive a good quality of education. Many say how this reflects the unwavering leadership of the headteacher and the shared commitment and dedication of everyone to their children's welfare and achievements. As a result of good quality of teaching and learning and a good curriculum, children in the Foundation Stage, pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and pupils between Years 3 and 6, make good progress. Standards at the end of Year 6 are above average. Between Years 3 and 6, teaching and learning are consistently good. In these classes, high expectations, work that is well matched to pupils' varying learning needs, along with high quality marking that helps pupils to understand how well they are getting on, all make a strong contribution to pupils' good progress. In Years 1 and 2 these features are not seen as regularly and, as a result, pupils' learning, particularly for the more able pupils, is often slower. Sensible adaptations to

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Grade: 2

the curriculum boost pupils' learning where it is needed most. In writing, for example, following a recent whole-school focus, pupils' progress has started to speed up. Even so, standards in writing remain lower than in reading, and pupils' progress continues to be held back by a lack of opportunities for practising writing as part of work in other subjects. Pupils' good overall academic achievement and their outstanding personal development is the result of good quality of leadership, management and governance. The headteacher's passion for ensuring that pupils achieve well in a very safe and particularly enriching setting is highly evident. Effective partnerships beyond school, particularly with parents, contribute to the good quality of education on offer. The professionalism, commitment and dedication of all staff make an equally strong contribution to the school's success. Improvement priorities, such as

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Grade: 2

raising standards in writing, are well chosen and carefully planned. Other leaders and governors have steered the school successfully through the period of absence of the headteacher. Nevertheless, this has hindered progress with plans for improvement this year. The skills of leaders and managers to find out about how effective the school is, are not yet securely in place. Good improvement since the previous inspection, however, particularly in pupils' personal development and well-being, demonstrates a good capacity to continue to improve.

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Grade: 2

Good provision enables children's learning to get off to a successful start. When children start in the Reception class, their skills are broadly typical for their age. The very warm and caring relationships between adults and children, along with the bright, lively and creative learning environment, both indoors and outside, ensures that children quickly develop a thirst for 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 °5 June 2008 learning. Effective links with pre-school settings and with parents ensure that children settle quickly into school routines. Children's personal, social and emotional development is rapid because adults continually help children to understand how to get along well together, to talk about learning and to develop their confidence and independence. Good leadership and management ensure that teachers and support staff work together closely. They find out how

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Grade: 2

well every child is doing, and use this information smartly in order to plan daily activities that take good account of children's varying needs. Consequently, learning moves forward at a good rate and, by the start of Year 1, almost all children reach the levels expected nationally for children of their age, and many achieve beyond this. Provision is improving all the time, and this is why there are plans to forge closer links with Year 1, so that learning always builds sufficiently well on the good start that children make in Reception.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Strengthen the use of information about pupils' attainment, so that their learning needs, particularly those of the more able pupils, are met consistently well across all classes. ■ Provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to practise their writing skills in other subjects, so that standards in writing do not lag behind those in reading. ■ Extend the skills of leaders, managers and governors to include evaluating the effectiveness of the school's work.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good and standards at the end of Year 6 are above average. However, the small numbers of pupils in each year group leads to variations from year to year in performance in national tests. Although the 2007 nationally published test data for pupils in Year 6 reported average standards, the pupils tested included a higher than usual proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. While standards in mathematics were above average, standards in English were below average; albeit higher in reading than in writing. The school has identified accelerating pupils' progress in writing as a key priority for improvement. School data and inspection evidence shows that the gap in standards between reading and writing has started to narrow. A greater proportion of current Year 6 pupils than previously are on track to reach levels higher than expected for their age. The above average standards in Year 6 are

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Grade: 2

the outcome of good progress from pupils' starting points on entry to Year 3. Although, by the end of Year 2, standards are above average in reading, writing and mathematics, pupils make satisfactory progress during Years 1 and 2, given their generally above average starting points. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well because they have good support to complete work that is matched carefully to their individual learning needs.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' outstanding personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is key to their academic success. Their thorough enjoyment of school is reflected in above average attendance. Pupils learn and play very happily together, and say that they are free from bullying and feel very safe. Pupils' exemplary behaviour represents significant improvement since the previous inspection. The consistent application of a clear code of conduct, high expectations of pupils and regular celebration of their efforts have all contributed to a greatly improved picture. Pupils' excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles shows in their 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 °5 June 2008 eagerness to take part in many energetic activities. They are extremely keen to make their school a happier, safer and healthier place to learn. They relish opportunities for taking on

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Grade: 1

responsibilities, such as being school councillors and junior road safety officers. Pupils show great respect and sensitivity towards one another. Older pupils are wonderful role models for younger ones. They offer sensitive and caring support to help them to feel happy and safe. They do this not because they are asked to but because they know that it is the kind thing to do. These personal qualities, along with good progress in basic literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology skills, prepare pupils well for the next stage of education.

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Grade: 2

Good teaching and learning enable pupils to achieve well. Thoughtful organisation, very positive relationships, effective use of praise and careful and sensitive deployment of skilled teaching assistants all make a strong contribution to pupils' progress from their starting points. In Years 3 to 6, teachers are particularly good at matching pupils' work closely to their differing learning needs. They make careful use of the information they have collected, showing what pupils can already do, in order to plan their next steps in learning. This, along with lively and stimulating activities that excite, engage and challenge pupils, and high quality marking that guides their improvement, ensures that pupils rise to teachers' high expectations. In Years 1 and 2, however, these very best teaching practices are not as firmly embedded. As a result, pupils' learning in these classes, particularly that of the more able pupils, moves forward at a steady, rather than

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Grade: 2

A good quality curriculum enables pupils to make good progress. A determined emphasis on promoting pupils' personal development and well-being ensures that they do well academically. Pupils' outstanding enjoyment of school mirrors a strong commitment to broadening and enriching their everyday experiences. They can take part in an extensive range of extra-curricular activities, including several residential trips, which start from a particularly young age. Recent adaptations to the curriculum for writing have resulted in pupils' increased enthusiasm. Exciting opportunities for writing as part of literacy lessons fire their imaginations, and having more time for writing has resulted in acceleration of their progress. There are fewer opportunities, however, for pupils to practise writing as part of work in other subjects. A good range of support programmes boost the progress of pupils working below the level expected for their age and

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Grade: 2

pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Opportunities for challenging the more able pupils are currently being extended, but there is further scope for this as part of day-to-day lessons in Years 1 and 2.

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Grade: 2

The school ensures that every pupil is nurtured and cared for. Staff know pupils and their families well, and this helps them to offer the right kind of care and support at the right time. Pupils are confident that someone, either adult or peer, will help them to overcome difficulties 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 °5 June 2008 and make them feel safe. Appropriate procedures for safeguarding pupils are in place. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities benefit from fruitful links between parents, staff and external support agencies. Recently, staff have improved procedures for swiftly spotting peaks and troughs in pupils' learning and for checking their progress towards challenging learning targets. Staff now take action as necessary. Consequently, pupils' progress in writing has started to speed up. Pupils of all ages are fully involved in setting their own personal

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Grade: 2

learning targets, particularly to support their personal development. Older pupils also have a good understanding of how to improve their academic work. This is because they regularly discuss their learning targets with staff and marking of their work helps them to know how to improve. Such practices, however, are not yet fully consistent across Years 1 and 2.

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Grade: 2

Leadership, management and governance are good. Making sure that pupils achieve well in a caring, safe and enriching setting is the hallmark of the school's success. Parents particularly appreciate the fact that their children's welfare is at the very heart of the work of the school. Their confidence in the school stems from the steadfast leadership of the headteacher. During his recent absence, the unified commitment of the senior leadership team, governors and staff has kept everything running smoothly on a day-by-day basis. Although the school has well chosen and carefully planned priorities for improvement, progress has been restricted without the headteacher's influence because the skills of other leaders, managers and governors are not yet fully developed. This is particularly marked in their ability to evaluate the school's performance by using its data. Nevertheless, they have sensibly prioritised their efforts, for

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Grade: 2

example by aiming to accelerate pupils' progress in writing, and this has started to pay dividends. Good improvement since the previous inspection, the return of the headteacher and the effective support of governors and parents demonstrate that the school is in a good position to continue to improve. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 °5 June 2008 .

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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: Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 °5 June 2008

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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 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: Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 °5 June 2008

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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: Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 °5 June 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Selby, YO8 9HP Thank you so much for the extremely warm welcome you gave me when I inspected your school. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with you and you helped me to see why you enjoy school so very much. You were all extremely keen to talk to me and answered my questions very thoughtfully and politely. I was particularly impressed with how well you behave and all look after one another. I enjoyed hearing about all the chances you have to make your school a healthier, happier and safer place to learn. All the adults care a great deal about everyone, but you are also so very kind and caring towards one another. It is no wonder that you told me that you feel so safe and happy in school. You get lots of chances to learn by taking part in exciting activities, both in and beyond school. When you told me how well you cope with going away

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

from home on your residential trips, even from a young age, I realised just how mature and confident you all are. Many of your parents told me that they are really pleased that you attend Hambleton Primary. This is because your school is a good school. The standards that you reach at the end of Year 6 are higher than in many other schools. These high standards and your excellent attitudes to learning are the reasons why you are well placed to do well at secondary school. There are, however, a few things that could be even better. This is why I have asked the school to make sure that:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ all teachers give you work that makes you think hard, so that you all learn as quickly as you can, especially in Years 1 and 2 ■ you have more chances to practise writing as part of your work in other subjects, so that do you as well in writing as you do in reading ■ staff who are responsible for finding out how well the school is doing always know what they need to do and how they must do it. You can help by making sure that you always tell an adult if the work you are given is too easy. Of course you should always continue to try your best at everything. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hambleton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 °5 June 2008

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