Bempton Primary School

Bempton Primary School Inspection report

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117825 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority 326691 Inspection number 13–14 May 2009 Inspection dates Derek Sleightholme Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 79 School (total) 23 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Richard Burton Chair Mrs Lynn O'Reilly Headteacher 4 April 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection School Lane School address Bempton Bridlington East Yorkshire YO15 1JA 01262 850508 Telephone number 01262 851664 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 13–14 May 2009 Inspection dates 326691 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Bempton Primary School, 13–14 May 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small rural school with a rising pupil roll. All pupils are from White British backgrounds. The percentage eligible for free school meals is well below average. The proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well below average. The Early Years Foundation Stage provision is a Nursery and a Reception class that includes some Year 1 pupils.

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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: Bempton Primary School, 13–14 May 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. ‘My child has been at Bempton for less than a year and has come on leaps and bounds both socially and academically’ is a typical comment that reflects most parents’ positive views of this ‘family ethos’ school. The headteacher works with staff and governors to set clear priorities for the school’s development. Leaders have successfully taken action to raise standards, improve teaching, learning and the curriculum. Personal development, including spiritual and social development, is good. Moral development is outstanding, reflecting pupils’ excellent behaviour. Cultural development is satisfactory. In this friendly school, pupils feel safe and become mature, well mannered and caring young citizens. They value being healthy. Pupils form good relationships and enjoy taking responsibility. They are proud of the way they have contributed to school improvements. They serve the school community well as councillors and have a good record of charitable fundraising. Parents

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Grade: 2

say their children love school, a fact confirmed by pupils’ good attendance. Pupils’ achievement is good. Pupils enter Year 1 with broadly average standards. Small numbers in each year group leads to some variation in standards and caution is needed when comparing results to national averages. Nevertheless, attainment has been rising and by the end of Year 6, standards are above average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils from Years 1 to 6 make good progress in most subjects. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make similar good progress. Gains in reading and speaking are faster than in writing. Given pupils’ good progress in most key skills, they are well prepared to cope with the next stage in education. Teaching and learning are good. Planning carefully addresses the needs of pupils of all abilities. Teaching challenges pupils well. Teacher talk in lessons is lively with good emphasis on providing

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Grade: 2

appealing, practical activities. The success of teaching in raising achievement in most key skills is not yet so obvious in writing. One weakness is that pupils do not have sufficient time to practise the technical skills of writing. Another is some inconsistency in the demands placed on pupils to raise the quality of their completed written work. The curriculum is good. The planned programme leads to good learning across different subjects. The attention given to improving pupils’ cultural experiences is satisfactory. The curriculum is enriched well through visits, visitors and extra-curricular clubs. Care, guidance and support are good. Pupils benefit from the setting of individual targets for literacy and numeracy and in most subjects they are provided with clear direction on how to improve. Leadership and management, including governance, are good. There is clear direction and a steadfast focus on raising achievement and promoting good personal development. The school

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Grade: 2

has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Community cohesion is promoted satisfactorily. A weakness, already recognised by the school, is that pupils’ understanding of the richness and diversity of modern Britain and the wider world is insufficiently promoted. The knowledgeable governors support the school well. The school provides good value for money.

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Grade: 2

Provision is good. Attainment on entry is variable, reflecting small numbers in each year group. More often, children are admitted to the Nursery with skills and abilities below those typically found in social, communication and mathematical skills. Personal development is good. Children 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Bempton Primary School, 13–14 May 2009 are settled, friendly and behave well. They quickly learn the daily routines, such as coming together for carpet time activities. They respond well to instructions and become sufficiently confident to organise some of their own learning activities. For them, learning outdoors is exciting. Learning and development are good because teaching is good. Effective planning ensures children access an appealing variety of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Indoors, an adult led phonics session helped children to learn to make sounds by linking letters. Outdoors, children

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Grade: 2

were thrilled to climb on board the pirate ship and search for treasure. Progress is good and most children reach the goals expected for the end of Reception. Leadership is good. The leadership has reviewed the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum to meet latest guidance and also implemented revised welfare requirements. Welfare is good. Parents appreciate how the good care and consistent daily routines help children to settle quickly. One summed up support for children as ‘second to none’. The leaders’ vision and ambition for improvement is good. Their impact is illustrated, for example, by the new good quality all weather outdoor facilities that enhance children’s learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the teaching of writing by providing pupils with more opportunities to practise technical writing skills and guide them consistently on what is expected in terms of improving content and presentation. ■ Improve pupils’ understanding of the richness and diversity of Britain and the wider world.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Pupils usually enter Year 1 with broadly average standards. Assessments at the end of Year 2 have been rising steadily since 2005 and by 2008 they were above average overall. Standards currently in Year 2 are at the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics because these pupils entered school with much lower starting points. Tracking data show they are achieving well. The presence of small year groups, sometimes as low as six pupils, leads to some variation in standards. The standards attained by pupils in Year 6 were average in 2006, above average in 2007 and average in 2008. Tracking data indicate some underachievement, reflecting historical staffing difficulties. This has been resolved and pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, now make consistently good progress in most subjects from Year 1 to Year 6. Progress in reading, speaking and calculating is much better than that in writing. School leaders

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Grade: 2

have rightly made improving writing the top priority for raising standards. So far they have had considerable success in implementing a programme to raise standards in English and mathematics by setting challenging targets, establishing assessment practices and improving phonics and calculations.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are reflective. They think deeply about each other and the challenges they face together. They think about themes such as the environment and taking action to save resources. A pupil caption on a display makes the point clearly, ‘Be a star, try not to drive your car!’ Pupils feel safe and know how to access help. They trust the adults who know them all personally. Pupils 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Bempton Primary School, 13–14 May 2009 know why it is important to be healthy. They enjoy exercise. Through their efforts the school has acquired the Sports Activemark and the Healthy School Award. Pupils enjoy school and their attendance is above average. One, recalling a recent visit to a local restaurant to learn to cook wrote, ‘I got messy but it was hilarious!’ Pupils have a strong voice in the school; their ideas are communicated well by school councillors who have played a key role in supporting school improvements. Pupils are proud to represent the school in the

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Grade: 2

local community. The singing by Bempton pupils is an essential ‘ingredient’ of the annual village Victorian Day, a highlight of the local calendar. Given pupils’ good progress in most key skills, they are well prepared to cope with life ahead.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Good subject knowledge, pupil management, varied learning methods and warm relationships contribute to the overall good progress. Planning successfully ensures the content of lessons is adjusted to meet the full range of abilities. Teaching provides many opportunities for pupils to practise reading and speaking skills. By Year 6, pupils confidently explain how they arrive at answers and conclusions to problems. Practical activities are taught well and provide opportunities for pupils to share ideas and discuss results. In a well organised science lesson, some pupils indoors planned how they would set up an experiment based on fair test principles, while others checked how well their seeds were germinating outdoors. Pupils, supported by an enthusiastic parent, cleared a vegetable plot and planted cabbages using the gardening tools they earned by saving shopping vouchers.

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Grade: 2

The success of teaching in promoting good progress in reading and speaking is not yet as obvious in writing. One reason is that some pupils, despite confidently expressing their views orally, have difficulty translating these to text. Teaching does not provide sufficient time for pupils to concentrate on learning techniques such as applying grammar and punctuation. Another is that teaching is not yet consistently setting sufficiently high expectations for the quality of writing and presentation.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Good planning, including regular use of information and communication technology, ensures pupils access lively, engaging activities. Effective links are made between subjects. A good example is the way pupils combined their design and art skills to plan how the playground and school field resources might be further enhanced. At a later stage, pupils communicated these ideas to contractors’ representatives engaged to install equipment. The curriculum is enhanced through a sports partnership, visitors and visits. For example, pupils’ understanding of the past is enriched by a visit to a local wartime museum. A weakness is that the curriculum is not making a strong enough contribution to pupils’ cultural development. Pupils’ awareness of the richness and diversity of different cultures in Britain and abroad is underrepresented in their work and displays. Extra-curricular provision is good.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are offered a wide range of activities including football, cricket, gymnastics and a computer club. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Bempton Primary School, 13–14 May 2009

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Grade: 2

Care, support and guidance are good. Practices for safeguarding, child protection and risk assessments meet requirements. A positive feature of the good care is the consistency in implementing daily routines. One parent wrote, ‘I feel confident my child is well cared for at school’. Support is good. The school’s inclusive approach to grouping pupils by ability ensures they access provision matched to their needs. The additional staffing for pupils in Years 3 to 6 allows for more personal direction. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good. They benefit from the sensitive support and direction provide by skilled assistants. Links with external agencies are good and enhance provision. Academic guidance is mostly good. Pupils know their targets; these are changed regularly in response to progress. Pupils benefit from timely, verbal guidance in lessons. Guidance is less

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Grade: 2

helpful in writing because there is a lack of clarity to pupils on precisely what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

Leadership, management and governance are good. The headteacher provides clear direction, determined and focused leadership and leads a small committed staff. Teamwork is good. Leaders have successfully raised achievement in reading and mathematics by introducing specific programmes for phonics and calculations. They are now determined to improve writing. Leaders set challenging targets, not only for higher standards, but also for ambitious school improvements. Their inclusive organisational approach to pupil deployment demonstrates their commitment to equality of opportunity. Progress has been good since the previous inspection and the school is well placed for further improvement. The governors are supportive and know the school well. Their good monitoring practices ensure they confidently hold leadership to account. The systematic use of a range of audit practices leads to accurate self-evaluation. This is used well to inform the drafting of a school development

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Grade: 2

plan with relevant priorities. Leaders promote community cohesion satisfactorily. They have evaluated the school setting securely. Through a network of partnership with other local schools they are building on pupils’ good understanding of their place in school and the local community to extend this to more diverse settings. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Bempton Primary School, 13–14 May 2009 .

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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: Bempton Primary School, 13–14 May 2009

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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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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 capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Bempton Primary School, 13–14 May 2009

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Bempton Primary School, 13–14 May 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

15 May 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Bempton Primary School, East Riding of Yorkshire, YO15 1JA Thank you for making my visit to your school so enjoyable. I enjoyed meeting you, visiting your classrooms, looking at your books and displays and talking to you about your school. You were friendly and polite and I was impressed by your outstanding behaviour. These are the things I found out about your school during my visit. You attend a good school. All the people who work in school are doing a good job. Most aspects, such as your personal development, are good. You understand the importance of staying healthy and you feel safe. You enjoy school and attend well. Your school is indeed a happy and smiley place to be! The staff provide you with good care. Those who need extra help get good support. You are set clear targets to work towards. The curriculum is good. Good teaching ensures you make good progress throughout the school. Although your writing

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

is improving. The guidance you get about improving writing is not always consistent. You can play your part by working hard in lessons. Most of you have reached average standards by Year 2 and above average standards in most subjects by Year 6. Well done! I have asked the school to make some improvements. These are to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ provide more opportunities for pupils who need help with technical writing skills and provide consistent guidance on improving the quality of writing ■ helping you to understand that life in modern Britain and the wider world is often very different from the rural setting where you live. I wish you and all the staff the very best for the future. Yours faithfully Derek Sleightholme Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Bempton Primary School, 13–14 May 2009

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