Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School

Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School Inspection report

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117893 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority 326708 Inspection number 29–30 June 2009 Inspection dates Judith Straw 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 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 54 School (total) 0 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 Mrs Jane Pow Chair Mrs Hilary Leach Headteacher 1 February 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Bridge Lane School address Rawcliffe Bridge Goole East Riding of Yorkshire DN14 8PJ 01405 839249 Telephone number 01405 839256 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 29–30 June 2009 Inspection dates 326708 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: Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, 29–30 June 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 very small school in a village west of Goole which is a very industrial area. There is considerable social and economic deprivation. An average proportion of pupils are entitled to claim a free school meal. The great majority of pupils are of White British heritage. A few pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds and none are at an early stage of learning English. Over a third of the pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and an above average proportion of pupils have a statement of educational need. Higher proportions of pupils than usual join the school late in their primary education. Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes. Early Years Foundation Stage education is provided in the Reception class. The school will open a Nursery in September. The school holds the Healthy School Award and the Activemark

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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: Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, 29–30 June 2009

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Grade: 2

Rawcliffe Bridge is a good school. An ethos of self-respect and care for others is central to its happy and effective learning community. Pupils thrive in this supportive environment. This is shown in their good academic progress and in their outstanding personal and social development. Pupils’ behaviour is good and they gain outstanding insights into how to stay safe and healthy. Pupils are confident and happy in school and feel safe and valued. The school meets the aims of its new vision statement which involved parents, pupils, teachers and governors. ‘Our vision is to have a school which is a fun and happy place to learn, and where every child feels happy, safe and fulfilled.’ Achievement is good from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year 6. From starting school with skills that are lower than those usually seen, pupils reach broadly average standards by the end of Year 6. Very small numbers in each cohort mean that there can appear to be great

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Grade: 2

fluctuations in standards. Most pupils reach the challenging targets set for them, but fewer pupils than nationally attain highly at the end of Years 2 and 6. Pupils develop excellent social skills and moral values in this caring school. Their spiritual development is fostered very well through regular opportunities for reflection in assemblies and lessons. Significant opportunities are provided to support their cultural development and prepare them for life in a multicultural society. This village school is very much at the heart of the local community and the pupils make a very positive contribution to the local area. The quality of teaching is good and helps most pupils to receive effective support. Occasionally, there is insufficient challenge in some classes for the most able pupils. Assessment is thorough. Pupils receive good feedback on their achievements and progress. The quality of marking is

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Grade: 2

good and provides pupils with clear guidance about what they need to do to improve their work. Teachers constantly evaluate the school’s good curriculum, exploring ways to make it more vibrant and stimulating. Music, physical education and German are particular strengths. Excellent pastoral care ensures that pupils are happy and secure in school. High quality support and well managed provision ensure that vulnerable pupils and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well in relation to their starting points when joining the school. Very effective tracking of pupils’ progress is helping to ensure that achievement expectations are high and areas for improvement are identified and dealt with well. For example, effective action was taken in the last school year to improve boys’ attainment overall and the attainment of all pupils in writing. The school is held in high regard by most parents. The large majority of parents who responded

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Grade: 2

to the questionnaire and the many who visited the school on sports day during the inspection were enthusiastic in their praise of all that the school provides. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher and head of the Early Years Foundation Stage work well together. They recognise the talents and abilities of staff and involve the staff team in monitoring and evaluating the school’s performance. Subject leaders, however, are at an early stage in acquiring the experience to take action to raise standards in their subject areas. Governors hold the school to account well and have a very good understanding of strengths and areas to improve. The school provides good value for money. Good progress has been made since the last inspection and the school is well placed to improve further. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, 29–30 June 2009

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Grade: 2

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with a range of skills because of the small numbers involved. Overall these are lower than what is expected for their age, partly because over half of them have no pre-school experience. Records show children have made good progress from their individual starting points and overall reach broadly average standards by the time they start in Year 1 and a few children exceed this level. Good teaching and a stimulating curriculum are the major factors for the children’s rapid progress. The school provides an excellent induction process so that children are helped to settle quickly. The Early Years Foundation Stage staff are passionate about what they do and know where improvements are needed to raise standards. Outdoor activities are planned carefully to help children learn as well as they do inside the classroom. This is an exciting place for children to be with an enticing

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Grade: 2

range of activities always available. Children clearly enjoy every moment in the day. This is because teachers make challenging tasks fun and everyone wants to join in and do their best. Children learn to play well together because the staff constantly praise good behaviour and talk about feelings. Staff observe children closely, assess their progress well and know exactly where they need to improve. Good leadership and management ensures that information is shared well with parents and carers. Excellent provision for the welfare of children means that they are safe and happy.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that more-able pupils are sufficiently challenged in their learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Develop the leadership skills of subject coordinators so that they can better evaluate the school’s performance and take steps to bring about improvements.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Standards at the end of Year 2 vary from year-to-year because the numbers of pupils in each cohort are very small. Over time, however, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are broadly average. Inspection evidence shows that from their individual starting points as they enter Year 1 pupils make good progress. At Key Stage 2, pupils’ recorded work and the school’s data shows that pupils continue to achieve well. Some pupils join the school during Key Stage 2. They make good progress and standards are usually average in English, mathematics and science by Year 6. Pupils perform best in science and mathematics. Overall, achievement in English is not as good and the school currently has writing as a whole school priority. The school’s performance data must be treated with caution given the small numbers in most year groups. Fewer pupils than nationally attain highly at Year 6. However, the school’s tracking shows clearly that pupils who attained highly

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Grade: 2

at this school in Year 2 achieve above average standards at the end of Year 6. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress, as do the few minority ethnic pupils. This is because extra support is carefully planned to meet pupils’ needs.

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Grade: 1

The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is outstanding. In every classroom, children behave well and respect and trust their teachers. In classroom circle-time activities, 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, 29–30 June 2009 pupils learn to reflect on sensitive issues and to share their ideas and contributions. School councillors take account of everyone’s view in making decisions for the whole school. Older pupils carry out roles of responsibility and develop skills to support them in the future. For example, Year 6 pupils manage selling cakes and fruit at break-times and organising activities on the school field. Pupils take safety issues extremely seriously. They know procedures to keep them safe when involved in outdoor pursuits and respect the regulations for controlling their use of the internet. They are proud of the school’s approach to healthy eating and speak

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Grade: 1

enthusiastically of the many opportunities to keep healthy and fit. Bullying is rare and on occasions when it does happen it is dealt with promptly. Pupils explained that there used to be a ‘bully box’ but it isn’t necessary any more. Attendance figures are above average because pupils flourish in school and thoroughly enjoy their education. They are prepared well for the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers know pupils and their families well fostering good motivation and enjoyment of learning. Pupils are keen to respond and their self-esteem is boosted by the ready recognition of their efforts and encouragement from the staff. Teachers have a good knowledge of all subjects and link them together well so that learning becomes more relevant to pupils. They are increasingly using multimedia resources which encourage a high level of interest among pupils. Most progress is made where tasks are challenging for pupils of all abilities and there are strategies in place to ensure boys and girls achieve equally well. On a few occasions, lessons are too easy for more-able pupils and this slows the pace of their learning. Teachers are developing an approach that offers stimulating and interesting activities which offers pupils more opportunities to choose and develop their own learning.

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Grade: 2

Marking and assessment are good. Pupils receive praise for their efforts and good advice on how to improve and reach their targets. Well briefed teaching assistants work well with pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities so that they too make good progress.

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Grade: 2

The rich and rewarding curriculum encourages children to look outwards to the world. Very close attention is paid to English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT) but not at the expense of other subjects. The school is developing a creative and thematic approach which is promoting enjoyment and encouraging pupils to be more independent in their learning. Pupils benefit from effective teaching in German and enjoy broadening their understanding of cultures other than their own, for example, the recent ‘Mexican fortnight’. A very wide range of extra-curricular activities, trips and visitor, including an annual residential visit to an activity centre are much enjoyed by the pupils and take up for these activities is high. Displays are stimulating; they celebrate children’s work and motivate them to do even better. As yet, however, it is too early to judge the impact on standards of

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Grade: 2

the much improved curriculum. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, 29–30 June 2009

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Grade: 1

The school provides excellent care, support and guidance for pupils. As one parent comments, ‘I leave my children each day knowing that they are safe, will be well cared for and should any problem arise they are able to approach any member of staff who will do their utmost to help and support.’ Pupils say that they feel very safe and trust their teachers. The school ensures that all aspects of safeguarding are in place; that risk assessments are regularly reviewed and that training is appropriately updated. The school works hard to raise pupils’ self-esteem. Support and intervention for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is particularly successful. Staff ensure individual needs are met during lessons and that they are well supported by highly trained teaching assistants. Academic guidance is very effective. Assessment data are used very well to track pupils’ progress and to identify specific needs. It also provides pupils

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Grade: 1

with individual targets and indicates how these will be achieved.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides strong, determined leadership and is driving the school forward successfully. The scrupulous monitoring by the headteacher and leader of the Early Years Foundation Stage ensures that the school knows where there are weaknesses and how to tackle them, for example, the wide range of strategies currently in place to raise the attainment of boys and to improve standards in writing. Subject leaders are relatively new and their role in monitoring and evaluating the impact of change is underdeveloped. Self-evaluation is honest and accurate and the school sets challenging targets for staff and pupils alike. The school strives well to remove barriers to learning for vulnerable pupils and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The very effective assessment system, which regularly tracks the progress of all pupils, ensures that extra help is quickly

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Grade: 2

provided when pupils are falling behind. Governors are highly supportive and rigorous in their monitoring of all aspects of the school, challenging it to do even better. Community cohesion is good and the school celebrates the achievements of all. The school plays a central role in the local community and has links with other schools, industry and businesses. National links are developing and pupils learn about other countries in Europe and beyond including a link with a school in Germany. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, 29–30 June 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: Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, 29–30 June 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? 1 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? 3 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: Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, 29–30 June 2009

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 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? 1 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 2 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: Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, 29–30 June 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

1 July 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, East Riding of Yorkshire, DN14 8PL Thank you for the lovely warm welcome you gave me when I inspected your school this week. I really enjoyed my visit and the conversations I had with so many of you. I shall long remember your wonderful singing in assembly and watching your races on sports day. As you know, I came to see how well the school is doing and how you are getting on with your learning. I found that:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you are being given a good education at Rawcliffe Bridge. You go to a good school and you and most of your parents think so too ■ your personal development is outstanding. You behave well, look after each other and have an excellent understanding about how to stay fit and healthy ■ you work hard and make good progress

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you are taught well. The teachers and teaching assistants make your lessons interesting and enjoyable and they make sure you have the help and support you need ■ you have a good curriculum which is helping you to develop excellent personal skills and is broadening your outlook on the world ■ the adults in school look after you and care for you extremely well

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the school is well led and the headteacher and the staff are always on the lookout for ways to make it even better. All of this means that your school is a happy place to be. To help make it even better, I have asked it to look at ways of extending the skills of those of you who learn quickly. I have also asked all the teachers to look closely at how well you are doing in every subject. You can play your part by attending regularly, enjoying school and working hard. My very best wishes for the future! Yours faithfully Judith Straw Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School, 29–30 June 2009

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