Great Ouseburn Community Primary School

Great Ouseburn Community Primary School Inspection report

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121393 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 327477 Inspection number 10–11 December 2008 Inspection dates Andrew Clark 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 59 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 Farida Grout Chair Mrs Pat Lumb Headteacher 19 October 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Main Street School address Great Ouseburn York North Yorkshire YO26 9RG

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4–11 Age group 10–11 December 2008 Inspection dates 327477 Inspection number 01423 330296 Telephone number 01423 330296 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 10–11 December 2008 Inspection dates 327477 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. 3 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Great Ouseburn Primary school is much smaller than average and the number on roll has fallen since the last inspection. The majority of pupils are from the immediate locality and many are from socially and economically advantaged backgrounds. The vast majority of pupils are from White British families. The proportion of pupils eligible to a free school meal is below average. The percentage of pupils with a learning difficulty and/or disability is below average. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision consists of the Reception class. The majority of teachers are new to the school since it was last inspected. The school is currently led and managed by an acting headteacher. The school has achieved the Healthy Schools Award and the Activemark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 2008

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Grade: 2

Great Ouseburn Primary is a good and improving school. Good leadership is leading to increased pupils' achievement. Good care and guidance enable pupils of all abilities to develop very well in a safe and exciting community. Pupils become confident learners with good skills for the future. Children make a good start to their education in the EYFS. Achievement is good and standards are significantly above average. Children start the EYFS with a range of skills which are often better than those typically found. Pupils of all ages and abilities now achieve well in all classes as they move through school, which is a good improvement since the last inspection and reflects strong leadership and effective teamwork by the staff. Standards, whilst not exceptionally or consistently high, are significantly above average by the time pupils leave school. Progress is best in English. Marking and target setting are not yet as challenging in some other subjects.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils' behaviour is excellent and they show tolerance, respect and care for others. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and they are thoughtful and positive in their attitudes. Pupils make a good contribution to the school and wider community through the 'school meetings' to discuss pupils' concerns, involvement in the parish council and many charitable activities. However, they do not often take the initiative and organise their own events and activities. Pupils' understanding of living a healthy lifestyle and their commitment to caring for the global environment are particularly good features. The quality of teaching and learning is good and quickly improving. Since the previous inspection, the school has made significant improvements in analysing closely pupils' needs and achievements and in setting more challenging work. Teachers involve pupils well in developing

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Grade: 2

strategies for better learning, including the good use of information and communication technology (ICT). Relationships are excellent. Parents express the view that, 'All the teachers and support staff put one hundred and ten per cent into the school.' The curriculum is good. There is now good support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, an improvement since the last inspection. Wide-ranging and innovative extra-curricular opportunities, such as the 'Last choir standing' and 'Become a film maker' clubs, contribute well to pupils' social and cultural development. Pupils' personal and social development are promoted well and their individual achievements are constantly celebrated. Links are developing well between subjects, making learning more relevant to pupils. Care, guidance and support are good. The school establishes very positive relationships with parents who speak highly about the improvements made to provision. Systems to track pupils'

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Grade: 2

progress are now rigorous and, increasingly, effectively used to promote good achievement. This is a considerable improvement since the last inspection. Marking is used well in English to provide clear steps for pupils' improvement. However, it is less well used for this purpose in mathematics and other subjects. Leadership and management are good. There is a very clear vision which is shared by staff, governors, parents and pupils. The acting headteacher has created a tight staff team which shares good practice and has brought about improvements to the quality of teaching and learning. However, it is early days in the creation of individual leadership roles and the headteacher is still pivotal in monitoring and evaluating provision. The good governing body 5 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 2008 is challenging and supportive in equal measure and its financial management is good. The

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Grade: 2

school has a good capacity for further improvement.

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Grade: 2

Children achieve well and on entry to Year 1 they are working above the expected levels and sometimes well above these. There has been a recent good trend of improvement in standards of the children's communication and language skills and in their personal development. Children make especially good gains in their personal development because staff seek out opportunities to help them get along together, talk about learning, encourage good behaviour and develop independence. Staff join in their role-play and constantly enrich their understanding and the vocabulary they use. Children discover that learning is fun. They are aware of sensible eating habits and enjoy healthy snacks. The basic skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and number are given a high priority. Staff's use of fun and fast-paced games, songs and rhyming activities help children to identify letter sounds and learn how they blend together to make words. For example, children label

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Grade: 2

large pictures of the blue whale they are studying, play hide and seek games with teddy bears and begin to add and subtract to numbers beyond ten. The work set challenges children to develop good strategies to solve problems in a logical way. Occasionally this is a little too challenging for children who are not yet sure enough of their numbers. The curriculum is rich and exciting. Good use is made of the outdoor areas despite some limitations for frequent access. For example, children built a large boat out of milk crates to sail to the Arctic to visit the blue whales. They read the number plates on their vehicles and ride them with care. Behaviour is excellent. Staff use information from their observations well to pinpoint each child's progress and carefully identify the next steps in learning. This information is being increasingly well used in planning for the next stage of children's learning. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

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Grade: 2

are quickly identified and receive sensitive support. Leadership of the EYFS is good. Since the last inspection the quality of provision has improved well. There are good procedures to welcome new children and their parents. Close links with the Year 1 class ensure that the most able children are effectively challenged.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that teachers' marking supports pupils' learning well in all subjects.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Give pupils more opportunities to use their initiative and to take responsibility.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve staff's roles in monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' progress is more consistent than it was at the time of the last inspection. This is because teachers now make good use of sharply focused systems to track pupils' progress and use the information gained to plan work accordingly. A high proportion of pupils are working at above the expected level by Year 6, especially in English. Slightly fewer pupils are working at the higher Level 5 in mathematics because the academic targets set for individuals are not consistently promoted through teachers' marking. Standards are also well above average in 6 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 2008 Year 2. There is no significant difference in the achievement of boys and girls. The trend of improvement in pupils' achievement is increasingly good. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because learning is matched closely to their needs in all lessons.

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Grade: 2

This represents a good improvement since the last inspection. Pupils' skills in ICT are good because of the regular use of technology in many subjects.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are very enthusiastic and readily contribute to lessons. They revel in the family atmosphere throughout the school and feel that their views and opinions are respected and acted upon. They are attentive in class, listen to each other and play and learn very well together. Older pupils take good care of younger ones, which is much appreciated by the parents. Pupils feel safe and have a very good understanding of how to take care of themselves in school and out. Pupils have a good understanding of the need for a healthy diet and regular exercise. They plan menus, prepare food for a healthy school dinner and take full advantage of the many opportunities for physical activity. The school meetings and questionnaires give pupils a real voice in school development and they contribute to the development of the school's vision statement. However, while they contribute well to many community and school activities, there

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Grade: 2

are insufficient opportunities for them to take the lead and show initiative. Pupils' behaviour is excellent and frequently commented on by visitors and parents. There have been no exclusions. Attendance and punctuality are good. A significant strength of the pupils' personal development is their understanding of environmental and global issues. Pupils chose names for their classes based on conserving wildlife and have undertaken considerable research into this. They contribute to the upkeep of garden plots and have a good understanding of recycling. They study different faiths and cultures and have a good understanding of the multicultural nature of modern Britain.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is predominantly good and ranges from satisfactory to outstanding. A strength in teaching is the increasing involvement of pupils in assessing and improving their own learning. For instance, teachers discuss the purpose of the lesson with pupils and help them to recognise criteria for success. Pupils' work is well planned so that it meets the needs of all abilities and builds well on their earlier learning. Teaching assistants provide good support by modifying questions well for less able pupils and by sharing in the monitoring of their progress. Relationships are excellent. This is very evident during discussions when pupils confidently offer their opinions in a quiet and orderly way while listening well to each other. Where teaching is less effective, the tasks set do not encourage pupils to apply their knowledge sufficiently or to think for themselves. Occasionally, teachers do not make regular enough

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Grade: 2

checks on pupils' progress which means that mistakes go uncorrected. A developing strength is the good use teachers make of ICT to explain and motivate. 7 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 2008

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets pupils' needs well. Having been a relative weakness at the time of the last inspection, planning is now consistently thorough and detailed. Good use is made of national frameworks for teaching literacy and numeracy skills. Effective links are made between subjects and there is increasingly good use of ICT in all subjects. However, there are limited opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical knowledge. The provision for pupils' personal development is good. In particular, pupils benefit from close links with community services such as the police. Partly as a result, pupils researched road safety and helped to shape the future development of their village by contributing to the parish council's Village Plan. An imaginative and fun range of extra-curricular opportunities are offered and the school is exploring the desirability and practicality of extending the school day. Provision

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Grade: 2

for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good. These pupils' needs are identified early and the school receives good support from local authority services to ensure that these pupils have specialist help where needed.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' welfare is at the heart of its work. 'There is a wonderful, caring environment within school, it is like an extension of home, a wider family' is typical of the views expressed by parents. There are robust procedures to keep pupils safe and to monitor their personal development. The promotion of healthy lifestyles and emotional well-being is effective. The school is inclusive and supports all vulnerable pupils well. Procedures to encourage good behaviour and attendance are effective. Good procedures to track pupils' achievements are now in place and used increasingly well to challenge and support pupils. In English, teachers use marking well to help pupils focus on the steps needed for achieving individual targets and improving their progress. This is not as well developed and effective in other subjects.

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Grade: 2

The acting headteacher has led the establishment of a good strategic management plan which makes good use of ICT to allow all involved in the school to contribute to its progress. A clear vision and well understood aims have been established through common consensus, reflecting the views of all involved in the school. This has been essential because the majority of staff are new to the school over the past two years. The school has received good support from the local authority during this period. The staff have developed good procedures for disseminating new ideas and supporting the development of teaching and learning. Although the monitoring and evaluation of provision has improved well since the last inspection, most key leadership roles are managed by the acting headteacher. This has arisen largely because of staff changes. The development of middle management roles is being addressed through the strategic plan, but

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Grade: 2

is currently at an early stage. The governing body is well organised and actively involved in setting challenging goals for improvement. The school's self-evaluation is accurate, although the judgements made have been cautious because of the changes undergone. Parents' support is very strong and they appreciate the improvements made. 'The school has made significant 8 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 2008 improvements in the standards of teaching, care and communication to parents. The vision is clearly stated and shared and the school website is testament to this,' reflects their very positive views. 9 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 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. 10 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 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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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. 11 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 2008

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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 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? 12 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I would like to thank you for giving me such a warm welcome when I visited your school recently. I enjoyed visiting all your classes, 'sailing to the Arctic' in a milk crate boat with the youngest children and joining you for Christmas lunch. I would like to tell you about the things I found out about your school. First, it is a good and improving school. You make good progress in your lessons and mostly reach your challenging targets. You reach above average standards. Your personal development is good because you are very happy at school and eager to learn. You take some responsibility and contribute to the running of the school through school meetings and responding to questionnaires. However, you do not often take the lead in organising things, such as charity collections. Your behaviour is excellent and you play and work together happily. You know how to keep fit and healthy. You enjoy school and are proud of it. You know a lot about conserving

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and protecting the world around you. You support the school's vision, 'We all share an incredible world.' You are well taught and are given many fun things to do in your lessons. There are exciting clubs and sporting activities, in which most of you take part. The staff look after you well and involve you in your learning. Your teachers provide good support to help you to improve your work, especially in English, and help you to reach higher targets. However, their marking does not always help you enough in some subjects. The acting headteacher, staff and governing body run the school well. I have asked the school to help you by making sure teachers' marking is good in all subjects and by giving you more chances to take responsibility and to show more initiative. I have also asked your teachers to do a bit more to help your acting headteacher with all the work she has to do. You can help by trying hard in all your work and continuing to enjoy school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 of 13 Inspection Report: Great Ouseburn Community Primary School, 10–11 December 2008

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