Hirst Courtney and Temple Hirst Community Primary School Inspection Report
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Hirst Courtney and Temple Hirst Community Primary School Inspection report Unique Reference Number 121405 Local Authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 359006 Inspection dates 24–25 November 2010 Reporting inspector Nigel Cromey-Hawke This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 28 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Rachel Bowes Headteacher Mrs Valerie Brunyard Date of previous school inspection 11 June 2008 School address Main Street Hirst Courtney, Selby North Yorkshire YO8 8QT Telephone number 01757 270254 Fax number 01757 270254 Email address [email protected] Age group 4–11 Inspection dates 24–25 November 2010 Inspection number 359006 Inspection report: Hirst Courtney and Temple Hirst Community Primary School, 24–25 November 2010 2 of 14 The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 1234 234, or email [email protected]. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the documentation in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to 'Subscribe'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 1234 234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: [email protected] W: www.ofsted.gov.uk © Crown copyright 2010 Inspection report: Hirst Courtney and Temple Hirst Community Primary School, 24–25 November 2010 3 of 14 Introduction This inspection was carried out by one additional inspector. He visited eight lessons, observing four staff and all classes. He also held meetings with members of the governing body and groups of pupils. He observed the school's work, and looked at a wide range of documentation, including development planning, self-evaluation records, policies and performance data. Questionnaires from nine parents and carers, 16 pupils and eight staff were scrutinised. The inspector reviewed many aspects of the school's work. He looked in detail at a number of key areas. The attainment and progress of individual pupils in the small and mixed-age classes. How challenging the teaching is and whether the curriculum meets the needs of all pupils. Given the temporary leadership and recent changes in staffing, how well-informed, focused upon improvement and effective, staff are at all levels within the school. Information about the school All pupils in this very small rural primary school are White British. Very few are known to be eligible for a free school meal. The number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average. The school has facilities for supporting those with physical disabilities. The school has Healthy School status and the Activemark award. The school has undergone significant staffing upheaval in the last two years, and has been led by a pair of acting headteachers, then a single acting headteacher, over the last two terms. Inspection report: Hirst Courtney and Temple Hirst Community Primary School, 24–25 November 2010 4 of 14 Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms Inspection judgements Overall effectiveness: how good is the school? 3 The school's capacity for sustained improvement 3 Main findings This is a satisfactory school. It has some good features. Nearly all the parents and carers who returned the inspection survey are highly supportive of its work. Pupils enjoy school and attendance is high. Children get a good start to their learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage, following recent improvements. They make good progress because of the good teaching and care they receive. Pupils' progress in the rest of the school is variable and satisfactory overall. In some year groups writing is weaker than other skills. Attainment by the time pupils leave in Year 6 is above average, and pupils' achievement is satisfactory. The progress of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is satisfactory. The quality of teaching is satisfactory, rather than good, overall. Some lessons do not have a good match of activities to pupils' needs, and pupils' speaking and listening skills are underdeveloped. The curriculum is satisfactory, but benefits from good partnership working that brings to the school subjects and learning experiences that it would not otherwise be able to provide due to its small size. The care, guidance and support provided by the school are good, especially in responding to pupils' personal needs. The school recognises that its plans to develop community cohesion beyond the local area are not yet fully implemented and that pupils' understanding of the cultural diversity of the modern world is relatively weak. As a result pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory overall. Pupils enjoy their time in school, behaviour is good and pupils say they feel safe and valued. This is reflected in their high attendance. There is a strong emphasis upon pupils' health and welfare. Governors support the school satisfactorily. Through its satisfactory self-evaluation the school has a clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Leadership and management are sound. However, the on-going progress of pupils is not monitored with sufficient regularity and some elements of development planning are not detailed enough to allow for effective implementation and evaluation of their impact. These aspects of leadership require particular refinement in the Early Years Foundation Stage. As such, the school's capacity for sustained improvement is satisfactory. What does the school need to do to improve further? Improve the quality of teaching and learning by; developing pupils' speaking and listening skills further so that they are able to learn more effectively from adults and each other in lessons ensuring that there is an appropriate match of activities in the mixed-age classes to all pupils' needs Inspection report: Hirst Courtney and Temple Hirst Community Primary School, 24–25 November 2010 5 of 14 Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms further developing pupils' writing skills so that they can communicate their learning more effectively. Increase pupils' understanding of the diversity of the world and their contact with it. Improve leadership and management by; monitoring pupils' progress more systematically, including in the reception class, so that leaders and managers have a better understanding of the on-going progress of groups of pupils making development planning more sharply focused, especially for the Early Years Foundation Stage, so that there is a better understanding of what needs to be improved and the impact of any actions can be more effectively evaluated. About 40% of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3 Learning is satisfactory and enjoyable across the school, with pupils engaged as a result of the satisfactory and sometimes good teaching. Pupils acquire knowledge, develop understanding and learn and practise their skills satisfactorily. They are keen to succeed and mostly apply themselves well when given suitable activities that meet their needs. Most children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are broadly typical for their age, although this varies widely, given the often very small numbers in each year. They make good progress in the Reception class, benefiting from the challenge provided by often being taught together with Year 1 and 2 pupils. Attainment across the rest of the school is above average, but also varies widely. It was high last year for those leaving in Year 6. Progress for the vast majority of pupils from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities is, however, no better than satisfactory across Key Stages 1 and 2. There is evidence of underachievement in Year 3, but this is being tackled robustly by the school. Writing also remains underdeveloped in some cases and this limits some pupils' ability to communicate their learning effectively. Inspection evidence and the school's own tracking data show that pupils' achievement is satisfactory. Pupils say they feel safe and well looked after. Behaviour is good and attendance high. The school places a high priority upon pupils' understanding of healthy living, reflecting its award. Pupils make a good contribution to the daily running of the school, helping in classrooms, as buddies for each other and through the active school council.