National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools Report Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School Maxwell Road Pocklington York YO42 2HE Previous SIAMS grade: Good Diocese: York Local authority: East Riding Date of inspection: 6 November 2014 Date of last inspection: June 2010 School’s unique reference number: 117987 Headteacher: Gill Campbell Inspector’s name and number: Lizzie McWhirter 244 School context Pocklington Infant School serves the market town of Pocklington and the surrounding area. Currently there are 192 pupils on roll, who are almost all from a White British background. Very few children have English as an additional language, have learning difficulties or are eligible for Free School Meals. The headteacher has been in post for six years. The school enjoys close links with the nearby parish church of All Saints. The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Pocklington Infants as a Church of England school are good The Christian vision and dedication of the headteacher, embraced by all, ensures the Christian character of the school permeates all school life. The focus on each individual child in this welcoming and worshipping Christian community encourages positive attitudes amongst its young pupils, who become confident learners and achieve well. The strong sense of a nurturing family environment, underpinned by core Christian values and inclusive of all, whatever their faith background, ensures everyone feels loved. Areas to improve Enhance the evaluation and pupil leadership of worship to increase pupil’s engagement with, and sense of, ownership. Ensure the school’s distinctive Christian character maintains a high profile at every governing body meeting, so that evidence of the explicit link between pupil learning and the school’s Christian character is clearly understood, articulated and monitored. Enable these young pupils to grow in their understanding of God as Father , Son and Holy Spirit, in order to nurture their spiritual development. The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is good at meeting the needs of all learners Pocklington Infants provides an inspiring and creative learning environment where young pupils are proud to belong, feel valued and achieve highly. This is because this infant school is an inclusive, happy and family community, rooted in the Christian faith. More importantly, relationships are very good and everyone lives out the school’s chosen core values of love, hope, peace and trust. Data shows that these young pupils achieve well, so that by the end of Key Stage 1 attainment is significantly above the national average. This is especially true of reading. Pupil progress is tracked at termly meetings, with the headteacher making further checks on individual pupils. This is because the school always has high expectations, but puts the needs of the individual child first. As a result, children are confident to make mistakes and learn from them. Good partnerships exist with parents. Consequently, the annual Open Week is well supported, which enables parents to be involved in their child’s education. They are also able to attend worship, celebrating good work, where awards which include community spirit, leadership and positive behaviour are given to individual pupils. Attendance is good because children regard it as ‘cool to come to school’. There have been few exclusions because children are really loved and cared for. What really matters at Pocklington Infants is that children are seen as individuals and the development of the whole child is the underlying ethos of the school. Inspired by the poppies at The Tower of London, these young pupils made poppies for a poppy tower at their local supermarket. Here learning is aspirational, not just academic; with a wide range of achievement skills being fostered. Good examples include extracurricular activities involving gardening gang, a Year 2 choir and dance and sporting activities. Pupils show respect for the diverse community around them, enriched by visits to all three churches in the town on their religious education [RE] days. Pupils’ global awareness is enhanced by fundraising for charities, as well as learning about other faiths and cultures in their RE lessons. Visits to York Minster help pupils’ understanding about being part of the wider diocesan family. However, pupils welcome meeting people of faith traditions other than Christianity and visiting their places of worship. Pupils enjoy RE and show a good level of religious literacy in relating the Christian story. They are able to speak about incarnation and salvation in their own words. They suggest positive actions for Lent and show great thoughtfulness in creating their outdoor sensory garden with stones so ‘the bumps would be felt by people in wheelchairs’. In addition, children prepare their own picnics for visits to Burnaby Hall Gardens. They also visit Uncleby farm, where they appreciate God’s creation and their role in looking after God’s world; saying it was the ‘best day ever’. They felt they were ‘in the sky’, looking down on a part of God’s world in which they live and move and have their being. The impact of collective worship on the school community is good The attitude of pupils to collective worship is good because the quality of worship offered to them is making a real difference in their lives. The focus on Christian values and the church year contributes greatly to their spiritual development. All staff lead collective worship as worship is recognised as important in the life of the school and always includes liturgical greetings. Pupils and parents speak highly of worship, saying how important it is ‘we are all together as a school family’. Adults, including parents, praise collective worship for its sense of building community, saying their children enjoy it and take part readily. Key festivals are celebrated in church, such as Harvest, Christmas and Easter. Such times strengthen the links between church and school and give children an understanding of their Anglican heritage. Pupils say they like going to All Saints Church to worship as ‘it feels special and a quiet place to worship God’. Worship sometimes takes place outdoors. All pupils enjoyed celebrating the Palm Sunday parade in the school grounds. The chair of governors is a welcome and regular visitor to school; leading worship regularly and a visible presence in school. Pupils especially remember Bible stories he tells, relating them to their own lives, such as the story of Zacchaeus. Each class takes it in turn to lead collective worship every half term. A good NS 11/2014 SIAMS Inspection School Report example includes the Moles class who wrote their own story to show the values of generosity and sharing. Year 2 pupils wrote a welcome service for new pupils, including writing their own prayers. Class prayer corners are interactive and well used, nurturing these young pupils’ spiritual development. Pupils are growing in their understanding of the Trinitarian nature of God. They speak of the Holy Spirit as ‘Jesus promised when he died he would send the Holy Spirit who guides and protects us from bad things’. The chair of governors welcomes helping teach children more about the mystery of the Holy Trinity, especially the role of the Holy Spirit, ‘this power within us’, to nurture their spiritual development Currently, pupil evaluation on worship is gathered through the voice of the school council and from governors’ questionnaires as well as their attendance at worship. However, foundation governors and pupils alike recognise the importance of sharing their viewpoints more often. They are also committed to extending pupils’ opportunity to lead worship so that its integrity and quality continually enhance pupils’ self-evaluation. The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is good Pocklington Infants’ Christian foundation is effectively promoted by the Christian vision and dedication of the headteacher, supported by the clergy, governors and staff. This is also embraced by parents and pupils so that the school’s Anglican foundation is celebrated. Parents praise the fact that their children’s needs are very well met. They especially praise the school’s encouragement, extra support and intervention strategies. This is because pupils’ wellbeing is given a high priority, with church and school sharing the same values. They speak very highly of the ‘brilliant’ headteacher, praising her visible presence in the playground ‘morning and night’. They go on to cite the way she ‘links you with your child’ and how you can ‘trust all the teachers to look after your child’. This is reassuring for parents of very young children. Collective worship and RE have an equally high status in school and are led by the headteacher and a member of the senior leadership team, who share this important folio. Areas from the last inspection have been addressed, showing how the school has moved on, with clear priorities identified for future action. Partnerships are strong, not just with the Roman Catholic Primary School next door, but also with the junior community school, where many of these infant children progress to in their educational life. Community links are very good, with the school holding a positive profile, both locally and in the wider context of the East Riding. Good examples include the school winning awards at the Driffield Show and a gold award for Yorkshire in Bloom. There are good links with the diocese, with RE network meetings often held in school. Pocklington staff take on many roles and responsibilities and benefit from training and support offered to them by the Diocese. The schools’ distinctive Christian character is not a standing item on the governing body agenda. However, foundation governors value this in order to raise its status with all governors. Currently, governors are not explicitly linking standards to the school’s Christian character, but welcome this as they are committed to monitoring the performance of the school and embedding this monitoring with the school’s values.