National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools Report

Beverley Church of Voluntary Controlled Primary School St Giles Croft East HU17 8LA

Diocese: York Local authority: Date of inspection: 8th May 2012 Date of last inspection: 12 th November 2008 School’s unique reference number: 117971 Headteacher Mr Clive Hyland Inspector’s name and number: Mr R D Masterton No. 483 School context Beverley Minster Primary School is larger than average with 431 children although numbers were originally much higher. Pupils are predominantly White British and there is little social disadvantage. The percentage of pupils with learning needs and or disabilities is average. The school is located about 1km from Beverley Minster, the local parish church. The Senior Leadership Team includes a Co-Headship arrangement between the substantive Headteacher and the substantive Deputy. This arrangement will end in August 2012 upon the retirement of the substantive Headteacher. The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Beverley Minster Primary School as a Church of England school are satisfactory Beverley Minster Primary School has a self evident Christian character and ethos. It derives strength and purpose from the vibrant church community to which it is linked. Weaknesses in self critical review and evaluation have held back recent improvement as a church school and limited its impact on children’s personal and spiritual development. Richer collective worship and active development of distinctive provision are needed to improve the spiritual development of children and their general achievement.

Established strengths • The distinctive Christian character of the school and its clear links with the high profile work of the Minster Church in the local community. • The receptiveness of children to their learning and their willingness to become actively involved in responding to ideas that stem from faith and Christian teaching. Focus for development • Firmly establish the process of monitoring, review and self evaluation of the school as a church school by all stakeholders, especially foundation governors and thus provide the challenge and direction for the school to become more effective. • Improve the impact of collective worship with children being challenged to contribute creatively and frequently. • Incorporate foundation governors and clergy into the strategic planning of collective worship. • Develop ways by which parents and families can join in school collective worship more often. The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is good at meeting the needs of all learners The Christian character of Beverley Minster Primary School is very evident from its clear Christian mission statement, the tangible ethos of caring and the respect established with children. Christian topics and themes are worked into many areas of the curriculum. Children are taught how to pray and to write prayers and they are very aware of the link the school has with the church. Children are inspired to care for others and demonstrate initiative, particularly for charity fund raising. At school they grow to become curious learners, polite, interested in a wide range of ideas and responsive to challenges they are offered. Children readily recall what they have learned in their religious education (RE) but older ones are not well used to discussing some of the difficult ideas associated with Christian teaching and faith. Strong links with Beverley Minster underpin aspects of the curriculum, particularly for RE and especially through participation in ‘RE Action Days’. Such days held in the Minster give children a good awareness of the work of the church and other denominations in the community. Their general understanding of wider communities and the work of the church worldwide is weaker. A Christian club, organised in school that children are able to join voluntarily, and run by governors and volunteers, is very popular and offers children an insight into Christian fellowship, faith and responsibility. Relationships in school are harmonious, staff and children work comfortably together. Even though the school is large, having many long serving staff means that children are known well and any difficulties are speedily resolved through a spirit of compassion and forgiveness. Classrooms are stimulating places to learn and each has a corner reflecting the school mission and with display encouraging Christian ideas and prayers. The spacious , attractive school grounds are under active development to further environmental education and to offer more opportunity for spiritual reflection. Beverley Minster School thus offers distinctive provision where children learn happily and where their personal development is nurtured through a proudly stated Christian ethos.

The impact of collective worship on the school community is satisfactory The high profile for collective worship in the daily routine clearly establishes the school as a distinctive and inclusive Christian-inspired community. All children and staff meet together with teachers helping to lead. The very limited space for assembly in this large school and the distance to the Minster Church greatly restricts the opportunities for the whole school community, including parents and carers, to come together for collective worship. There is a pattern of meeting either by Key Stage, or by year groups or in individual classes. Children behave well. They join in by singing, with some drama, saying prayers and answering questions, for example when challenged to identify sharing and generosity as Christian traits of compassion and kindness. However, there are few opportunities for children, particularly the older ones, to take an active part frequently in their collective worship, including leading it themselves. Consequently the overall impact of worship on children is limited. With music, prayers and items such as a lighted candle, there are some links to Anglican worship traditions. While visits to the Minster allow children to see where church services take place, their familiarity with typical Anglican worship is not well developed. Collective worship is planned in outline by the head teacher with many links to the curriculum for RE and that for children’s social and emotional development. It includes key elements of the church calendar and builds in contributions from the parish priest, church leaders and representatives from other local Christian denominations. However, there is no strategic input to this by foundation governors and clergy and no formal evaluation of the impact of collective worship by staff, governors or children. Thus, although collective worship has a high profile, there is no process to drive its further improvement and greater impact to make more lasting impression upon the children and to grow their accomplishments and spirituality. Parents would also greatly welcome more opportunities than those afforded by the few special occasions in the Minster, to join in with school collective worship in whatever ways might be possible.

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is satisfactory The school Vision and Values statement is interpreted through explicit Christian values that are widely understood by staff and children. It has been in use for over 15 years with its meaning being continually reinterpreted. Parents have, however, not been fully included in a recent process of review. School self evaluation has been largely undertaken by the joint head teachers. While it is comprehensive and seeks to be objective, the process has not sufficiently included governors, parents and children. There is currently insufficient monitoring, review and evaluation of the effectiveness of the school, as a church school, by foundation governors. This means that the drive for improvement has slowed with insufficient input from governors’ perspectives into school development planning. School leaders have tackled the action points from the previous SIAS inspection, strengthening curriculum links with faith ideas and giving a higher profile to the messages within acts of collective worship. Long service by many teachers and staff at Beverley Minster Primary School gives it good resilience for the period during the appointment of a new head teacher. The partnership with the work of Beverley Minster and other town churches is strong. Parents value the character of the school and are pleased that their children are growing up and learning in a community with a strong Christian ethos. SIAS report May 2012 Beverley Minster CE Voluntary Controlled Primary School HU17 8LA