Goldsborough Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Goldsborough Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Goldsborough Church of England Primary School is a welcoming community. Pupils are extremely proud of their school. They appreciate all that the school provides for them.

One pupil, summing up the views of many, said: 'Our school is an all-round safe place. It is like my second home.' Parents and carers echo this positive view of the school community.

Pupils' behaviour is calm and purposeful. Pupils are supported to manage their behaviour and feelings. Pupils say that bullying does not have the opportunity to happen here.

If any incidents do occur, s...taff deal with them before they have the chance to develop. One pupil explained: 'The good thing about this school is that everything always gets resolved. Even the tiny things, however small they are.'



Pupils are taught how to care for their mental health. Leaders support this through a commitment to the school values of happiness, perseverance, resilience, kindness, friendship and respect. The school works closely with the church.

Alongside school leaders, church members contribute to thoughtful discussion about a wide range of spiritual and moral topics in assemblies.

Leaders have high expectations for pupils. They have worked across the federation to develop a well-sequenced curriculum.

Each subject is carefully considered to prepare pupils well for Year 7 and beyond. This new approach is still at an early stage. Leaders acknowledge that the curriculum is not implemented consistently well in all classes.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have worked hard to improve their curriculum offer since the last inspection. They have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn and in what order. This has been particularly effective in core subjects such as mathematics.

Pupils have responded well to the changes. They talk with confidence about what they know and remember.

Leaders have adopted a new approach to teaching early reading this year.

All adults have received training in this approach and the teaching of reading is precisely planned. This focused approach supports the weakest readers well. They make rapid progress in learning to read with accuracy and fluency.

Leaders have a clear understanding of what they are doing well and what needs to happen next. Pupils are supported to develop a love of reading. Leaders demonstrate a drive to enrich the quality of the texts that pupils read in all subjects.

In the wider curriculum, leaders are clear about what they want pupils to learn and when. This is sequenced from the Reception Year to Year 6 and supports pupils to build on what they already know. However, this curriculum offer is not delivered consistently in all classes.

Leaders are not checking the teaching of the wider curriculum closely enough. Assessment is still at an early stage. Teachers complete quizzes to check that pupils know and remember more at the end of a unit of learning.

However, teachers do not always check that pupils have the prior knowledge needed before they begin something new. Subject leaders acknowledge that they have further work to undertake in order to embed assessment.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported.

They access a broad curriculum, learning alongside their peers. Pupils have individual plans which are tailored to their needs. These plans are used well by teachers to support pupils in making progress through the curriculum.

Pupils are confident and articulate. They are able to explain what they have learned about difference and diversity. They understand how this relates to life in modern Britain.

Leaders understand the uniqueness of their rural setting. They are aware of the pressures their pupils may face and have considered these wisely within their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. They have worked closely with parents to develop a purposeful relationships and sex education (RSE) curriculum.

PSHE and RSE are both a strength within this small school. Pupils understand the high expectations for their behaviour and conduct. They feel that these expectations are applied fairly.

Staff say that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. They work hard because they want the best for the pupils in their care. Members of staff explained that they enjoy their job and are proud to work at Goldsborough.

Governors are supportive of leaders across the federation. They are very proud of what the school has achieved. They are dedicated to working with leaders to continue to improve the school further.

They work well with leaders to oversee this ongoing improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding.

Leaders secure the help that pupils need and, when necessary, refer pupils in a timely way to external agencies for additional help when this is needed. Leaders and staff understand their responsibilities to keep pupils safe. Appropriate recruitment checks are carried out on all who work at the school.

Regular training and challenging quizzes ensure that all staff and governors have a clear and robust understanding of their safeguarding duty. All adults in school are aware of any potential risks to pupils. Safeguarding leaders work closely with staff across the federation to check that concerns are followed up.

Precise and detailed records are kept of the actions taken to keep pupils safe.

Pupils have a good awareness of keeping safe both online and more widely in their community. They know the importance of reporting any concerns to adults.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not implement the planned curriculum consistently well in all classes. This means that some pupils do not build knowledge as coherently as they should. Leaders must check the implementation of the curriculum more carefully and provide teachers with additional training, where necessary.

This will support the new members of staff who are joining the school team in September and will enable all pupils to build knowledge more evenly over time. ? Leaders and teachers are not using assessment well enough to support pupils' learning. At times, teachers move pupils on to new ideas before they have grasped previous content.

This leads to gaps in pupils' understanding. Leaders must develop and embed accurate assessment processes that ensure that prior learning is built upon effectively in each lesson.Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2012.