Great Smeaton Academy Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher and governors have managed a period of significant change so that the quality of teaching has improved and outcomes for pupils continue to be good. As a result, the overall effectiveness of the school has improved.

Self-evaluation is accurate and new systems for holding staff to account for the impact of their work and for managing the performance of teachers are effective. Teaching is good and ensures that pupils make good progress from their starting points. Lessons are interesting and progress at a pace which ensures that pupils are interested and motivated to learn.

Relationships between pupils and staff are particular...ly strong and contribute to the good behaviour and attitudes of pupils. Pupils say they feel safe and enjoy school. Improvements have been made to the arrangements for assessing and tracking the attainment and progress of pupils.

This is helping teachers to identify any gaps in learning and plan lessons to remedy these. Teaching assistants make a strong contribution to pupils' learning. They are effective at boosting the skills of pupils who have gaps in their learning or who are falling behind.

The curriculum is broad and balanced and recent improvements mean that reading, writing and mathematics are taught systematically. Typically children in the Reception Year make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Small inconsistencies in the quality of teaching mean that occasionally work set does not challenge the most-able pupils well enough to deepen or extend their understanding, particularly in mathematics.

The school's marking and feedback policy is not consistently implemented across all classes and this sometimes limits pupils' progress. Some subject leaders are new to their roles and as a consequence their skills at influencing the work of other teachers are underdeveloped.

Information about this school

This is smaller than the average-sized primary school.

A below-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for those pupils in local authority care and for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average. All pupils are of White British heritage.

Since the last inspection the previously acting headteacher has become the permanent headteacher. Two of the three class teachers have changed. At the time of the inspection there were no children in the early years stage of the school.