Gunnerside Methodist Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

The headteacher's highly successful drive and clear-sighted leadership have had a substantial impact since the previous inspection. Her ambition is shared by all staff. The astutely led governing body has an accurate view of the school's performance and of just how successful the school can be.

Good and occasionally outstanding teaching inspires and excites pupils' thinking and keeps them engrossed. Accurately targeted help in the classroom by support staff contributes well to learning. In individual cases support is exceptionally effective.

Well led teaching enables pupils to succeed and achieve well, including those eligible f...or extra government funding, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Pupils thoroughly enjoy the happy, friendly, family atmosphere. Their great enthusiasm and high levels of cooperation in lessons reflect their outstanding behaviour, which is evident throughout the school day.

Their excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development supports pupils' personal progress really well. All pupils are extremely well cared for and looked after. They are well informed about how to keep themselves safe and avoid risk and danger.

Strong relationships with almost all parents help to boost their children's progress and achievement. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Progress is not yet rapid and sustained. In a few lessons, approaches do not inspire and excite pupils' thinking enough.

As a result, pupils' progress during the lesson can be a little uneven. Occasionally, opportunities are missed to enable pupils to practise their reading, writing and number skills in all subjects. Although activities are normally well matched to pupils' age, abilities and needs, questioning does not always relentlessly probe their thinking and understanding.

Sometimes pupils are unclear about how they can improve the quality of their work.

Information about this school

Gunnerside Methodist is much smaller than the average sized primary school and is federated with Reeth Community Primary School six miles away. Both schools share the same headteacher and governing body.

Each morning after registration, some pupils travel to the other school for their lessons. This year, pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 and, by parental choice, one pupil in Year 2 are educated at Gunnerside. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding (which is provided to support the learning of pupils who are entitled to free school meals, in the care of the local authority or the children of members of the armed forces) is a quarter of the national average.

The proportion of pupils whose learning needs receive the level of support known as school action is below the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is close to twice the average. Almost all pupils are White British.

A significantly lower than average proportion of pupils is from minority ethnic groups. None are at an early stage of learning to speak English. The school meets the current government floor standards, which set out the government's minimum expectations for attainment and progress.