Masham CofE VA Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not receive an acceptable standard of education.

The curriculum is disjointed and does not meet the needs of pupils. Pupils have considerable gaps in their learning and do not achieve well. This means that they are not prepared well for the next stage of their education.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not consistently receive the support that they need to access the curriculum. This prevents them from developing the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed.

Pupils are articulate and many are confident in expressing themselves.

They are polite and courteous to visitors. However, on occasions, misbeh...aviour in lessons by some pupils is not managed well enough. This can prevent pupils from learning.

This is because the expectations of pupils' behaviour are inconsistent across the school.

Recent changes in early years have improved the learning environment. Children follow the established routines.

Staff have begun to develop a stronger curriculum for Reception children and their fellow Year 1 classmates.

Pupils enjoy participating in a variety of school clubs, including chess and multi-skills. Some pupils take responsibility for different jobs in school, such as leading playtime sports or being a school councillor.

Pupils know that they can turn to any adult in school if they have any concerns.

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

The school has found it difficult to address some long-term weaknesses in the structure and the teaching of the curriculum. School improvement has been made more difficult by frequent changes in staffing.

The capacity for the rapid improvement needed is limited. Over time, the quality of education that pupils have received has not been checked well enough. Pupils' performance in reading and mathematics is weak throughout the school.

This is beginning to improve in early years. However, there remains much to do.

Although a phonics programme is in place, pupils are not learning to read quickly enough in some year groups.

The delivery of the phonics programme is inconsistent. There is an understanding of the gaps in pupils' reading knowledge. However, pupils who have fallen behind with their reading do not receive the precise support that they need to improve.

Pupils' weaknesses in reading affects their access to learning across all curriculum areas.

The school mathematics curriculum is not consistently followed. It does not meet the needs of pupils in mixed-age classes.

The school is looking to change the curriculum. In some classes, the teaching sequence is disjointed and lesson content jumps from one concept to another. This means that pupils do not learn important knowledge securely.

Parents appreciate the recent changes made to improve the support for pupils with SEND. They are involved in SEND review meetings. Some parents now have a better understanding of how their child's needs present at school.

Support plans for pupils with SEND are more focused to attend to specific needs. However, the school does not provide the training, time or support to enable these plans to be implemented well enough. This means that, too often, pupils with SEND do not build the knowledge and skills that they need.

Generally, pupils are polite and respectful towards staff. However, expectations of pupils' behaviour are inconsistent across school. In some classes, low-level disruption is not addressed well.

The school does not track incidents of poor behaviour well enough. This makes it difficult for leaders and governors to determine how well the behaviour policy is working.

In the early years, some aspects of provision have improved since September.

Knowledgeable adults support the children to learn through play. Early mathematics and reading are taught well. However, the impact of children having a poor experience in early years over time is affecting access to the curriculum in older year groups.

Pupils spoken to value the pastoral support available in school from a wide range of staff. Pupils take part in educational visits and community events. In Years 5 and 6, pupils enjoy reading books carefully curated to reflect diversity and stories from different cultures.

Pupils' knowledge of major world religions and fundamental British values are developed well. However, the school does not provide sufficient opportunity for some pupils to develop a sense of responsibility for their learning or to listen respectfully to the views of others.

Members of the governing body and the staff team are deeply committed to their roles and care passionately about the school.

Although support has been received from improvement partners, this has not brought about the necessary change. There has been a lack of focus on the most pressing areas in need of improvement. The school has not shown the capacity to make a rapid improvement to the educational experiences for pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not had effective practices in place to check the quality of its work. This means that weaknesses in the quality of education, provision for pupils with SEND and behaviour needs have not been spotted or addressed.

The school must develop stronger systems to check the quality of its work, so that the impact of the vital improvements needed can be evaluated. ? The curriculum is not implemented well enough. This is reflected in significant gaps in pupils' knowledge of phonics, reading and mathematics.

The school should work to rapidly improve the teaching of the curriculum, so that pupils make the rapid progress needed in these subjects. ? The curriculums for many subjects are weak as there is insufficient guidance on the important knowledge that pupils need to learn or the order and manner in which this should occur. This means that pupils experience a disconnected curriculum which lacks coherence.

The school should improve the curriculum, so that pupils are able to build secure knowledge and skills over time in all subjects. ? The school does not manage aspects of pupils' behaviour well enough. This means that on occasions poor behaviour distracts pupils from their learning.

The school must work with staff to better manage behaviour. Incidents of poor behaviour need to be tracked to identify trends and improvement over time. ? Until recently, the early years has experienced staffing instability and a lack of curriculum development.

This has meant children in the early years have not achieved as well as they should. This is beginning to improve. The school should continue its effective work to redevelop the early years provision to ensure that all children progress well through the curriculum.

• The personal development curriculum has not been successful in developing pupils' attributes in listening to and respecting each other's views. Leaders must ensure that this aspect of the school's curriculum is developed effectively.The school may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.