Middleton-on-the-Wolds Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders make sure that pupils and children in this small rural school receive a good quality of education. The school's motto, 'Love, Laugh, Live, Learn', is underpinned by Christian values. Staff are determined that pupils will have a special experience as they become 'agents for change'.

Staff have high expectations for all pupils and work hard to help them achieve their very best. Teachers know pupils well. Teachers nurture, develop and challenge pupils so that they achieve well.

The curriculum has helped to raise pupils' aspirations and resilience. Most pupils behave very well in lessons and when moving around the well-kept environment.

This is a friendly... school.

All are welcomed. Pupils enjoy school because they enjoy their learning. They feel safe and well looked after.

Bullying is not tolerated and incidents are rare in the school. Pupils say that when bullying happens, they are confident that teachers will sort it out quickly.

Pupils love starting their day at the breakfast club.

There is a wide range of clubs for pupils to join, including sports clubs and the very well-attended reading café at lunchtimes. Trips and visits, for example an overnight stay in London, provide pupils with memorable experiences.

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

School leaders have carefully thought about and designed an ambitious curriculum.

Pupils study a broad range of subjects. The curriculum is well planned so that pupils build their knowledge and understanding in each subject. Teachers use questions skilfully to revisit prior learning.

This helps children to remember key facts and concepts.

Leaders have designed the curriculum in a way that pupils can draw upon a wide range of prior knowledge. For example, in design technology, when pupils create a bag to carry fossils, they use what they know from history and science about the size, weight and shape of fossils.

In reading, writing and mathematics, teachers use assessment well to identify what pupils know and remember. However, in some subjects, including science and history, the use of assessment is at the early stages of being embedded across the whole school.

The mathematics curriculum has recently been reviewed.

The content is sequenced logically so that knowledge builds up over time. Most pupils can describe how they apply what they know to solve difficult problems. Most teachers deal with pupils' misconceptions effectively.

However, pupils in upper key stage 2 have some gaps in their existing knowledge. Some staff do not have the necessary mathematical expertise to help pupils close and fill the gaps.

Leaders have made the teaching of reading a high priority.

Staff are clear about what they expect pupils to know and do each term. Children start to learn phonics as soon as they join the Reception class. They quickly learn how to use their knowledge of letters and sounds to help them to read and write.

Well-trained staff provide extra help to the small number of pupils who need to catch up quickly. Books that pupils read in school are matched to the sounds they have been learning. By the end of Year 1, almost all pupils are confident and resilient readers.

In the older classes, pupils deepen their reading skills as they study a wide range of good-quality books. Staff encourage pupils of all ages to develop a love of reading. Almost half the pupils in the school attend the recently introduced reading café at lunchtimes.

However, some pupils in upper key stage 2 do not read widely or often.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Teachers identify any learning needs early and adapt the curriculum to meet each pupil's needs.

Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils have full access to all extra-curricular activities.

The early years curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced. Leaders adapt it to take into account children's interests.

Children in the Reception class make the most of the exciting outdoor area. Adults plan the environment and resources well. As a result, children practise independently what they have learned in more formal lessons.

Parents and carers appreciate opportunities to be involved in their children's learning.

Pupils behave well in and out of the classroom. They move around the buildings with care and open doors for visitors.

They are proud of their environment. The relationships between teachers and pupils are positive. Pupils are very well cared for.

Leaders use trips and visits to bring learning to life. When learning about dinosaurs, pupils were excited when they dug an area of the school grounds and found 'fossils'. This was followed by a visit to the Natural History Museum where pupils had the opportunity to tour the museum at night, using torches.

Governors know the school well. They challenge and support leaders in equal measure. The headteacher, supported effectively by the local authority and the Diocese of York, is working tirelessly to improve the school.

Staff value the training they receive. They agree that leaders consider their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school's designated safeguarding leaders are dedicated and make sure that there is a strong culture of keeping children safe in the school. Leaders ensure that safeguarding records are accurate. They carry out appropriate recruitment checks to make sure that all adults are safe to work with pupils.

Pupils know how to stay safe at school, outside school and online. They also know whom to go to if they are worried. Staff receive regular training and understand any issues in the local area, including children's criminal exploitation, also known as county lines.

They know what to do if they have any concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Reading has a high priority across the school. Pupils, especially in key stage 1, are enthusiastic readers.

This is not the case in upper key stage 2. These older pupils do not practise and improve their reading skills often enough. Leaders should promote pupils' love of reading more in upper key stage 2.

. Some staff do not have the subject knowledge to help pupils who have gaps in their existing knowledge of mathematics. These pupils find it difficult to solve problems, carry out investigations and reason mathematically.

Leaders should ensure that all staff who teach mathematics have the necessary subject knowledge to do so well. . Assessment has only recently been revised and implemented in some foundation subjects.

Teachers do not assess as well in these subjects as they do in English and mathematics. As a result, teachers do not have an accurate picture of what pupils know and can remember. Leaders should continue to embed the revised assessment systems in science and foundation subjects.