Scarborough, Northstead Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Northstead are happy and well cared for. They are proud to attend the school. They are polite, friendly and eloquent.

The relationships that pupils have with adults in the school are very positive. Pupil leaders, such as the school councillors, carry out their roles with pride. Pupils strive to embody the school's mission: 'To be the best we can be'.

Leaders have high expectations for behaviour and attitudes. They have overseen a significant improvement in behaviour across the school. Pupils now understand what it means to be a pupil at Northstead.

They are respectful and courteous to each other. Bullying is rare. Staff deal with any incidents of bu...llying quickly.

A team of well-trained staff ensure pupils are safe. Pupils benefit from effective pastoral support for their well-being. One parent summed up the views of many others by saying, 'The staff are friendly and supportive and always willing to help when needed.'



Leaders' ambition and expectation for pupils' achievement are high. In some areas, these high expectations are realised. However, in some areas, pupils' achievement does not match the school's intentions.

Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. There are some subject curriculums that require further development.

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

When children enter Reception, adults ensure high-quality provision.

There is a clear focus on communication and language. Adults support learning through play with skill. They use questioning well to stimulate meaningful conversation and enhance children's learning.

Children in early years are given the opportunity to develop across all areas of learning. Effective phonics teaching allows children to develop their phonics knowledge. This prepares them well for further learning.

Teachers use assessment to identify gaps in phonics knowledge. Skilled adults provide effective support to close these gaps.

The emphasis on high-quality phonics provision is also evident throughout key stages 1 and 2.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive appropriate adaptations and support. This meets their individual phonics needs well. Leaders have thought carefully about the promotion of reading across the school.

Pupils talk with enthusiasm about whole-class reading opportunities. They enjoy hearing adults reading quality texts out loud. They also have access to a wide range of quality books for their own enjoyment.

Pupils develop into fluent readers with a tangible love of reading.

The school has recently undertaken a review of the wider curriculum. Leaders are starting to tailor these curriculums to the local context.

Pupils enjoy lessons. For example, pupils were very enthusiastic about the experiments they carry out in science. Pupils talk with enthusiasm and understanding about recent learning.

However, some of the subject curriculums do not precisely identify the key knowledge that pupils should acquire. Assessment in some subjects is not used effectively. Teaching, therefore, does not address gaps in learning.

This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they should. They do not make sufficient progress to ensure they are ready for the next stage of education. While leaders have a clear ambition and intent for learning, these are not consistently realised.

Pupils' current levels of attainment and achievement in national assessments do not reflect the work that leaders have done in the last 18 months.

Pupils enjoy attending school. They have positive attitudes to school and to their learning.

Courteous pupils, who are excellent ambassadors for Northstead, welcome visitors to the school. Pupils understand the behaviour system in school. When behaviour does not meet the school's high expectations, leaders take a clear and consistent approach to behaviour management.

Leaders have robust systems in place to check on attendance for all groups of pupils. They do all they reasonably can to secure improving attendance for pupils. However, persistent absence is still too high for some groups of pupils.

These pupils miss learning and can struggle to catch up as a result. This leads to disengagement in lessons.

Pupils with leadership responsibilities fulfil these with diligence.

The Years 5 and 6 buddies are proud of the work they do to promote positive play with younger pupils. Older pupils enjoy reading to 'the little ones'. Pupils participate in a range of after-school clubs and activities.

They have enjoyed educational visits to York, Peasholm Park and the beach. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in different environments, including online and near water. Pupils have a keen sense of fairness, equality and tolerance.

Pupils' understanding of different faiths and cultures is inconsistent, however.

The new leadership team in school has worked effectively in a short space of time. It is determined to ensure that the school provides a quality education for all pupils.

However, this ambition is not being consistently realised at present. Subject leadership is not secure in some cases. This impacts on the quality of the education that the school provides.

Governors are well informed and use this information to hold leaders to account. Leaders place a priority on the workload and well-being of staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the curriculums do not identify the key knowledge that pupils should learn. This means that lessons in these subjects do not allow pupils to build knowledge cumulatively in line with the school's intentions. The school must ensure that this key knowledge is clearly identified so that pupils develop a rich and secure base of knowledge.

Assessment is not used effectively in some subjects. This means that teaching does not consistently address gaps in pupils' learning. The school must develop assessment procedures in these subjects to ensure gaps in pupils' knowledge are closed rapidly.

• Recent improvements to leadership across the school are not secure. This means that ownership of curriculum areas is embryonic. The school must continue with its planned development programme to ensure that subject leaders are able to take ownership of their subjects more effectively.

• In some areas, pupils' achievement is not in line with the school's intentions. This means that some pupils are not well prepared for the next stage of education. The school must ensure that identified priority areas are developed at pace so that outcomes reflect leaders' high ambitions and expectations.