Seamer and Irton Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now.

The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Seamer and Irton Community Primary School. The school's staff care for the pupils well.

Parents and carers, as well as pupils, value the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. One pupil, who represented the views of many, told the inspector that the school is a 'lovely place' and that 'if someone is... sad, there is always somebody there for them'.

Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour.

Pupils know and understand what is expected of them. Poor behaviour is rare. Pupils move around school calmly and sensibly.

They are polite to other pupils and visitors. Positive relationships between adults and pupils are frequently evident across the school. Staff know pupils well and support their pastoral needs effectively.

Pupils are safe in school. They know that a trusted adult will help them if they have a concern or worry.

Pupils benefit from visits to local places of interest.

They look forward to residential visits to an outdoor adventure centre and to London when they are in the older year groups. These opportunities enrich pupils' learning. They help them to grow into being confident individuals.

The school has high expectations for pupils' academic achievements. However, the school's curriculum requires further refinement. Curriculum expectations lack the clarity required so that teachers know precisely what they should teach.

Some pupils are given work that does not accurately meet their needs.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. It has introduced knowledge organisers for each subject from Years 1 to 6.

These organisers broadly set out what will be taught in each unit of work. Teachers use these to guide their teaching. However, some of the knowledge organisers contain generic statements from the national curriculum.

There is a lack of clarity about what important knowledge pupils need to learn in the subjects that they study. This lack of clarity extends to how the school checks what pupils have remembered and can do. Systems are in place to check on pupils' learning, but they do not directly align to the school's curriculum expectations.

This means that gaps in pupils' learning are not swiftly identified.

The school has well-established systems in place to support pupils' mental health and well-being. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported in their learning, where necessary, by adults.

However, the curriculum is not adapted sufficiently to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Some pupils with SEND are given work that is not challenging enough. Effective processes are in place to identify pupils with SEND.

However, the school has not broken down the small steps of progress that individual pupils with SEND need to make. Precise information about what individual pupils with SEND need to learn is not communicated clearly to staff. This makes it difficult for the school to check the progress of pupils with SEND accurately.

In phonics, lessons are mostly taught with consistency. Leaders are aware of some teaching strategies that require further refinement, such as checking that pupils pronounce individual sounds correctly. Some adults do not support pupils' reading as effectively as they might.

They do not consistently use the school's methodology for teaching reading. The school is currently establishing a programme of coaching and development for all staff involved in the teaching of phonics. Most pupils read books that are matched to their phonics knowledge.

In key stage 1, they begin to read with increasing fluency and accuracy. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind in reading are supported effectively through additional, timely intervention. As pupils progress through the school, they develop a love of reading.

Older pupils enjoy reading books from a range of genres that challenge and interest them. Pupils told the inspector that they like being able to visit the school library regularly during lessons and social times.

Well-established routines in Reception have enabled children to settle quickly into school life.

They participate in class activities and listen to what adults and other children say. There are many opportunities to develop children's skills in early mathematics. Resources are easily accessible to help children to count objects.

They begin to learn to make comparisons between objects by using vocabulary such as 'bigger than' and 'smaller than'. Staff are knowledgeable about the ways to develop children's learning within early years. This helps to build on children's interests.

While the early years curriculum has been clearly established, the school has not made sure that the key stage 1 curriculum builds on this learning effectively.

Pupils participate in a range of opportunities to support their broader personal development. Pupils learn new skills at the extra-curricular clubs on offer to them.

There are opportunities to carry out leadership roles, such as being a school councillor. Some pupils take the initiative to lead clubs in school. For example, some pupils run a basketball club and others have established an activity club for younger pupils at lunchtime.

Staff are confident that leaders manage their workload effectively. They are supported to carry out their roles and are given time to complete tasks.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school provides a safe and caring environment for pupils to learn and develop. Staff know the procedures to report concerns about pupils' welfare. They are vigilant to potential signs of abuse and adopt a view that 'it could happen here'.

While leaders' actions ensure that pupils are safe, they recognise that the current system in place to record concerns about pupils has its limitations. Leaders have rightly taken action to address this.

Systems to record the checks that are made to ensure that adults are appropriate to work with children have not been rigorously followed.

During the inspection, the school completed and accurately recorded these outstanding checks. Leaders are aware of the need to ensure that checks are completed in a timely manner, and recorded accurately in line with statutory guidance.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not clearly identified the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn.

Pupils do not consistently learn the most important knowledge that they need in future learning. The school should identify the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn, building on learning in the early years foundation stage. ? The school's checks on pupils' knowledge and understanding of topics and concepts do not clearly align with its curriculum.

The checks do not precisely identify gaps in pupils' learning. The school should refine methods for checking what pupils know and remember over time. ? The school has not clearly identified the small steps of progress that pupils with SEND need to make.

Some pupils with SEND complete work that does not consistently meet their needs. The school should ensure that the small steps that pupils with SEND need to take are known to teachers, and regularly reviewed, to effectively support pupils in their learning. ? The school has not made sure that some checks to ensure that adults are appropriate to work with children have been carried out.

Inconsistencies about checks on adults prior to their employment were found, but rectified, during the inspection. The school must make sure that checks are made and recorded as required by statutory guidance.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2014.

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