Spofforth Church of England Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Spofforth Church of England Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this happy and welcoming school, where everyone knows each other by name. Christian values are at the heart of school life and reflected in the stated ambition to 'love, learn, thrive'. Pupils are confident and articulate.

They enjoy leading collective worship and performing in school productions.

The interim headteacher, together with other senior leaders, knows the school well and has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils have positive relationships with staff in school.

They enjoy their learning an...d are enthusiastic in lessons.

Pupils appreciate the new outdoor equipment. The majority of pupils play well together during social times.

Occasional incidents of name-calling, linked to competitive games, can upset pupils. However, pupils have a good understanding of what bullying is and are adamant this does not happen. Pupils know what to do if it were to happen and they trust leaders to resolve any problems.

Pupils say that teachers give them the knowledge that they need to recognise risks. Pupils feel safe in school.

Children flourish in early years.

Staff quickly establish the important skills needed for learning. They have high expectations and ensure that children are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

Leaders prioritise reading.

They ensure that all staff follow the agreed phonics programme and that they are trained to teach it well. Pupils learn phonics from Reception class onwards. Pupils read a range of interesting books which are well matched to the sounds that they know.

Staff are adept at checking for any gaps in pupils' reading knowledge. Pupils who need to catch up receive the support they need to succeed in reading. Teachers do not link the phonics knowledge that pupils are learning to spellings sufficiently well.

As a result, some pupils are less confident in using phonics for spellings and this is evident in their written work.

Leaders have mapped out the mathematics curriculum clearly. They support staff in their planning.

The teaching of mathematics is consistent across school. Teachers check pupils' knowledge and understanding and adapt teaching to cover any misconceptions or gaps in learning. There is a particular focus on arithmetic, recapping on basic skills and multiplication knowledge.

Pupils say that this helps them to get better in their learning.

In some subject areas other than reading and mathematics, the curriculum is not as well developed. Leaders have not mapped out the knowledge that pupils will learn clearly enough across all subjects.

The short periods of time given to some topics limit pupils' understanding. Teachers do not check what pupils have learned consistently well.

Children in the early years get off to a flying start.

The curriculum is sequenced well and the small steps to build up children's learning are in place. In both the indoor and outdoor learning areas, there is an emphasis on staff modelling speech and assisting children in building up a wider vocabulary. Children are introduced to a wide range of high-quality texts from the moment they join school.

Staff select a broad range of books to introduce children to the diverse nature of life in modern Britain.

The number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has rapidly increased in recent years. Pupils' needs are identified from the early years onwards.

Leadership of SEND is a strength of the school. Leaders are ambitious for what pupils with SEND can achieve. Leaders work closely with staff.

Together, they plan and put in place tailored support to ensure that pupils' needs are met consistently. Leaders are tenacious in requesting additional support from partner agencies.

Pupils' personal development is strong.

Pupils talk positively about the range of clubs that are on offer and their educational visits. The residential visit is a particular highlight. Leaders ensure that pupils develop knowledge about major world faiths and beliefs.

Pupils relish discussing beliefs and respect different viewpoints.

While staff communicate expectations for behaviour in lessons well, this is less clear at social times. Some pupils behave inappropriately and are sometimes disrespectful to other pupils and members of staff.

Senior leaders are building subject leadership in this small school. Staff are shared between the two schools in the federation. This shares out subject expertise more evenly and reduces workload for staff who would otherwise lead on numerous subjects.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that the staff recruitment process is thorough. They complete appropriate safeguarding checks before staff begin working at the school.

Senior leaders make regular checks on safeguarding records.Staff receive regular training and safeguarding updates. This helps staff to understand and fulfil their safeguarding roles.

They know how to report and record concerns. Leaders follow up safeguarding concerns raised by staff swiftly. They seek appropriate advice and support for pupils and their families.

Pupils are taught about online and offline risks so that they are aware of some of the situations they may encounter.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• While teachers are helping pupils to read well, they are not consistently making connections using aspects of phonics teaching to support pupils' emerging spelling. Leaders should ensure that pupils can make and understand these links, and that these connections are reinforced in teaching.

• The wider curriculum is not mapped out and assessed to consistent effect. This leads to gaps in pupils' knowledge in some subjects. Leaders should ensure that staff consistently check pupils' understanding in all subjects to help pupils remember and apply more of what they have been taught.

• Staff are inconsistent in their expectations, so some pupils are less well behaved in less structured times, such as outdoor play. Leaders should ensure that the behaviour approach, in terms of expectations and consequences, is consistent throughout school, so that pupils behave well at all times during the day.

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

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2012.