Huby CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Huby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary

School Following my visit to the school on 6 June 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in June 2015.

This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. This is due to the very close consideration you take of each pupil individually.

You know the pupils very well and consequently understand the needs of different groups. Parents and carers recognise that their ...children are safe and happy in school. Recently, a large number of pupils have moved to the school and both they and their parents report that they settled very quickly.

Parents feel that you and your staff listen to their concerns and queries, and that you respond to these effectively. Parents and pupils also feel that behaviour is a strength. There are very few serious behaviour incidents, and pupils' conduct around school and in class is very strong.

This helps pupils to feel safe and confident in school, as well as contributing to the strong progress they make. There is very little bullying, as records show. Parents and pupils believe this is because whenever an issue does occur, you and your team deal with it effectively, meaning matters do not persist.

At the last inspection, the inspector made some suggestions to further improve the quality of teaching so that pupils made more rapid progress, particularly in mathematics. Firstly, the inspector recommended that teachers check pupils' work in mathematics more regularly, so they could intervene earlier where necessary. This was linked to the inspector's recommendations that teachers provide work to challenge the most able pupils, and for teachers to have the chance to observe the best practice in school.

This was a key area of focus within my inspection; I wanted to see how well mathematics is taught, and in particular, how well teaching matches the needs of girls, who have done less well than boys historically. I found that mathematics is well taught. Pupils' needs, including those of the most able pupils and girls, are closely understood and considered.

There are lots of opportunities for pupils to practise their skills in mathematics lessons, and also to use and apply their skills, supporting the different abilities of pupils. As a result, outcomes in mathematics have improved since the last inspection. However, at times, there are missed opportunities in the wider curriculum to reinforce and practise mathematical skills, such as in geography and science.

Safeguarding is effective. There are procedures and systems in place that keep pupils safe. The policies are checked and updated regularly, and staff and governors are also given regular training.

This means adults know how to keep pupils safe, and they know what to do if they identify a concern, or if a concern is reported to them. There is information around school, and on the website, to keep parents, staff and pupils informed about what to do in these circumstances. The website also displays a record of the school's policies.

You and your staff provide events, such as parental meetings and assemblies, to keep different stakeholders informed about specific safety issues, for example, dangers associated with using the internet. The school makes all the necessary recruitment checks on staff, governors and volunteers to ensure that they are suitable to work with children and that they have the right qualifications for the roles they have. These checks meet legal requirements.

The school records incidents in a timely way, and works with different external agencies, as appropriate, to obtain specialist advice, as necessary. Inspection findings ? During the inspection, I wanted to see how well children in early years progress, and how well prepared they are for Year 1. I was particularly focused on gauging how well the early years provision supports boys in their development, especially around writing, speaking and managing their feelings.

I also wanted to see how well boys' needs in these areas are supported when they move into Year 1. ? Boys engage well in their learning and enjoy different activities. This is the case in many aspects of the curriculum in Reception and in Year 1.

As a result, they make strong progress, often in line that of with girls, across different development areas, including speaking and managing their feelings. ? However, they are less inclined to write regularly. This is not due to poor phonics development, which is strong, but rather due to some underdevelopment in their fine motor skills.

Recently, the school has worked effectively to engage boys in activities that develop these skills, but this has been very recent and has not yet led to boys making strong progress in their writing over time. As a result, in early years and Year 1, boys' writing skills lag behind those of girls. ? During the inspection, I wanted to see how well disadvantaged pupils achieve in school.

There are very few disadvantaged pupils, but you have a strategic plan in place to support them, as you do for all groups of pupils. As a result, these pupils achieve well. They also benefit from the opportunities to develop and reinforce learning outside the classroom, on educational visits and when visitors come to speak to pupils.

• Following a small drop in attendance, which coincided with higher pupil numbers, I was keen to see how well you support pupils in understanding the importance of high attendance. I also wanted to see how this affected pupils who are persistently absent. ? In all aspects of school life, you look at pupils as individuals, to understand how well they are doing and if they need further support.

This is also the case with attendance, and your strategy to engage parents and pupils where attendance had dipped or was becoming a significant problem has worked well. Attendance has improved this year and all groups' attendance rates are above average. Levels of persistent absenteeism have also reduced to well below average.

• I also wanted to see how well the curriculum serves pupils. The curriculum is broad and balanced and there are lots of opportunities for pupils to develop skills in a wide range of subjects. Literacy and oral communication skills are particularly well developed, helping pupils to be articulate, as well as confident in their reading and writing, where progress is strong.

• The curriculum also supports pupils' understanding of different lifestyle choices and of different faiths and cultures. For example, they have opportunities to make visits to places that teach them about the diverse world around them, such as a mosque and synagogue. Such experiences have influenced the very positive relationships pupils enjoy with each other, despite differences in age and background.

They speak very confidently about the need for tolerance and respect for people from different backgrounds. They also believe it is important to celebrate difference. ? Governors understand their role well and can detail the school's achievements, including the very strong leadership of you as headteacher, as well as the school's priorities for further improvement.

Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? in early years, the curriculum supports children, especially boys, in developing their fine motor skills more rapidly, to support them in their writing development ? there are regular opportunities for pupils to practise, use and apply their mathematical skills across the wider curriculum, as they do with their literacy skills. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of York, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for North Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely Fiona McNally Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection I observed teaching in all classes to see its effect on learning. I also looked at a wide range of pupils' work in books from several year groups, across a variety of subjects. I met with you and with other senior and middle leaders.

I also held a meeting with governors and held a telephone discussion with a representative from the local authority. I looked at the school's information about the safeguarding of pupils and examined behaviour and attendance records. I also checked a range of other documentation, including your self-evaluation, school development plan and assessment information.

I held formal discussions with some pupils from Years 1 to 6, and I spoke informally to several pupils during breaktime. I considered the parents' responses to Ofsted's online questionnaire, Parent View, and parents' responses to the free-text questionnaire. I also spoke to several parents in the playground as they brought their children to school.