Masham CofE VA Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Since her appointment in April 2017, the headteacher has won the trust and confidence of pupils, staff, parents, carers and governors.

The experienced governing body has a broad range of skills and experience. Governors know the school well and they provide a high level of challenge to secure further improvement. Leaders have designed a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares pupils very well for the next stage of their education and for life in modern Britain.

Staff have benefited from professional development that has helped them to improve their leadership skills. This means that leaders are well equipped to lead their subjects wel...l. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good, and some is outstanding, so most pupils are making good progress.

This is the case in a wide range of subjects. Leaders identified the teaching of phonics as an area for improvement this year. The teaching of phonics is now consistently good.

As a result, pupils are making good progress in phonics now, and outcomes are rising. Leaders used additional funding effectively to improve the phonics resources available to teachers. This helped to improve the quality of the teaching of phonics quickly.

Teachers have not matched all reading books carefully enough to the sounds and letters that pupils know. This is slowing pupils' development of confidence and fluency. Leaders have used additional funding to purchase age-appropriate Stonewall resources for use across the school.

This is one of the reasons why pupils' personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They behave very well in lessons and around the school.

The last line of the school's vision: 'We are forgiving, accepting, outward thinking and above all, kind' is palpable in this school. Most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are making good or better progress. Teachers' expectations of the most able pupils, however, are not consistently high.

Children are making good progress in Reception. Teachers successfully build on children's interests to develop high-quality areas for learning. This school is at the heart of the community.

Many groups from the village and beyond come in to speak to pupils on a wide range of topics. This greatly enriches the wider curriculum.

Information about this school

This school is much smaller than typical and is located in a small market town.

A new headteacher was appointed in April 2017. This school is voluntary aided. The last section 48 inspection by the diocese took place in June 2019.

Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well below the national average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is much lower than average.