Sutton in Craven Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Sutton in Craven Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff in this village school share the same determination that every child achieves their full potential. The school's nurturing environment enables pupils to thrive.

The support that pupils receive at this school is carefully tailored to their specific needs.

Leaders have ensured that all pupils have access to a good education. The wider curriculum is in a period of change, partly due to the changing organisation of year groups in the school. Leaders are actively working to ensure that all subjects are effectively planned and well im...plemented.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported in this school.

Pupils are happy to come to school. They feel safe and well cared for.

This is reflected in their attendance. Members of staff have high expectations of behaviour. The school's Christian ethos allows each child the chance to shine and develop.

The school is peaceful; its core Christian values of love, courage and peace characterise the respectful relationships and the gentle support shown by adults. Pupils say bullying is very rare. When there are any issues, pupils are confident staff sort things out quickly.

Parents have a high regard for this school. The great majority of parents were overwhelmingly positive about the school. They described Sutton in Craven Church of England Primary School as welcoming, sharing how their children 'flourish' here.

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

Reading is of great importance at Sutton in Craven. Leaders are passionate that every child becomes a successful reader. Leaders have organised their curriculum to ensure that high-quality texts are enjoyed throughout.

Teachers place an emphasis on reading, knowing it opens the door to successful, lifelong learning. The school's approach is strong; leaders have worked carefully to introduce a new early reading scheme. This is well structured and taught with precision.

Consequently, pupils do well. Adults encourage rich language and vocabulary development. As a result, pupils are articulate.

More widely in the core curriculum, mathematics is a strength. Staff are passionate about developing pupils' mathematical knowledge. They focus on getting the school's approach right.

There is clarity around the strengths and areas for development in mathematics. The mathematics leader constantly reviews and reflects on what is in place, accurately monitoring the implementation of the mathematics curriculum. Support for staff is offered where needed with care and consideration.

Progress is evident in pupils' mathematics books. Pupils with SEND access the curriculum through appropriate adaptations, resources and scaffolded support. These pupils are able to access learning alongside their peers.

Subject leaders are able to talk through their curriculum thinking with confidence. However, the components of knowledge are not equally refined in all subjects. In some cases, it is not always clear what pupils must know and remember at each stage.

As a consequence, pupils struggle to retrieve knowledge that they learned in the past. They can easily remember the activities that they have enjoyed, but not the knowledge they have retained. Leaders know that further work in the development of the wider curriculum is a priority.

There have been many recent and positive developments in the early years. Children are engaged with their learning. Adults in the early years setting are passionate about their role, shaping the activities and experiences of the children in their care in order to prepare them for their learning in Year 1 and beyond.

There is more work to do to develop pupils' independent learning within this provision, particularly outdoors. Leaders have identified that this is a priority area for the school.

The needs of pupils with SEND are well met.

The school's special educational needs and/or disabilities co-ordinator (SENDCo) works with teachers and parents to create plans that show how pupils should be supported and the learning they are working towards. As a result of well-planned support throughout school, pupils with SEND achieve well. Support for pupils with SEND is seamlessly woven into the curriculum offer and the wider opportunities afforded to the pupils of Sutton in Craven.

This is a wholly inclusive school.

Behaviour is calm. Pupils are thoughtful and kind.

They know the qualities of friendship and the importance of demonstrating these. However, they talk about instances of poor behaviour choices by a small minority of pupils, for instance when teachers are not present. They are uncertain about the rewards and sanctions that are in place post COVID-19.

This is because there is not an agreed approach to behaviour management. Leaders are in the process of developing this for the new term.

Leaders and governors place high importance on the ways in which the school, through its Christian ethos, supports pupils' personal development.

There is a strong personal, social, health and economic education offer in place. Leaders are reflective and have sought to find the right balance between the statutory curriculum they offer and the faith elements of their approach. Pupils are provided with a broad range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests.

Leaders continue to enhance the curriculum with trips and experiences in the locality and further afield.

Staff are proud to be a part of this school family. They work hard and this is valued.

They are clear about their joint responsibilities to one another and the pupils in school and how they work together to do the best for the community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders prioritise the safeguarding of all pupils.

Leaders ensure that timely, early support prevents any emerging issues from escalating. Governors are instrumental in supporting leaders in this work. They are well trained and regularly challenge and support school leaders appropriately.

Staff are well trained and knowledgeable. They have a detailed knowledge of local risks. The school has well-trained designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) who competently support staff and advise as necessary.

The DSLs engage well with external partners who share important intelligence.

It is clear that teaching pupils how to stay safe has been a priority. Online safety and safety outside of school within the local area have been important components of this.

Pupils are clear about who they can trust if they need support.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Reading and mathematics are well planned and well sequenced. However, in some other subjects, curriculum thinking is at an earlier stage of development.

In these subjects, some pupils do not remember what they have learned in the past as well as they should. Leaders must ensure that, in all subjects, curriculum thinking clearly details what pupils need to know and in what order and that pupils develop their knowledge well in these subjects.

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.