OFSTED inspection Feb 2003

Summary report - introduction

How has the school improved since its last inspection?

Standards

Other aspects / Leadership

Parents and carers' views of the school

Full report

Summary report - introduction

PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The school is situated close to the centre of the village of Pool-in-Wharfedale, near Leeds. It is a
voluntary controlled Church of England School. It draws its pupils mainly from the local area, but about
one third of the pupils come from Arthington, Otley, Leeds and surrounding districts of North Yorkshire.
The socio-economic circumstances of the pupils are broadly average with two per cent receiving a free
school meal. However, the school has evidence to indicate that a greater proportion is eligible and this
means that the figure for free school meals does not necessarily give an accurate representation of the
pupils' socio-economic circumstances. An above average number of pupils join or leave the school at
short notice. Children's attainments on entry are broadly average. At the time of the inspection, there
were 151 pupils on roll, of whom 27 had special educational needs. This is an about average proportion.
Special educational needs include specific learning difficulties, behavioural problems and speech and
communication difficulties. Four pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Needs, which is well
above average. Thirteen pupils come from ethnic backgrounds other than UK White. Five pupils speak
English as an additional language, with the main other languages being Spanish, German and
Ghanaian. However, all pupils speak English well and none receive additional external support. A very
small number of pupils come from traveller backgrounds and receive external support. There are about
the same number of boys and girls. Since the previous inspection more than one half of the teachers are
new to the school, including the headteacher.
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
This is an excellent school with many excellent and very good features. Attainment on entry is broadly
average for most children and pupils attain well above average standards by the time they leave the
school at the end of Year 6. Pupils do very well because of the high quality of teaching and the
outstanding leadership and management of the headteacher, who receives very good support from the
staff and governing body. Pupils develop very good attitudes to their learning, behaviour is very good and
relationships between members of the school community are excellent. The school provides excellent
value for money.
What the school does well
· Very good teaching and learning enable pupils to achieve very well and attain well above average
standards in English and mathematics. Standards in other subjects are high.
· Provision for pupils? personal development is excellent, and results in pupils? very good attitudes,
behaviour and excellent relationships.
· Leadership and management are excellent and underpin the very high quality of education provided
by the school.
· The curriculum is excellent. It is very well enriched through valuable links with the wider community
and supports the rich and stimulating learning environment that encourages pupils to enjoy school.
· The school cares very well for all pupils, including the monitoring of their personal and academic
progress. This enables it to support very effectively the progress of pupils at all levels of attainment.
What could be improved
· Facilities for outdoor learning for children in the Foundation Stage to further improve their physical
development.
The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors? action plan. Back to top

How has the school improved since its last inspection?

Pool-in-Wharfedale C.E. Primary School - 7
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school has shown a very good level of improvement since it was last inspected in November 1997.
Standards in the Foundation Stage have been maintained and children continue to achieve standards
that are above those expected for their age. Standards in English, mathematics and science have
improved and are now well above those expected for pupils by the end of Years 2 and 6. Standards in
information and communication technology are better and above those expected for pupils at this age.
Overall, very good standards have been maintained against a climate of change of staff and leadership.
The quality of teaching and learning has improved. At the time of the previous inspection teaching was
judged to be satisfactory overall; now it is very good throughout the school. Leadership and management
of the school are now excellent. The governing body has made very good progress in addressing the key
issues raised at the time of the previous inspection.
STANDARDS
In the National Curriculum assessment tests in 2002, Year 2 pupils achieved well above average results
in reading, writing and mathematics when compared to all schools nationally. When compared to similar
schools, results remained well above average in reading, but were very high (in the top five per cent of
similar schools) in writing and mathematics. Teacher assessments in science indicate very high
standards. Results at the end of Year 2 have improved at a rate better than the national trend of
improvement since 1998. At the end of Year 6, results fell last year because there was a high proportion
of pupils (about one third) with special educational needs in that class, who achieved results below
those typical of the school.
Inspection evidence indicates that standards are above average for children in the Foundation Stage, and
the majority of pupils are well on course to exceed the Early Learning Goals for children of this age.
Children in the Foundation Stage achieve very well. By the end of both Years 2 and 6, standards in
English, mathematics and science are well above average and pupils continue to achieve very well
throughout the school. The school sets challenging targets for the proportion of pupils attaining the
nationally expected levels in the National Curriculum assessment tests in English and mathematics.
These are set above the national average. The target for English was met, but the school failed to meet
its target in mathematics last year. Challenging targets are set for 2003 and it seems likely that the
school will meet them. Standards of literacy and numeracy in other subjects are high. Standards in
information and communication technology are above those expected for pupils of this age. The school
has a good record for achievement in physical education and music in its extra-curricular activities,
indicating high standards. Attainment in art and design is high. The achievement of pupils with special
educational needs is very good throughout the school because of the very good quality support they
receive. Those with English as an additional language, traveller children and higher attaining pupils also
achieve very well. Back to top

Standards

Pool-in-Wharfedale C.E. Primary School - 8
PUPILS? ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Aspect Comment
Attitudes to the school Pupils' attitudes towards school and their work are very good. They enjoy school. In lessons they show high levels of interest and enjoyment in their tasks. Pupils make visitors very welcome and are proud of their
school.
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils behave very well in lessons, assemblies and around the school. They are self-controlled and the very good behaviour enables teachers to get on with teaching so that the pupils make very good progress.
Personal development and relationships Excellent. Pupils show exceptional levels of responsibility and initiative.
Relationships between pupils, and between pupils and adults are
excellent throughout the school, and levels of pupils' co-operation with
teachers and other adults in the school are very high. Pupils' respect for
others' feelings is first rate.
Attendance Attendance is very good; it is well above the national average.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 to 2 Years 3 to 6
Quality of teaching Very good Very good Very good
Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory;
unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ?Satisfactory? means that the teaching is adequate and strengths
outweigh weaknesses.
The quality of teaching is very good and leads to pupils? very good learning. Teaching of English and
mathematics is very good across the school. Literacy and numeracy are also taught very well because
teachers have a secure understanding of how to teach these skills.
The quality of teaching in over three-quarters of the lessons seen was judged to be very good or
excellent. Features of these lessons included an enthusiasm for what was being taught that was
transferred to pupils and, therefore, stimulated their enthusiasm. Very brisk pace and the use of
challenging questions to provoke thought and extend learning resulted in a very good pace of learning.
Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and set challenging tasks. Good use of praise and
encouragement and interesting strategies motivates pupils and encourages them to work hard. Teachers
know their subjects very well and their clear explanations ensure that all pupils understand what they are
to learn. Teachers are skilled in identifying where pupils have not understood, and give sensitive support.
As a result, pupils make very good gains in their learning. The school meets the needs of all its pupils
well. Tasks are planned to challenge pupils at all levels of attainment. Pupils are taught to learn very
effectively.
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Aspect Comment
The quality and range of the
curriculum
The quality and range of opportunities for learning provided by the school
are excellent for children at the Foundation Stage and for pupils in Years
1 to 6. The breadth and richness of the curriculum is highly supported by
the school?s links with the wider community. It is well balanced and
achieves a high level of relevance through planned opportunities for pupils
continued on next page.. Back to top

Other aspects / Leadership

Pool-in-Wharfedale C.E. Primary School - 9
to use and apply their skills.
Provision for pupils with special educational needs
The provision for pupils with special educational needs is excellent. Clear
procedures are in place to support the identification and assessment of
pupils from an early stage. Individual education plans are carefully and
thoughtfully prepared. Targets clearly identify the main priorities, and
teaching and assessment procedures are carefully arranged. Pupils
receive high quality support both in and out of class.
Provision for pupils with English as an additional language
This is very good and enables these pupils to be fully included in all
aspects of school life.
Provision for pupils' personal, including spiritual,moral, social and cultural
development -Excellent. It is excellent for their moral and social development and verygood for their spiritual and cultural. This provision supports the very
positive attitudes, very good behaviour and the excellent relationships
and personal development of the pupils.
How well the school cares for its pupils
The school cares very well for its pupils. Arrangements for the welfare,
health and safety of all its pupils are very good. Day-to-day personal
support and guidance for pupils is of a high quality. Very effective
assessment procedures are used very well to ensure that all pupils are
provided with work at an appropriate yet challenging level.
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Aspect Comment
Leadership and manage-mentby the headteacher and other key staff -Excellent. The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding and she
receives high quality support from the deputy and curriculum co-ordinators.
Their work is highly effective and they have established an
extremely clear vision regarding the development of the school. This is
very clearly communicated to, and shared by, all members of staff.
How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities This is very good. Governors are fully involved in the school. They areconscientious, well organised and fulfil statutory responsibilities very well.
The school's evaluation of its performance This is excellent. The school's development is very heavily based in, and supported by self-evaluation. The headteacher, staff and governors work very well together to identify the school?s strengths and areas for development. The headteacher rigorously monitors teaching, learning and standards, and subject leaders make a highly valuable contribution to the school's drive for high standards through effective monitoring within their subjects.
The strategic use of resources - The financial management of the school is very good. The school takes great care to ensure that spending is targeted well and linked to priorities in the school improvement plan. Close monitoring of spending decisions reflects the careful consideration given to the impact of financial
commitments on standards so that best value is achieved. Back to top

Parents and carers' views of the school

PARENTS? AND CARERS? VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved
· Children like school.
· Their children are making good progress.
· The quality of teaching is good.
· They feel comfortable about approaching the
school with questions or concerns.
· The school?s expectation of pupils to work hard
and do their best.
· The school is helping pupils to become mature
and responsible.
· There were no points about which the parents
had strong feelings.
The inspection team agrees with the parents? views on the school. Back to top

Full report

A copy of the full inspection report can be obtained from the Ofsted website

www.ofsted.gov.uk

Go to the reports section and search by using the school's postcode LS21 1LG Back to top

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