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Feb 2023

Last Updated: 12/02/2023

Education

Disappointment as Ofsted says village school near Ripon 'requires improvement'

by Vicky Carr

| 13 Feb, 2023

A village school near Ripon has said it is "disappointed" by its latest Ofsted report and vowed to make improvements.

North Stainley Church of England Primary School has been rated 'requires improvement' by the schools inspector, a downgrade from its previous 'good' rating in 2019.

In the latest report, inspectors said pupils were "happy and safe" at the school and felt proud to attend. They said:

"Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, and these expectations are met. Pupils behave well in and around school.

"They are mindful to keep themselves safe and to behave well when they move between the school building and the village hall at various times in the day.

"At break and lunchtime, pupils of all ages play happily together. Pupils say that there is no bullying, and they are confident that adults would deal with it if it did happen.

"Pupils have a sense of personal and communal responsibility. They enjoy having leadership roles, such as school councillors and sports or worship ambassadors. They appreciate that these roles help to prepare them for later life."

Pupils' behaviour and their personal development were both rated 'good', along with the school's early years provision.

However, the report, published last week, said the overall quality of education required improvement, along with its leadership.

After a visit at the end of November, inspectors said:

"Leaders have developed the curriculum in recent years, but their ambitions are not fully realised. The quality of education pupils experience is variable.

"Leaders have identified the important topics that they want pupils to learn. However, they have not consistently broken this knowledge down into small steps of learning in all subjects. This makes it difficult for pupils to remember what teachers want them to learn.

"In mathematics, the small steps that pupils need to take to make progress are clear. In other subjects, such as geography and science, the smaller steps have not been identified. This means that the curriculum is not taught consistently well."

The report added:

"Governors are committed to their own and the school’s improvement. They receive training and understand their roles well. They are closely involved in the life of the school.

"Governors are well informed and provide leaders with the support and challenge they need."

The school said its staff and governors have been working to make improvements and would continue to do so.

Headteacher Louise Wallen said:

“We have been disappointed by the ‘requires improvement’ category that Ofsted have placed our school under.

"We are a lovely small rural school where our staff and governors have worked hard to make many improvements in recent years. Comments made during the inspection feedback assured us that the required improvements can be put in place and return the school to a much stronger position quickly.

"We thank our parents who have given us support throughout this process safe in the knowledge that their children continue to flourish in their learning and in life, here at North Stainley School.”

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Disappointment as Ofsted says village school near Ripon 'requires improvement'

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