education Archives - Page 12 of 20

Follifoot primary school told to make improvements by inspectors

A primary school in Follifoot has been told to make changes by Ofsted after being rated as ‘requires improvement’ in its latest inspection.

Ofsted visited Follifoot Church of England Primary School on February 2 and 3 and published its report at the beginning of the Easter holiday. The school had previously been rated as “good”.

Four out of the five areas of inspection were rated as good. However, quality of education was graded as ‘requires improvement’.

Inspectors noted in the report that the school was welcoming, fostered pupils’ aspirations well and had high expectations for children, saying:

“Leaders foster pupils’ aspirations well. They have high expectations for every pupil to be successful. Older pupils value the opportunity to contribute to the life of the school through a range of different leadership roles, such as worship and play leaders.”

The report praised the way the pupils were prepared for life in modern Britain, with their personal development prioritised by the school’s leaders. Ofsted also found that leaders had a “good understanding” of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

But its report that there was “too much variation” in the quality of education that pupils received.

The report said:

“Leaders have clearly identified the order in which pupils should learn important content. However, in some subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding.

“This means that in some subjects, pupils cannot build on their previous learning because it is not secure.”

It added that some staff “lack expertise” when working with pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

It said:

“Some staff lack expertise in supporting pupils with SEND. This means that the support pupils with SEND receive is inconsistent.

“Leaders should ensure that they continue to ensure that all relevant staff access high-quality training to support pupils with SEND.”

The school, which has 56 pupils, was given a ‘good’ rating at its last full Ofsted inspection in April 2016.

In response to the latest rating, Rebecca Holland, headteacher at the school, said:

“The report has recognised so many of the strengths at Follifoot CE Primary School. Leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and EYFS were all graded as good.

“The inspection report provides clarity as to the position of the school in terms of the quality of education in February and a firm foundation for everyone in our Follifoot (and Federation) team to build on.

“As the new headteacher, I am pleased that the inspection team confirmed our priorities are the right ones and that improvements have been made in a short space of time’.”

Meanwhile, David Harrington, chair of governors at the school, said:

“The governing body is proud of the commitment shown by all our staff at Follifoot. We are pleased with the number of positive comments made in the Ofsted report which reflect both the hard work of our staff and the progress which the school has made since Mrs Holland became Headteacher in September 2022.

“Ofsted’s revised inspection framework rightly sets high standards for our curriculum and for the quality of education that we provide to our children.

“The governing body is confident that the improvements sought by Ofsted in these areas can be delivered quickly and that Mrs Holland will continue to raise standards across the school.”

Ofsted says village school near Ripon ‘requires improvement’

A village school near Ripon has been told to make improvements to its teaching by the schools inspector.

Sharow Church of England Primary School has been rated ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted in its latest report, with three of the five areas of inspection receiving that rating.

Inspectors found the quality of education, personal development, and leadership and management at the school no longer merited the ‘good’ rating previously given to the school. However, they said the early years provision, and behaviour and attitudes, remained ‘good’.

In a report published just before the end of term, lead inspector Paul Martindale said:

“Pupils, including children in early years, enjoy coming to school. Staff provide a supportive atmosphere where pupils behave well and are friendly to one another.

“Pupils are polite, well mannered, and respectful towards staff and their peers. They listen intently to what other pupils have to say and then build on this with their own ideas or comments.

“Pupils feel safe and say that bulling does not happen at school. They are clear about the school rules, rewards and consequences.”

He added:

“Pupils enjoy taking on many different responsibilities. They appreciate being a member of the school council or a well-being ambassador. Their desire to help others is not limited to these roles.

“Pupils have a friendship bench in the playground where they can help their friends. They enjoy spending time in the peace garden.”

Among the areas inspectors praised in the report was a new phonics programme. After visiting the school in early February, inspectors said the programme had been implemented effectively and pupils made good progress with their reading.

They said pupils who were struggling were given support to make more progress.

Inspectors also praised the “well-sequenced plans” used to deliver maths teaching. In both English and maths, they said teachers used effective assessment to get a clear understanding of what pupils knew and what they needed to learn next.

The report said:

“Staff have high ambitions for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff modify their teaching to help pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers, wherever possible.

“In early years, adults know the needs and interests of their children. They use ambitious and accurate language in their interactions with children, and this extends their understanding.”

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However, the report said the standard of education was not as high in all subject areas.

Inspectors found the quality of education was “variable” and learning was “not as deep” in some subjects as others.

Addressing personal development, they said:

“Staff provide pupils with a range of opportunities to support their personal development. This is evident through the different roles that pupils can carry out or the clubs that they can join, such as the lunchtime choir.

“However, pupils’ understanding of British values and protected characteristics is limited. Pupils also have a limited knowledge of religion. They are able to recall general principles, but cannot attribute them to any particular faith. Leaders acknowledge that this is due to previous weaknesses in the curriculum.”

The report acknowledged governors and leaders were aware there were improvements to be made and had begun to do so. It said governors needed to continue their strategic review to ensure they had the appropriate knowledge and skills to hold the school’s leaders to account effectively.

The Stray Ferret contacted Sharow Primary School for a response to the report before the Easter break, but had not received one by the time of publication.

Sharow Primary School has 103 pupils and is federated with Skelton Newby Hall Church of England Primary School, sharing an executive headteacher, Jacqui Palmer, and a governing body.

Skelton Newby Hall Primary School was rated ‘requires improvement’ in March 2020 and is currently under threat of closure by North Yorkshire Council, on the grounds of low roll numbers. Should it close this summer as proposed, the council suggested moving its 10 pupils to Sharow Primary School.

Plan for 32 solar panels on Coppice Valley school

A plan has been submitted to install 32 solar panels on Coppice Valley Primary School in Harrogate.

Red Kite Learning Trust, which runs the school, has lodged the plan with North Yorkshire Council.

It would see the panels installed on the school’s roof to generate 13.6 kwp of renewable energy.

In documents submitted to the council, the trust said it felt the panels would help to enhance the character of the building.

It said:

“It is considered that the proposed solar panels would be complementary to the character of the building.

“The visual appearance of the solar panels on the roofed area is considered appropriate for the school building, thereby enhancing the visionary appearance of the site as an up-to-date centre for learning, creating responsible citizens for tomorrow’s world with an appreciation for their surroundings and a duty of care for the environment.

“It is considered that the panels could have a positive impact on the character of the building and no overall detrimental impact on the surrounding area.”

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Plan approved for new classroom at Harrogate district primary school

Plans have been approved to build a new permanent classroom at Great Ouseburn Community Primary School.

The school on Main Street in the village was established in 1884 and currently caters for 96 pupils.

North Yorkshire County Council applied to itself for planning permission to demolish an existing pre-fabricated classroom that was built in 2013 in order to replace it with a larger and permanent building.

The current prefabricated classroom is 88 square metres whereas the new building will be more than twice the size at 177 square metres.

The council’s planning and regulatory functions committee met this morning in Northallerton and approved the application.

The plans also include the removal of a tree, landscaping works and a new astroturf sports pitch.

This new unit will be made up of two teaching classrooms that will share cloakroom space and toilets between them with separate teaching storage rooms in each classroom. Each classroom will provide a minimum of 30 spaces for children.

A report to councillors ahead of the meeting said although there will be a new sports pitch some grass areas used by children for play will be built upon.

It called this “unfortunate” but said the proposed development would improve the school teaching capabilities as well as cater to the current number of students attending the school.

There were 20 letters of support and three objections.

Councillors asked for the new builds to be resited, solar panels to be added and for the removed tree to be replaced with three semi-mature trees.

Friends of Great Ouseburn School has launched a crowdfunder to raise £75,000 for the project.

It says the council will fund part of it and the school will pay the rest. Work is expected to take place during the summer holidays.

It says:

“We are a small village school, but have grown in numbers to almost double the size that we were four years ago. It is brilliant to have a happy, thriving school, but the rapid increase has come with some issues. We have two classrooms that are too small for a full class and we have been trying to find a solution to this for a couple of years.

“The most vital part of this is the extension of existing classroom space and installation of toilets that will allow our nursery and reception age children to access their own toilets.”

Call to turn Boroughbridge school facing closure into forest school

Calls have been made to retain a village school near Boroughbridge that faces closure as a forest school.

Under plans put forward by North Yorkshire County Council, Skelton Newby Hall Church of England Primary School will shut in August 2023.

But, Cllr Guy Critchlow, chair of Skelton cum Newby Parish Council, told county councillors today the site was a “ready-made forest school” with a large amenity space and playground.

Forest schools teach pupils in an outdoor learning environment and focus on play and exploration for education.

A council report said numbers at the school had been “falling over the past few years” and there were concerns about the impact on pupils’ education.

As of this year, nine children and one nursery pupil were on the school roll. It has capacity for 52.

Senior county councillors voted today to publish notices of the school’s closure with a final decision to be taken on May 30.

At the meeting, Cllr Critchlow argued that the school could be viable as a forest school. He said:

“We deserve the opportunity to rebuild our school and demonstrate its viability.

“We cannot do this alone. We want to work with and not against the council.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Nick Brown, a Conservative who represents the Skelton-on-Ure village on the county council, told councillors he was disappointed discussions had not taken place with the community and the parish council prior to the proposal being published in December 2022.

He added the process should be delayed in order to consider whether to use the site for a forest school.

He said:

“In light of the recent budget and the proposed increase in childcare provision, to enable much more employment opportunities surely a one-and-a-half acre school site would lend itself perfectly to nursery provision in a rural, safe environment.”

However, Cllr Annabelle Wilkinson, the executive councillor for education, said the site and its outdoor learning area alone had not been “sufficient enough” to attract parents.

She added:

“The school building and site is not owned by the county council.

“The owners will take decisions about the future use of the school site and building after the closure proposal has been determined.”

The council has proposed that, should the school close, then the catchment area will be taken in by Kirby Hill Church of England Primary School.

Representations on the closure can still be made to the council by April 27.

Harrogate Grammar School appoints student leadership team

Harrogate Grammar School has appointed a new student leadership team.

Tess Eastaugh and Zach Southworth have been appointed head students of the Student Leadership Team, while Hannah Barclay, Sam Featherstone, Alice Lashua, Theo Levine, Adam Mir and Amy Robson have all been appointed as deputies.

The head students have a wide remit to represent over 2000 students, to chair the senate and report back to the senior leaders in the school.

Meanwhile, the deputies run the school council across the year groups.

The whole team will support school events, whilst also promoting the recruitment of new students and meeting with other Head Students from across the Red Kite Learning Trust.

Ben Twitchin, director of the school’s sixth form, said:

“Candidates wrote a letter of application and then recorded a short piece to camera, which was played to whole school for all students to cast their vote.

“Successful students then presented to the school’s Senate, and from the final eight students were interviewed to become part of our Student Leadership Team, with Tess and Zach as our Head Students and the other six as a key team of Deputies.”

Zach Southworth, head student, said:

“Being appointed Head Student is the culmination of a dream for me as I was inspired by a previous Head Student when I joined year 7 in 2017. I now have the responsibility, with the rest of the team, to work with all the staff, and students to continue to enhance the experience of students at our school.”

Neil Renton, headteacher at the grammar school, added:

“We are fortunate to have such a strong group of student leaders at our school”

“This team will build on the fantastic work of our previous student leaders who have made such a positive contribution to school life.

“We know that they will be positive role models and fine ambassadors for our school within the wider community.”

Pictured above: Front left to right: Zach Southworth and Tess Eastaugh Middle left to right: Adam Mir, Amy Robson, Alice Lashua and Hannah Barclay Back left to right: Theo Levine and Sam Featherstone.

Ripon pupils dress up to celebrate World Book Day

Children at a school near Ripon were among thousands nationwide to dress up today for World Book Day.

Pupils and staff at Fountains Church of England Primary School, which is at Grantley, came to lessons dressed as their favourite characters from a range of books.

The children also swapped books with each other as part of the celebrations.

It comes as pupils across the district have celebrated the day, which aims to promote reading for pleasure among children.

Staff at the school get into the spirit.

Do you have any pictures from your school celebrating World Book Day? Send them to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or message us on Facebook.

Council to consult on Nidderdale Children’s Centre closure

North Yorkshire County Council is set to consult on the closure of a children’s centre in Nidderdale.

The authority has proposed to close five centres across the county as part of cost cutting measures.

Among them is Nidderdale Children’s Centre, which is based at St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School in Pateley Bridge.

The council has recommended consulting on closure of the facility, which it says has not reopened since the covid pandemic.

Instead, officials have proposed giving the space back to the school in a bid to save the authority £13,400 a year.

In a report due before a children and young persons meeting, Stuart Carlton, director of children’s services, will say:

“Previously used on an occasional basis for service delivery, the Nidderdale Children’s Centre building was unused during the pandemic and has not re-opened. There has not previously been any partner use of the building which connected to the school.

“The proposal is to release the space back to St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School, with an agreement that the premises would be used for direct work with children attending the school.”

The centre opened in September 2010 as a designated children’s centre. It was backed by £590,715 worth of Sure Start funding from the Department for Education.

The county council said it does not anticipate that the government will request any of the money back.

Centres in Eastfield, South Craven, Kirbymoorside and Wensleydale will also be considered for closure.

County councillors will discuss the proposal at a meeting on March 7.

Teachers in Harrogate district set to strike for second time

Teachers in the Harrogate district are set to go on strike tomorrow.

Members of the National Education Union will walk out on Tuesday in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The union argues a 5% pay rise in 2022 was insufficient to combat the impact of inflation at 10%, leaving many teachers effectively facing a pay cut.

The move will affect education across the district, with some pupils taking lessons remotely.

How Harrogate district schools are affected

Harrogate Grammar School pupils in years 10, 11 and 13 will be asked to attend school as normal.

However, those in years 7, 8, 9 and 12 will take lessons remotely where a teacher is not on strike.

Meanwhile, St Aidan’s Church of England High School has told parents it will “endeavour to provide their usual suite of lessons” for those who are required to attend school.

Years 8, 10 and 11 have been told they should take lessons at home, while years 7 and 9 should attend as normal.

The school has told year 12 pupils that while they are not “obliged to attend school”, a study area will be provided if they notify school that they wish to attend.

In a letter to parents, it added:

“These arrangements apply to both St Aidan’s and St John Fisher students in the Associated Sixth Form. Year 12 students should inform their home school of their intention to attend, should that be the case.”

Elsewhere, Rossett School has informed parents that it intends to repeat the same arrangements as the last teachers strike.

The school said:

“As a leadership team, we have decided to repeat the arrangements from the last strike day of Year 7, 11, 12 & 13 in school and Year 8, 9, and 10 working remotely.”

St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate will remain open to year 7 and 13 only.

In Knaresborough, King James’s School has advised that school will be closed to all students, apart from year 11 and sixth form who should continue to attend.

Outwood Academy in Ripon will remain open to year 11 and vulnerable students. Other year groups will be expected to complete work from home.

Details of how other secondary schools are affected will be posted as we get them.

Meet the man aiming to restore pride and ambition at Rossett School

Taking on your first headteacher role would be a daunting prospect for any aspiring leader.

Doing so at a time of significant change and challenge in the school’s history would cause many to think twice.

Not so Pete Saunders.

The geography teacher has stepped into the top job at Rossett School on the back of a difficult time: the departure of former head Helen Woodcock, a critical Ofsted report that failed to improve on its ‘requires improvement’ rating, and questions over discipline in the school.

Nevertheless, he is ambitious about the school’s future.

“We want it to be a place of excellence, a place your children come to and they experience excellence in everything they do. We definitely have the raw materials for that.”

Mr Saunders is an experienced assistant and deputy head. Having studied at Durham University, he trained and began his career in London, and has spent 10 of his 14 teaching years in senior leadership roles.

He moved to Harrogate five years ago, returning close to his roots: he is a former pupil of Ripon Grammar School, where his father was an assistant headteacher.

Mr Saunders has been acting head at Rossett since January and says there has already been rapid progress since Ofsted visited before Christmas.

“Last half term we achieved a lot. We put a lot of focus on behaviour and attitudes – getting the basics right. That’s an on-going thing, it doesn’t get solved straight away.

“It’s a minority of children and they do face significant challenges. We have to work with them – it’s not a quick fix. Rossett is a very inclusive school and tries to support children no matter what their start in life has been.

“It’s very important to establish high standards. What we have been doing is raising the bar of the expectations. That applies to all children, not just that group.

“It’s being proud of the school you come to, wearing your uniform with pride, those sorts of things.”

As well as concerns over discipline, inspectors identified shortfalls in leadership and management, which Mr Saunders says were rectified “the day after the inspection”.

Despite the headline-grabbing problems, he believes there is much to be proud of in the report, and at Rossett more generally.

He cites the strength of the curriculum and teaching, the support for students to reach their potential, whatever that is, and the strong links with the community, as among the school’s strengths.

His favourite moments are the end-of-term presentations, when students are rewarded for their achievements. Mr Saunders describes seeing them cheer for their classmates and celebrate each other as “heartwarming”.

Rossett has the unusual assets on site of a thriving community sports centre and a huge adult education centre welcoming thousands of students through its doors each year.

Both of those are performing well, growing their numbers again after the challenges of the pandemic.

Covid is also behind a lot of the problems cited by Ofsted, Mr Saunders says.

“Some of the behaviours that the minority are displaying have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Some of the children in years 7 and 8 didn’t get an end to their primary school and it’s a key time for socialising.

“We’re teaching social norms as well as teaching the curriculum of subjects. We’re looking at how to do that most effectively, not just assuming children know how to do it.

“Nationally, there has been a huge downturn in attendance at school, especially for disadvantaged students. The impact on some parents’ perceptions of the importance of attendance has been quite big.

“We’re working with families to ensure they know how important it is and what the gaps will do to their child’s progress.”

As well as internal changes to address its challenges, Rossett is considering a fundamental shift: joining the Red Kite Learning Trust.

The multi-academy trust includes 13 schools from North and West Yorkshire. Harrogate Grammar School, Rossett Acre Primary School and Western Primary School – all within striking distance – are already part of the family.

Its chief executive, Richard Sheriff, is full of enthusiasm about the prospect of welcoming Rossett School into the fold. He says he will be working closely with the school over the coming months:

“We hope by working together, we can do more for young people.

“It’s not an exclusive club: it’s great to work with St John Fisher, Harrogate High and St Aidan’s too. It’s about Harrogate working as one.

“Harrogate is a community. There has been too much in the past about being divisive. That’s not the way we work in education. We work in the service of children.”

Pete Saunders, left, and Richard Sheriff

If it goes ahead, any move for Rossett to join Red Kite would not take effect until September – at the same time as a new permanent head should be beginning work.

While Mr Saunders has an eye on that opportunity, he says his priority is doing what is right by the school and its students.

“I’ve got a fantastic team of staff. Absolutely everyone has risen to the challenge. They want the best for the children here.”

He hopes those principles, determination and hard work will reassure current parents and those considering Rossett for their children in future.

“If I’m the head from September, we will not accept anything less than excellence. Parents can be confident I will not settle for anything that’s not as good as, or better than, other schools in this local area.

“We will take a real interest in your child and help them develop who they are.”