Ripon nursery creates ‘joy and happiness’, says Ofsted

A nursery in Ripon has been praised for the sense of joy it creates in its children.

In a report published this week, Ofsted said Stepping Stones in Blossomgate offered “purposeful” activities and helped children to become more independent.

Rating the setting ‘good’, inspector Jen Lyons said:

“Lively, interesting and purposeful activities filtrate the rooms, giving a sense of joy and happiness for the children and staff at this nursery.

“Children are settled and happy attending and have built strong attachments with their key workers and other staff. Children are focused and engaged in carefully planned activities built around their interests and next steps.

“Joyful songs are heard throughout the day and children’s faces light up during group singing sessions. Babies learn about jungle animals, exploring different textures through making animal footprints in play dough.

“Children experience moments of awe and wonder, such as while using shakers and playing with glittery water in the baby room. This effectively supports the development of children’s emotional well-being.”

The inspection, which took place in February, found staff helped children to develop their understanding in key areas of the curriculum.

Indoor activities, such as learning the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, were followed by imaginative play outside when the children pretended to be characters from the fairytale.

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Ms Lyons said the nursery’s approach of making learning enjoyable helped children to engage and make good progress.

She added:

“Children with special educational and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff are quick to spot the signs of children not meeting relevant milestones.

“These children make good progress from their starting points as staff know how best to support them. Parents are kept well informed of their progress and are happy with their learning and development.”

Looking at areas for improvement, the report recommended the nursery should ensure consistent teaching about personal care, such as washing hands before meals.

Stepping Stones manager Clare Brigantes said she was pleased with the latest Ofsted report and that the recommended improvement was already in place.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Normally, you feel on edge about an Ofsted inspection, but she was very friendly and made everyone feel at ease.

“The day just flowed and it was really nice – the staff were able to answer her questions and the children were having a really good day.

“The inspector asked us to get emails from parents about their experiences. Some of them made me cry.

“They say thank you when they’re picking up and we get Christmas cards and things, but it’s lovely to hear their experiences and how they really feel about what we offer.”

Ofsted praise for opportunities on offer at Nidderdale High School

Ofsted inspectors have praised the ethos and “high ambitions” at Nidderdale High School in their latest report.

The report, published yesterday, was not a full grading inspection but found the school “continues to be good”, in line with its last full inspection ranking in 2017.

After visiting the school in January, inspectors found pupils felt safe, behaviour was generally good, and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities were well supported.

The report said:

“There is a full personal development programme in place for pupils. This has a clear focus on important issues such as careers education, personal safety and relationships, sex and health education.

“Assemblies focus on developing pupils’ character, supporting their wellbeing and improving their resilience. Leaders have established a programme called ‘Wednesday Flourish’ where pupils access opportunities to support their wider development such as baking, bush craft and sign language.

“Trips and visits have also been re-established. Pupils can go on theatre trips, to Christmas markets and abroad to places such as Berlin and France. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 can also be part of the student council, and leaders have plans to re-establish the key stage 3 student council.

“Morale among staff is high. They feel valued by members of the leadership team, who are mindful of their workload. All staff who responded to the staff survey said that they were proud to work at the school.”

Inspectors particularly praised the Pateley Bridge school’s ‘Niddventure’ programme, with outdoor learning opportunities such as hill climbing.

They said the way it was set up enabled pupils to choose their own activities and was inclusive of all pupils.

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The report cited two key areas for development. Firstly, it said the school did not work closely enough with alternative providers where some of its students were enrolled, and should be visiting them regularly.

Secondly, it found there was still work to do in developing the curriculum across all subjects. The inspectors said:

“Pupils generally behave well in lessons and around school. In some lessons, there is some low-level disruption. Teachers follow the behaviour policy to refocus pupils on their learning.

“Where behaviour is not as strong in some lessons, learning activities are not as challenging as they could be. Leaders know this and have plans to review curriculum planning in subjects where the curriculum requires further development, including in mathematics.”

‘High ambitions recognised’

Nidderdale High School, which has just under 400 pupils aged between 11 and 16 on its roll, has welcomed the latest report.

Headteacher Kath Jordan said:

“We were delighted to see the importance of strong relationships highlighted through our emphasis on Ready, Respectful and Safe.

“The many strengths of our school in providing support, care and guidance for individuals are highlighted as well as some of the more unique and innovative aspects of our school curriculum, including NiddVenture and Flourish.

“The new inspection framework places great emphasis on curriculum development and we were very pleased that the school’s ‘high ambitions’ were recognised and that our ability to provide a ‘wide curriculum offer’ is also noted.

“Our teaching staff are passionate about their subjects and about providing the very best opportunities for all of our young people. This is recognised in the ‘shared vision for ensuring that the quality of education continues to improve’.

“From an already good position we will continue to strive for excellence in all that we do at Nidderdale High School.”

Ofsted carries out interim visits to schools rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ to ensure they are still of the same standard, without giving a new rating.

If inspectors find the school would now achieve a higher or lower ranking, they will carry out a full grading inspection, usually within two years.

Ofsted praise for ‘warm and welcoming’ village pre-school near Harrogate

A pre-school in Pannal has received praise from Ofsted for its “welcoming” setting and care for its children.

Busy Bees Pre-school, based in the grounds of Pannal Primary School, retained its ‘good’ grading in the report published this month.

Inspector Amy Whiting, who visited the setting in January, said:

“Children are happy and enjoy spending time in this warm, welcoming setting. New children settle quickly and soon become familiar with their surroundings.

“Staff are attentive to children’s needs. Children show they feel comfortable with the staff. For example, they climb onto staff members’ knees during play, and seek out staff for cuddles.”

She also praised the way the manager leads the team of staff, offering support and mentoring to new and more junior people, with relevant online training.

Ms Whiting said staff had “high levels of well-being and feel supported”, and there was a clear plan for improving the pre-school.

She highlighted the “effective” development of children’s maths skills, and use of additional funding to bring in teachers for extra activities such as yoga and rugby. She said children were encouraged to take turns at activities, but instructions could be clearer so they always know what is expected of them.

The report also praised the manager’s understanding of the safeguarding and referral process, saying anyone left in charge in her absence was suitably knowledgeable, and all staff had regular safeguarding training.

But Ms Whiting added:

“However, in some cases, staff’s understanding of, and confidence to talk about wider safeguarding issues, such as female genital mutilation and ‘Prevent’ duty [relating to terrorism], is not fully developed.

“Similarly to this, plans for staff’s continued professional development in this regard are not yet fully developed.”

The report and grading have been welcomed by the pre-school, which cares for 30 children aged between two and four.

Pre-school manager Tina Morley said:

“We feel the inspection went very well and I couldn’t be prouder of my amazing team.

“The inspector commented during the feedback meeting how confident and well-settled the children were and how the staff seemed genuinely passionate about their care, education and welfare.

“We were delighted to retain our Good grading across all aspects of our provision.

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Ofsted praises village school near Harrogate

Teachers at Pannal Primary School have been praised by Ofsted for having high expectations of pupils.

The schools inspector found children lived up to those expectations and the school’s vision of ‘Pannal-shaped’ pupils who are collaborative, respectful and self-aware.

Ofsted’s latest report maintained Pannal’s ‘good’ rating, with inspectors writing:

“Leaders have prioritised the personal development of pupils. A well-planned curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) is supported by other opportunities.

“Trips and visits enhance what pupils’ study. The emphasis on pupils’ personal development also supports their positive behaviour, which is seen in lessons and around the school.”

The report, published this week, found pupils felt safe in school and were confident to raise concerns with staff. They had positive relationships with staff and with each other.

Pupils who needed extra support were well supported, the inspectors said, adding:

“Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strong. Leaders provide effective support to ensure that teachers have the skills to support all pupils with SEND well.

“Leaders have invested in a high level of adult support. This is used well across all classes. Leaders are quick to identify the best ways to support these pupils, including work with external agencies.”

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Visiting at the end of November, the inspectors found children learned to read quickly after starting school and could get extra support if needed. They also said daily maths lessons with a “carefully planned” curriculum helped to make a good start.

The report added:

“Leaders have created a curriculum which they keep under review. Passionate and knowledgeable curriculum leaders have identified knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn as part of their big picture.

“In some subjects, leaders have not identified the small steps of learning that teachers need to follow in the right order to ensure that all pupils gain the key knowledge and vocabulary for the subject. Without coherently sequenced subject plans, pupils will not secure the essential building blocks for future learning.”

Responding to the report, Pannal Primary School headteacher Jane Turner said:

“We are very pleased that the inspectors found that we were “good” in all aspects of the inspection schedule.

“The identified areas for improvement match well with our current school development plans to further enhance our broader curriculum and strengthen the expertise of class teachers as subject leaders.

“The inspectors were blown-away by the volume and positivity of our ParentView responses – all 215 of them!

“100% of our parents would recommend our school to others. We were thrilled with this level of parental support.”

Harrogate pre-school wins Ofsted praise for care and teaching

A pre-school in Harrogate has been praised by Ofsted for its “high expectations” and helping children to prepare for school.

Little Crickets, based at Harrogate Cricket Club on St George’s Road, maintained its ‘good’ rating in its latest report from inspector Clare Bligh.

She found children were given tasks to challenge them and help them learn, as well as building on their interests, and had opportunities to be active outdoors.

In a report published this week, she said:

“Parents are very happy with the pre-school. They report that they receive lots of information about their children’s learning and development. They are actively involved in contributing to children’s assessments.

“Key persons ensure that parents know about what their children are learning in the setting. Parents particularly enjoy the regular parent consultation meetings. They also appreciate that during the settling-in period, staff fully consider the needs of their families and the individual children.”

Visiting in December, the inspector found children were “happy and motivated to learn”, going into the “thoughtfully designed” pre-school with confidence.

Ms Bligh praised the support offered to children with English as an additional language. She found they were encouraged to use their home languages and staff translated their words to ensure they were understanding the tasks set for them.

She added:

“Staff feel very supported by the leaders. They have regular supervision sessions.

“Managers ensure they check the well-being of staff and are keen to identify any workload issues. Any issues are managed effectively.

“Staff report that they love their jobs and enjoy working in this caring and supportive pre-school.”

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The report said in some cases, children were not given enough time to think about and give their answers before staff provided them. During large-group activities, not everyone was invited to join in, such as song time before lunch.

Ms Bligh said this could be improved to ensure children were able to develop their thoughts and to take advantage of all learning opportunities.

Responding to the report, Little Crickets manager Rebecca Vass said:

“I am really proud of our staff team who as always go above and beyond to meet the individual needs of the children who attend Little Crickets and this is what Ofsted saw when they came to visit.”

Jen Baldry and Ben Priestley, co-chairs of the pre-school committee, added:

“The committee continue to be incredibly grateful to all the staff who consistently deliver a great learning environment and a genuine care for the children at Little Crickets.”
‘Kind and caring’ staff draw Ofsted praise for Harrogate nursery

Strong leadership and a nurturing environment have earned praise from Ofsted for a Harrogate day nursery.

Busy Bees on South Drive was rated ‘good’ in all areas in a report published at the end of December.

In her report, inspector Jan Batchelor said:

“Children are greeted warmly by staff when they arrive at the nursery. They are keen to go and find their friends.

“There are plenty of cuddles and reassurance for children who are a little unsettled or new to the nursery. Throughout the day, children are treated with the utmost kindness, care and respect by the nurturing staff team.”

Ms Batchelor praised the many opportunities for learning on offer at the nursery. Both indoor and outdoor spaces were found to be supportive of development, with staff helping children to build on their knowledge and understanding in each age group.

She said there was a “good balance” between staff-led activities and time for independent play.

The inspection, which took place in November, found two areas for improvement, including giving more consistent messaging about healthy eating to ensure children understood it.

It also found children missed out on learning time when they had to wait for meals to be served or for others to take off their coats and wash their hands after being outside.

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Ms Batchelor added:

“Staff’s skilful interactions with children make learning fun and meaningful. They use their knowledge of individual children’s interests to set up effective learning opportunities.

“Staff introduce new vocabulary as children play. They question the children to help develop their thinking skills. Children are always given time to respond.

“Where children are not making as much progress as others, additional support is put in place. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children’s needs are being met as effectively as possible.”

Busy Bees on South Drive – formerly known as Kindercare and still registered under that name with Ofsted – was previously rated ‘outstanding’ in its last inspection, in late 2018. However, Ofsted has since changed its inspection framework for childcare and education settings, meaning they have to meet much higher criteria in order to achieve the top rating.

Responding to the latest report, South Drive centre director Danni Catton said:

“Overall, we felt the inspection went very well and it was great to read that the report highlighted our commitment to the children’s learning and safety, and our effective partnerships with parents. Our team is committed to giving children the best start in life and we continuously strive to ensure the needs of children are being met at all times.

“We are pleased with our ‘good’ rating – we will take the inspectors’ improvements into consideration, and we will continue to work towards achieving an ‘outstanding’.”

Ofsted praises ‘true family feel’ at village school near Harrogate

A village primary school near Harrogate has been praised by Ofsted for its strong values and family feel.

All Saints’ Church of England Primary School in Kirkby Overblow was ‘good’, according to inspectors who visited for the first time since it joined the Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust in 2018.

In their report, published this week, they said:

“Pupils embody the school values well. These values help pupils to understand the importance of never giving up, being a good friend, working hard and looking out for others.

“There is a true family feel in the school. Teachers expect pupils to try their best and behave well. Most pupils expect this of themselves.

“Bullying is virtually non-existent. Pupils play together with good humour. Break times are energetic for some, and calm and relaxed for others.”

The report said the curriculum was well-designed, pupils’ learning was secure, and there was a strong focus on making all pupils fluent readers from an early age.

All areas of the curriculum are taught to all pupils, inspectors said, so even those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have the opportunity to learn and succeed. The report said pupils’ needs were identified early, allowing the school to put in place extra support.

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Addressing areas to improve, inspectors recommended the school’s leaders could further refine the curriculum to fill in some gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

The report added:

“Pupils benefit from a variety of opportunities to support their broader development. They aspire to a role of responsibility. This can be as a well-being officer, sports leader, worship ambassador, charity officer or eco-warrior…

“Pupils play a key role in the community. They recently raised money for people in Ukraine through an event in the local church. Pupils have raised funds for a school in Africa and visited places of worship for other faiths…

“Staff say they enjoy working in school because leaders make sure they have a sensible workload. Leaders have restructured subject leadership. This has reduced the number of responsibilities for each teacher.

“Staff morale is good. Staff support each other. Communication is strong. Teachers say that they are willing to take a risk because there is no fear of criticism.”

The report has been welcomed by the school, whose base leader Sarah Honey said she was proud of everyone in the school. She added it was a”a very special place to work”.

Headteacher Amber Andrews, who has been in post since 2018 and also leads North Rigton Primary School, said:

“We were delighted to receive such an encouraging and complimentary report, which recognised how the whole school community embodies our values and praised the work that we had put into creating our own bespoke curriculum.

“All children are able to access this curriculum making it inclusive to all – no child misses out. Inspectors documented the excellent standard of behaviour of the children both in class and whilst playing, adding ‘pupils play together with good humour’ and value the beautiful outside space.”

Nidderdale primary school still ‘good’ under new head, says Ofsted

A village school in Nidderdale continues to be ‘good’, following the latest visit from Ofsted inspectors.

Birstwith C of E Primary School has maintained the ranking since 2012 and now receives “ungraded inspections” from Ofsted to ensure its standards remain high.

In its latest report, published this week, inspectors said the school had strong links with parents and pupils were “excited” about coming to school. They said:

“A Christian ethos is at the heart of this Church of England school. Leaders encourage staff and pupils to treat each other with respect and dignity.

“Leaders regularly remind pupils of the gospel verse describing Jesus giving a new commandment: ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ Pupils try very hard to live up to this. As a result, bullying is extremely rare.”

The report praised headteacher Victoria Kirkman, who led a curriculum review before joining the school in September 2021. Inspectors said this enabled her to “hit the ground running” and that the curriculum was well-established, even where new subject leaders had recently joined the school.

However, they said in some areas the curriculum was not ambitious enough and some opportunities were missed to build on pupils’ knowledge and ensure learning met the needs of all pupils.

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Inspectors particularly commended the school’s special educational needs provision, led by Miss Kirkman. They said:

“Leaders use diagnostic tests skilfully. Pupils’ moderate learning difficulties are assessed so that each pupil’s specific processing difficulties are accurately identified.

“The Senco [special educational needs coordinator] gives teachers ideas to meet each pupil’s needs. Teachers adjust the curriculum accordingly. This may be by simply allowing pupils more thinking time before expecting a response to questions. It involves presenting information in smaller chunks.

“Teachers provide sensory breaks or music therapy for pupils who need them. This precise approach is helping pupils with SEND to make good progress.”

Responding to the report, Miss Kirkman said:

“Since September 2021 there has been significant work undertaken at Birstwith School by all stakeholders to ensure the children are happy, safe and secure including: health and safety, safeguarding, the quality of the curriculum and provision for SEND pupils. We are delighted that this hard work has been recognised.

“We could not have done this without the continued drive, commitment and unwavering support of all stakeholders and their unwavering support for the significant changes in the best interests of their children. As as a Church of England school, we are proud that it was recognised that ‘a Christian ethos is at the heart of this school’.

“Of course, there is always an area to continue to develop, however we had already identified this and already have plans in place to address – the focus being our ‘most-able pupils’.”

Birstwith school is partnered with Admiral Long C of E Primary School in Burnt Yates.

Miss Kirkman was also appointed executive headteacher at the three federated primary schools in Ripley, Beckwithshaw and Kettlesing earlier this year.

Ripley and Beckwithshaw received ‘inadequate’ ratings from Ofsted at the beginning of the year and Miss Kirkman said there had been “significant and rapid, positive improvements” to both, with the results of an interim Ofsted inspection due to be published soon.

Ofsted finds ‘good’ village school near Knaresborough is ‘like a second home’

A village school near Knaresborough with 78 pupils on the roll continues to be ‘good’, according to Ofsted inspectors.

The latest report found Goldsborough Primary School was welcoming and safe, described as “like a second home” by one pupil when inspectors visited in July.

The new report, published last week, found pupils’ behaviour was “calm and purposeful” and that staff were quick to deal with any bullying at an early stage. It said:

“Pupils are taught how to care for their mental health. Leaders support this through a commitment to the school values of happiness, perseverance, resilience, kindness, friendship and respect.

“The school works closely with the church. Alongside school leaders, church members contribute to thoughtful discussion about a wide range of spiritual and moral topics in assemblies.”

Inspectors found teachers had high expectations of pupils and set a “well-sequenced curriculum”, though said they acknowledged it was not implemented consistently in all classes.

Goldsborough staff and pupils welcome its latest Ofsted report

Executive headteacher Zoe Ellis welcomed the report and said the school and Ofsted understood reasons why there was some inconsistency and had a plan to tackle it. She said:

“Ofsted and leaders both recognised that the approach was not always consistent in classes due to significant absences throughout periods of covid.

“Ofsted were positive that leaders were already making strides to improve this and that they had a strong, strategic approach to continue with the positive trajectory witnessed on the inspection day.”

The report highlighted the teaching of reading as a particular strength, along with the development of the curriculum in core subjects such as maths since the last inspection. It also praised the support for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities, which inspectors found helped all pupils to make progress through the school.

Personal, health and social education (PHSE) and relationships and sex education (RSE) were both found to be “a strength within this small school”.

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Inspectors also praised the school’s leadership, saying:

“Staff say that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. They work hard because they want the best for the pupils in their care.

“Members of staff explained that they enjoy their job and are proud to work at Goldsborough. Governors are supportive of leaders across the federation. They are very proud of what the school has achieved.

“They are dedicated to working with leaders to continue to improve the school further. They work well with leaders to oversee this ongoing improvement.”

Goldsborough Primary School has been federated with Sicklinghall Primary School since January 2017. Mrs Ellis is executive headteacher of both schools and has a shared governing body.

Inspectors said the ‘good’ rating of the previous full inspection in 2012 had been maintained, which under Ofsted’s new framework means a further full inspection is not required.

‘Welcoming’ Spofforth school rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

Spofforth Church of England Primary School has been rated ‘good’ in its first full Ofsted inspection for a decade.

Inspectors visited the school on July 20, at the end of the summer term, and said pupils were “confident and articulate” and “proud to attend this happy and welcoming school”. They said:

“Pupils are proud to attend this happy and welcoming school, where everyone knows each other by name. Christian values are at the heart of school life and reflected in the stated ambition to ‘love, learn, thrive’.

“Pupils are confident and articulate. They enjoy leading collective worship and performing in school productions.”

Senior leaders, they added, had “high expectations of what pupils can achieve”.

Children flourish in early years and have strong personal development, read a range of interesting books and follow a clear mathematics curriculum.

But the inspectors said “the curriculum is not as well developed” in some subject areas other than reading and mathematics and also noted:

“Some pupils behave inappropriately and are sometimes disrespectful to other pupils and members of staff. However, pupils have a good understanding of what bullying is and are adamant this does not happen.”

The 101-pupil school, which is part of the Follifoot and Spofforth Church of England Federation of Primary Schools, received a ‘good’ rating at its last full inspection in 2012. A short inspection in 2017 came to the same conclusion.

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David Harrington, chair of governors, said:

“Everyone at Spofforth CE Primary and across our federation is very pleased with the outcome of our most recent inspection.

“We are delighted that the inspector recognised the strong sense of community where everyone knows each other by name.

“We are particularly proud of the strength in our federation EYFS class where children from both schools access such high quality education.

“I would like to thank the children, parents, governors and staff for their hard work and support which is reflected in this report.

“As a school and federation we are ready to focus on the agreed areas for development in the report in order to ensure that all our children have the best possible education and love, learn and thrive across the federation.”