A Harrogate primary school is to be re-inspected by Ofsted after an interim assessment suggested it could be judged ‘outstanding’.
Oatlands Junior School was rated ‘good’ when Ofsted visited in 2018, and following inspectors’ latest visit in July, the school retained that status.
But in its report, Ofsted said there was “enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) [i.e. more comprehensive] inspection now”.
Oatlands is now expected to undergo a graded inspection within the next two years to assess whether it is still ‘good’ or has attained ‘outstanding’ status.
The report, released today, particularly praises the school’s inclusivity, reporting that leaders and staff “help every pupil, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to be the very best that they can be.”
It goes on to praise the school’s “broad and interesting” curriculum, pupils’ behaviour, sense of equality, and respect for difference and diversity.
The headteacher of Oatlands Junior School, Mrs Estelle Scarth, said:
“The report certainly captures everything about Oatlands Junior School that we are immensely proud of and quite rightly describes all the outstanding evidence that was found throughout a very thorough inspection.
“Our success is firmly based on the dedication and talents of everyone that works in our school, the strong, positive relationships that we have with our parents and carers, and of course, all the amazing children in our care.”
Oatlands Junior School, along with Western Primary and Harrogate Grammar School, was one of the founding schools of the Red Kite Learning Trust in 2015. This has since grown into a multi-academy trust of 14 schools across North and West Yorkshire.
Amanda Thornton Jones, Director of Primary Education for Red Kite Learning Trust, said:
“Ofsted recognised the strong collaborative approach within our Trust and how talent and expertise of staff are developed across all our schools. Oatlands Junior School has a highly trained, dedicated and expert team led by an exceptional headteacher.
“Mrs Scarth’s high aspirations and vision are shared by all within the school community. Oatlands Junior is a highly successful school, providing a rich curriculum which releases potential and creates amazing opportunities for all pupils.”
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‘Rapid improvements’ help Beckwithshaw school return to ‘good’ Ofsted rating
A village primary school near Harrogate has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted just 19 months after it was found to be failing.
Beckwithshaw Primary School‘s latest Ofsted report reveals inspectors found there had been “rapid improvements” after the previous ‘inadequate’ rating.
The report, published after the end of term following an inspection in July, said:
“Beckwithshaw is a small school with big ideas. Leaders have worked swiftly and tirelessly to bring about great improvement in the school.
“Staff and parents value the changes that have taken place. They recognise that the improvements have led to pupils receiving a better quality of education. This a happy place for pupils to learn.
“Leaders have placed well-being at the heart of what they do for pupils and staff. People care about each other. They are welcomed into school each day with a smile. Courtesy, politeness and respect are modelled by everyone.
“Relationships are strong. This leads to pupils being happy and considerate of others. They enjoy being part of the small school community.”
Inspectors found the school was offering lots of opportunities for reading, from first phonics lessons onwards.
Meanwhile, teaching of maths was found to be “effective”, with teachers adapting the curriculum to suit children’s differing needs.
The report added:
“There is a feeling of positivity in the school, which pupils share. Leaders and staff are ambitious for pupils. They have high expectations for the future.
“Leaders have reviewed the curriculum. They ensure that pupils access learning in a broad range of subjects. They ensure that learning is planned carefully for pupils in mixed-aged classes. In some subjects, learning builds progressively from the early years to Year 6. This helps pupils to use past knowledge to learn more.
“Leaders recognise that there is more to do in some subjects to identify the important knowledge they want pupils to remember.”
After the last Ofsted report, Beckwithshaw – which is federated with Ripley Endowed and Kettlesing Felliscliffe primary schools – was put under the leadership of an interim executive board (IEB).
Two interim executive headteachers, Victoria Kirkman and Chris Whitehead, oversaw all three schools.
Mr Whitehead left last October, when the schools were expected to become part of a multi-academy trust (MAT), as required by Ofsted following the ‘inadequate’ rating given to both Beckwithshaw and Ripley.
However, those plans fell through, and the chair of the IEB, Robert Ling, said the schools continued to look for a trust to join.
Miss Kirkman remains in post on an interim basis, along with co-executive headteacher Rebecca Foy. Along with Beckwithshaw’s new rating, Ripley was ranked ‘good’ in May.
While recognising the improvements that had been made, the latest Ofsted report urged the school to make long-term plans. It said:
“The current arrangements for governance have proved to be effective in supporting improvements in the school. However, the arrangements are not permanent.
“The IEB, alongside the local authority, should work with continued urgency to ensure that a transition to a sustainable and high-quality governance model is well managed, and in place as soon as possible.”
North Yorkshire Council has welcomed news of the new grade and sent its congratulations to the school.
Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education, learning and skills, said:
“A huge thank you to the teaching staff, pupils, parents, carers and the school community for their continued support in this remarkable journey.
“I am delighted that Beckwithshaw Primary School is now a school where children can flourish.
“The school leaders have worked closely with the interim executive board (IEB), local schools and the local authority to address previous areas of weaknesses, which has resulted in the Ofsted good grading in all areas.
“Ofsted inspectors praised the school for its positivity and stated that ‘leaders and staff are ambitious for pupils and have high expectations for the future’ and they recognised the effective approach in which maths is taught.
“We are committed to continue developing the best possible provision for the pupils and will work tirelessly to build on these successes.”
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Harrogate nursery praised for focus on children’s development after covid
A Harrogate nursery has been praised by Ofsted for delivering a “safe” environment where children feel “confident” and content.
Acorns In Harrogate, based in the grounds of Hookstone Chase Primary School, has maintained its ‘good’ rating earned at its last inspection in 2019.
In its latest report, inspector Pat Edmond said:
“Children are happy and settled at the nursery. Staff recognise the impact that the covid-19 pandemic has had on children’s development. They have sensibly prioritised children’s personal, social and emotional development.
“The success of this is evident throughout the setting. Children are relaxed, confident and very well behaved.”
Visiting the nursery in June, Ms Edmond found its staff had a good understanding of children’s development and were able to effectively support children with special educational needs.
She said the children enjoyed the ‘healthy, home-cooked meals” on offer and staff helped them to understand about their health, both through food and drink and by spending time outdoors.
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Activities helped children to develop skills, she said, from babies crawling to reach their favourite books to older children learning to count through fun group tasks.
The report added:
“Managers lead a stable staff team. On the whole, leaders have a good oversight of the quality of provision.
“They recognise when aspects of the provision require further development. They strive to put plans in place to improve matters. Both the baby room and toddler room are particularly well supported.
“However, monitoring is not as robust as it could be. There are minor inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is delivered, both indoors and outdoors.”
Ms Edmond recommended continuing to develop systems for monitoring the delivery of the curriculum, and ensuring all staff and parents knew what children needed to do to expand their vocabulary.
Responding to the new report, nursery manager Rebecca Lister said the staff were pleased with the outcome and had enjoyed showing the inspector around the setting, despite the visit taking place on a rainy day.
She added:
“The improvement area identified by the inspector has already been addressed by the creation of a beautiful home learning area with information about the songs, signs, stories that we are learning for the week coupled with learning bags for parents to take home and share with their children.
“It was wonderful that the inspector recognised the strong relationships our children share with their key practitioners, who take great pride in really getting to know the children and their extended families.”