Scarborough-area primary schools rated as 'inadequate' and 'requires improvement' by Ofsted at latest inspection

The school standards regulator visited Sherburn C Of E Primary School in the summer, but in its recently published report said the school’s leaders “do not check that policies are up to date” and that safeguarding is “not effective”.

It said that leaders are “not appropriately challenged” by Governors, safeguarding records are not checked regularly and leaders do not ensure that medical healthcare plans are in place for all pupils with medical needs.

The inspectors’ report praised the school for encouraging pupils to attend a wide range of clubs and that they “benefit from varied and interesting experiences”.

The report said most pupils enjoy learning and enjoy the opportunity to speak with a range of professionals about their jobs and gain an experience of potential careers.

However, teachers are said to deliver “too many lessons” that cover what pupils already know, meaning “fundamental British values have no been taught” to certain cohorts, resulting in gaps in “essential knowledge”.

Arrangements for keeping children safe were described as “poor” by inspectors.

Matthew Davies, Executive Headteacher at Sherburn Primary School, said: “We are a school which has always strived to create a positive, engaging culture where children achieve their potential and where staff are caring and supportive of pupils, which was acknowledged during the inspection.

“We were in the process of strengthening our safeguarding policies and practice prior to this inspection and are continuing this work following the recent Ofsted findings.

“We have high aspirations for pupils and the wider school community and are already putting these ambitions into practice.”

Sherburn was rated as “Inadequate”. It was previously rated as “Good” at its last inspection in 2017.

Following an Ofsted visit to Hackness C of E Primary School, leaders were praised for an environment where pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs and activities and that “bullying is very rare”.

Staff have restarted activities as Covid restrictions eased, with pupils enjoying playing musical instruments, gardening club and experiences with trips and residential visits.

However, the report notes that the quality of education that pupils receive is “variable” and that students “do not learn well across all subjects”.

Leaders were criticised for having not developed the wider curriculum “with sufficient depth”, leading to the variability in the knowledge and skills that pupils acquire across subjects.

In a joint statement, Jane Spittal; Headteacher, and Karen Price; Chair of Governors at Hackness Primary School, said: “Our school has been on a journey of improvement for the last three years, under the leadership of Mrs Spittal. Whilst the one-day inspection in 2021 indicated that good progress was being made, there was more work to be done.

“The governors together with the Headteacher have a clear action plan which includes regular monitoring of what is happening in school to ensure the necessary improvements take place, and we report back to parents on a regular basis.”

Hackness was rated as “Requires Improvement”. It was previously rated as “Good” at its last inspection in 2021.