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Please click the image below to read the Summer 2023 Pathfinder Newsletter.

Rufforth Primary School Headteacher, Jill Richards, with pupils

Children and staff at Rufforth Primary School have been celebrating the outcome of a recent visit by school inspectors. Ofsted carried out an ungraded inspection of the school in May to establish if it remains ‘Good’ following its previous inspection in January 2012.

The report found that Rufforth continues to be a good school, opening with the statement: “Leaders’ ambition for pupils at Rufforth Primary School is summed up in their vision, ‘excellence in a family atmosphere’. This ambition is realised through adults’ high expectations of pupils. Pupils rise to these expectations.”

Headteacher, Jill Richards, said: “I am delighted and incredibly proud that the inspectors recognised all that is wonderful about our school. The positivity of this report reflects our journey towards an outstanding judgement and is testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire ‘Rufforth Family’”.

Talking about what it is like to attend the school, the report described pupils’ behaviour as exemplary, saying: “they treat each other with the utmost respect. Bullying almost never happens, but if it does, adults make sure it stops.”

Inspectors carried out in depth reviews of reading, mathematics and physical education through visiting lessons, looking at samples of pupils’ work and speaking to teachers and pupils about their learning.

Highlighting the strengths of the curriculum, the report said: “Leaders have created a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum.”

“Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Leaders work to remove any barriers that pupils might face to their learning.”

The report also highlighted the extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities at the school saying: “Leaders provide pupils with many opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Pupils enjoy the wide range of clubs in areas such as singing, sports and arts.”

“Pupils develop a deep understanding of different faiths, relationships and diversity. Pupils talk about issues like consent and healthy relationships with considerable maturity.”

“Pupils develop their character through the many leadership roles on offer. Some take part in the school council while others work as sports leaders and friendship ambassadors. All of this work informs the deep respect with which pupils treat everyone around them.”

One pupil summed up their experience saying their school is a “unique place where you can be yourself. Everyone here has a voice.”

The arrangements for safeguarding were found to be effective with the report saying: “Pupils feel safe and learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. Leaders are tenacious in following up on concerns and work well with outside agencies when there are concerns about vulnerable pupils.”

Inspectors found that those responsible for governance know and understand their roles and their statutory responsibilities saying: “They share leaders’ ambitions for pupils. Staff workload and well-being are a priority for leaders and governors.”

Chair of Governors, Liz Raspa, said: “Having seen how much work the entire staff team at Rufforth have put into the school improvements observed during the Oftsed visit, as a Local Governing Committee, we are immensely proud of them all and the children. Reading the feedback about our children and their respect for each other was an absolute pleasure. They really do embody the school values of inspire, care and grow.”

The school is part of Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust, a partnership of 10 church and community schools serving more than 4,200 students and their families across York.

Pathfinder’s CEO, Andrew Daly, said: “Well done to the children, staff, governors and families at Rufforth. Although this is an ungraded inspection, it nevertheless highlights the excellent education children at Rufforth continue to receive. I am particularly pleased that the report highlights the many strengths of the curriculum and the wealth of enrichment opportunities available to broaden children’s learning and experiences.”

It was an afternoon of musical fun and festivities at Clifton with Rawcliffe Primary School’s inaugural ‘CwR Fest’ which took place earlier this term. Pupils, parents and staff were treated to guest performances from Soprano Rebecca Newman of York Proms, The CwR Stars Junior Choir, Spotlight Dance Academy and the Archbishop Holgate’s School choir.

Families brought along camping chairs and picnic rugs to watch the Last Choir Standing competition which included more than 600 children performing an eclectic mix of choral arrangements to songs with a royal connection, in honour of the King’s Coronation. Special guest judges included YO1 Radio presenters, Chris Marsden and Dave Parker, Molly Newton (Music Lead from Archbishop Holgate’s School) and Claire Bower (Children, Family and Youth Worker at Clifton Parish Church). They offered points and positive feedback on the children’s singing, choreography, participation and costumes in their performances.

Scores were close in the end, but the Year 3 children emerged victorious with their immaculate performance of ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA and were awarded the coveted ‘Last Choir Standing Trophy’ which they accepted after reprising their song to delighted parents and families in the glorious June sunshine.

As the Last Choir Standing competition concluded, the school opened up in true festival style to welcome their headline act to the stage; Soprano Rebecca Newman who dazzled audiences with her beautiful renditions of O Nio Babbino Caro, Over the Rainbow and her own song, Dare to Dream.

Rebecca’s performance was followed by the school’s very own CwR Stars Junior Choir conducted by Anne-Marie Cockram where the children performed incredibly well with lots of energy and enthusiasm despite the warm weather.

Clifton with Rawcliffe’s Music and Choir Lead, Anne-Marie Cockram, said: “It was an incredible day. I am so pleased that we were able to give the children the opportunity to participate in such a special event and to celebrate all that is singing and music. I believe that music is a gift that can create such a lot of happiness and bring people together in a way that nothing else can. We have the most fabulous staff team at Clifton with Rawcliffe who have pulled together to create these wonderful memories for the children, and we would particularly like to thank our special guests and the many parent helpers for giving up their time on a Friday afternoon to be involved voluntarily at our school festival. It goes to show that there is such a lot of kindness and goodwill in our community.”

Local dance school Spotlight Dance Academy also took to the stage to showcase some of their vibrant and complex dance routines, directed by Issy Stead. The final act to perform was the fabulous Archbishop Holgate’s School Choir conducted by Molly Newton, displaying their talents for singing and harmonies and perfectly accompanied by Chris Barnard on drums and Oscar Rosen on piano.

Throughout the afternoon, entertainment was complemented by a vast assortment of treats, refreshments, stalls, activities and of course, everyone’s favourite classic school fair amusement, ‘Splat the Teacher!’ The CwR Fest was a resounding success with over £2,300 being raised for school enrichment and outdoor learning.

A parent at the school said: “We had a brilliant afternoon, thank you to all the staff, children and volunteers who made the whole thing possible.”

Year 4 pupil, Leah, said: “There were lots of things going on! It was so good performing to an audience and I liked watching all the other people performing too, they were awesome!”

Tang Hall Primary School Headteacher, Jo Slack, with pupils

Tang Hall Primary School has been judged Good in all areas following a two-day Ofsted inspection in March.

Inspectors praised the quality of the curriculum saying: “Pupils learn well and benefit from a strong curriculum at Tang Hall Primary School. Since the previous inspection, leaders have worked with passion and determination to further improve the curriculum and the behaviour of pupils.”

Headteacher, Jo Slack, said: “I feel very privileged to be the headteacher of Tang Hall Primary School. It is a community of pupils, their families and school staff who are dedicated to ensuring the very best education and pastoral support are offered to our children through building strong relationships. I am delighted that the hard work since our previous inspection has been recognised by the inspection team.”

During their visit, inspectors met with the Headteacher, curriculum leaders, governors and pupils; carried out in-depth reviews of early reading, mathematics, science, physical education and history; and examined safeguarding records, attendance figures, curriculum plans and policies.

Highlighting what the school does well, inspectors noted:

“There are warm and supportive relationships between pupils and staff.”

“Pupils are safe at the school. Pupils have a good understanding of bullying and are confident that teachers will sort out any problems that arise.

“Leaders provide pupils with opportunities to build resilience, experience enrichment and explore the wider world through their CREW activities.”

The strengths of the school’s redesigned curriculum were recognised with the report saying: “Leaders know that speech, language and communication difficulties can be a barrier to pupils’ learning. Leaders have designed the curriculum to address this.”

“The mathematics curriculum is a strength of the school. Leaders have developed a range of materials to support teachers to implement the teaching of mathematics effectively.”

Inspectors also recognised the positive relationships the school has with parents and carers stating: “Staff build strong links with parents. Early years teachers welcome parents into the classroom at the start of each day to share in their child’s learning.”

The school has been part of Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust since May 2017 and was last inspected in February 2020.

The report acknowledged the work of the trust and the school’s governors saying: “The trust and local governing committee understand the strengths and areas that need developing in the school. The governors recognise the exceptional support the trust has given the school to support the leaders to make improvements.”

Chair of Governors, Jacqueline Walsh, said: “We are all delighted that the Ofsted inspectors were able to recognise the hard work that has been put into remodelling the curriculum and strengthening the behaviour systems at Tang Hall Primary School. We are particularly pleased that the warm and supportive relationships between staff and pupils were acknowledged. A special thanks must be expressed to Mrs Slack and her team for their dedication and tenacity, and to the Pathfinder MAT for their support, as we continue our improvement journey.”

Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust’s CEO, Andrew Daly, said: “Well done to the staff, governors, pupils and families at Tang Hall. This is a well-deserved outcome and a reflection of the continued hard work and dedication of the entire school community. I am particularly pleased that the report highlights the excellent work of Mrs Slack and her team to develop the school’s curriculum and recognises the role of governors and the trust in supporting the school’s improvement journey.”

Please click the image below to read the Easter 2023 Pathfinder Newsletter.

Please click the image below to read the December 2022 Pathfinder Newsletter.

From left, Secretary of State for Education – the Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, Chair of the Pathfinder MAT Board – John Hattam, CEO of Pathfinder MAT and Executive Headteacher of Archbishop Holgate’s School – Andrew Daly, Chair of Governors at Archbishop Holgate’s School – Jane Lewis.

Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust was delighted to welcome the new Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, to visit two of its schools.

Formed in 2016, Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust is a partnership of eleven church and community schools serving more than 4,300 students and their families across York.

CEO of Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust and Executive Headteacher of Archbishop Holgate’s School, Andrew Daly, said: “It has been a pleasure to welcome the Secretary of State and to showcase the many ways we work together as a multi academy trust to ensure we provide the very best education possible for all the young people across our school communities.”

The Secretary of State began with a visit to New Earswick Primary School where he met with the Headteacher, school staff and students and had a tour of the school. New Earswick joined Pathfinder in 2017 after being placed into special measures following an inadequate Ofsted judgement. Today, the school is rated as good overall with outstanding for its leadership and management and early years provision.

New Earswick’s Headteacher, Angela Oswald, said: “It has been a privilege to meet the new Secretary of State and have the opportunity to share our school improvement journey over the past four years. Like most things in schools, our successes and achievements are the result of a team effort working together at both a local school level and as part of a wider community of schools.”

The Secretary of State also visited Archbishop Holgate’s School which recently celebrated being judged outstanding in all areas by Ofsted. In 2021, Archbishop Holgate’s was also designated as the Teaching School Hub for the Ryedale, Scarborough and York region, responsible for delivering teacher training and development across more than 150 schools.

During his visit, the Secretary of State spoke to a group of trainee teachers, toured the school, met with school and academy trust staff and talked to students about their favourite subjects and future aspirations.

Andrew Daly added: “Whilst important, schools are much more than external judgements and examination results and it has been gratifying to give the Secretary of State a snapshot of the teaching and learning which takes place at our schools each and every day. We are fortunate to have so many strong schools and multi academy trusts in York and we also enjoy a close partnership with the local authority which enables us to work together for the benefit of all schools and their students across the city.”

Pathfinder was formed initially between Archbishop Holgate’s School and Badger Hill, Hempland and Heworth primary schools. Along with New Earswick, Pathfinder has since welcomed Acomb, Clifton with Rawcliffe, Rufforth, St Lawrence’s and Tang Hall primary schools and is currently working with St Barnabas CE Primary School who are in the process of joining the trust.

Chair of the Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust Board, John Hattam, said: “We are delighted that the hard work and achievements of our schools and the wider trust have been recognised with this visit from the Secretary of State for Education. We believe the close working partnership that exists between our schools, other academy trusts, community schools and the local authority has been core to our success and development as a multi academy trust.”

Please click the image below to read the Summer 2022 Pathfinder Newsletter.

Tang Hall Primary School has been named as one of sixty-one schools across the country to be prioritised as part of the government’s £1bn flagship School Rebuilding Programme.

The Department for Education will start a project to replace or refurbish one or more buildings at the school, setting the school up for high educational standards for all its pupils for decades to come.

New buildings will be energy efficient designs with high sustainability standards, and will be net zero in operation offering excellent facilities. Transforming the learning environment and supporting teachers to deliver a high-quality education, so that pupils gain the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need to succeed.

Across the School Rebuilding Programme, the rebuilds and refurbishments will create modern education environments, providing new facilities from classrooms and science labs, to sports halls and dining rooms.

The new school buildings will also be net-zero carbon in operation, helping meet the government’s net zero target.

Education Secretary, James Cleverly, said: “Our School Rebuilding Programme is already making a difference to the lives of pupils and their teachers. It is creating greener school sites that are fit for the future and that local communities can be proud of.”

“We know how important it is to have high-quality school facilities. That is why we continue to invest billions in our rebuilding programme.”

Headteacher, Jo Slack, “We are thrilled to have made it on to the School Rebuilding Programme. This is really exciting news and we look forward to sharing more information with our families and the wider community as the project develops.”

Tang Hall Primary School is part of Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust, a partnership of ten church and community schools serving more than 4,200 children and their families across York.

Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust CEO, Andrew Daly, said: “This is fantastic news for the school and the wider community of Tang Hall. As a Trust, we are committed to delivering an excellent education to all the children we serve and this investment will ensure the school can continue to deliver high-quality provision for the families of Tang Hall for many years to come.”

Hempland Primary School, also part of Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust, was successful in the second round of the School Rebuilding Programme announced in July 2021.