Setting

CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 1231231 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566 937 Direct F 01695 729320 Jsimmons@cfbt.com www.cfbt-inspections.com

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Miss K Wood Headteacher All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Hessle Northolme Road Hessle HU13 9JD

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Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Hessle

Following my visit to your school on 15 and 16 June 2011, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Hessle

The inspection was the third monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in March 2010. The full list of the areas for improvement which were identified during that inspection are set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached and the main judgements are set out below.

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Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Hessle

Progress since being subject to special measures – satisfactory

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Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Hessle

Progress since previous monitoring inspection – satisfactory

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Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Hessle

This letter and monitoring inspection report will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Hessle

I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children's Services for East Riding of Yorkshire and the Diocese of Hull.

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March 2010

 Raise the attainment and improve the achievement of boys, average and more- able pupils by:  rigorously checking the quality of teaching and its impact on learning to improve its effectiveness and ensure consistency  raising teachers’ expectations of pupils’ capabilities  giving pupils more opportunities to learn actively and through discovery  using assessment and targets effectively to ensure that all pupils are suitably challenged and make progress at a faster rate  improving the curriculum so that it engages pupils and inspires them to learn.  Improve leadership and management by:  monitoring and evaluating the work of the school systematically and effectively to drive and secure improvement  developing the role of middle leaders by clarifying their roles and responsibilities.  Improve the provision and consistency of children’s learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage by:  ensuring that all children have access throughout the day to outdoor learning

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March 2010

 providing a wide range of indoor and outdoor learning activities to excite children’s curiosity and challenge them to think for themselves  increasing the opportunities for children to lead their own learning  using regular observations and assessments of children’s learning to ensure that activities take children’s needs and interests into account and help them to take the next steps in their learning  collating observations and assessments systematically to provide a clear step-by- step record of each child’s development in all areas of learning which can be shared and celebrated with parents and carers.  Ensure that all safeguarding arrangements are robust and effective systems are used to minimise risk.  Ensure that pupils’ attendance is above 94% by putting into place with immediate effect robust systems to monitor and promote good attendance

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Evidence

The inspector observed the school's work, scrutinised documents and pupils’ work and met with the headteacher, the executive headteacher, the senior leadership team, subject and year group leaders, pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and representatives from the local authority.

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Context

A new permanent headteacher and deputy headteacher were appointed in May 2011. They formerly held the temporary posts of head of school and assistant headteacher, respectively. An additional assistant headteacher from the junior school continues to work in the infant school on a part-time basis. Staff absence has reduced significantly since the last monitoring inspection. Three teachers are employed on a temporary basis. The school continues to work in collaboration with the junior school on the same site.

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

Most pupils are making faster progress in mathematics and writing activities. They are becoming more interested and engaged in their learning because they are provided with more interesting opportunities to write across the curriculum and to learn through discovery. As a result, attainment has risen in mathematics and writing. A greater proportion of pupils is working at the expected levels in mathematics and writing than the national average. However, the proportion of pupils working at levels above those expected for their age remains below the national level. The school is successfully narrowing the gap between the relative performance of boys and girls in mathematics. In addition less-able and more-able boys are now performing as well as girls in writing activities. However, this improvement has not been evident in reading nor in the writing of some boys of average ability. Attainment in reading has not risen. Girls are still significantly outperforming boys in reading and

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

outperforming boys of average ability in writing.

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Other relevant pupil outcomes

Pupils are becoming more aware of the importance of attending school regularly and the improving school curriculum is fostering greater levels of interest and enjoyment in most classes. The attendance trend since the last monitoring inspection has remained a little over the target set. After canvassing the ideas of other pupils, the school council has proposed some additional strategies to reinforce the importance of regular attendance and help avoid

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

Page4 any unnecessary absence. However, the school has not implemented these agreed proposals.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement:  Ensure that pupils’ attendance is above 94% by putting into place immediate and robust systems to monitor and improve attendance – satisfactory

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The effectiveness of provision

The quality of teaching is improving steadily in most classes aided by increased opportunities to share the best practice in school. The most significant improvement has been the development of a more stimulating curriculum, which is better tailored to pupils’ needs and interests. There is a greater emphasis on learning through practical activities, investigations and special events focused around a particular theme. This approach is enthusing staff and pupils alike and helping pupils make faster progress. For example, pupils recently enjoyed a mock medieval wedding and banquet. This motivated them to write stories about knights, investigate which medieval herb grew the fastest, as well as create gruesome models of gargoyles! However, school leaders are fully aware that some inconsistencies remain in the quality of teaching. They have accurately identified weaker practice in a minority of classes and implemented support programmes to improve the

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The effectiveness of provision

provision. In addition, there is not enough challenge for more-able pupils in some lessons and teaching in phonics sessions (where pupils learn how letters and sounds make up words) is not generally effective. This is hampering progress in reading and among some boys in writing, particularly because some pupils have gaps in their basic literacy skills from the legacy of underachievement.

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The effectiveness of provision

Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the area for improvement:  Raise the attainment and improve the achievement of boys, average and more-able pupils – satisfactory

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The effectiveness of provision

Provision for the older children in the Early Years Foundation Stage continues to improve. Many children are developing a significant thirst for learning as they enjoy a greater range of interesting learning activities, such as looking after hatching chicks and finding out about their two giant African land snail ‘visitors’. Staff are becoming more skilled at encouraging children to think hard and explore their ideas further. For example, when making a model of a ship, children were encouraged to consider how they could make their boat float, and when making models of mini-beasts, to consider how best to attach moveable legs. Such stimulating activities are helping children in the older classes make faster progress in most areas of learning and are supporting their early writing skills particularly well. However, staff recognise that children’s early reading skills are not as well supported and activities to

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The effectiveness of provision

promote reading are not generally well presented.

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The effectiveness of provision

In the Nursery, staff enjoy positive relationships with children and are currently developing the setting to enable more flexible and extended provision. Although children are making better progress in adult-led activities in the Nursery, the school’s leaders are aware that

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

Page5 children generally make less progress in the activities they choose for themselves. This is because, at times, the emphasis in planning is on doing the tasks, rather than learning something from them.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement:  Improve the provision and consistency of children’s learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage – satisfactory

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Through more rigorous monitoring senior leaders are gaining a clearer view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The school has continued to improve overall since the last monitoring inspection, although the pace of improvements has slowed due to the need to tackle some remaining inconsistencies in provision. Nevertheless, senior leaders remain keenly focused on raising attainment and middle leaders are steadily growing in confidence and developing the skills to take a greater part in school leadership through additional professional training. Similarly, the governing body is acquiring the skills to challenge and support the school more effectively and continues to work closely with the junior school to establish a long-term, mutually beneficial collaboration. Recent developments, such as the improved curriculum and raised attainment in mathematics and writing, indicate that the school’s internal capacity is strengthening. However, school leaders are aware that they

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

have not demonstrated a sustained trend of improvement and key issues, such as the slower progress in reading and some weaker aspects of provision, need to be tackled.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The school passed a local authority safeguarding audit in March 2011. Procedures to review and evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding and child protection arrangements are becoming well-established. The school remains reliant on the child protection officer from the junior school to lead this work. However, plans are in place for staff from the infant school to undergo a programme of safeguarding and child-protection training.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Progress since the last monitoring inspection on areas for improvement:  Improve leadership and management – satisfactory

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

 Ensure that all safeguarding arrangements are robust and effective systems are used to minimise risk – satisfactory

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External support

The collaboration with the junior school continues to benefit All Saints Infant School. The external support the local authority provides is evaluated through regular monitoring and is being tailored to meet the school’s emerging needs. In addition, the local authority provides funding for additional temporary teaching staff to ensure greater continuity of provision.

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