Heritage Park Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 15–16 March 2012 Inspection number 381391 Heritage Park Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 131693 Local authority Peterborough Inspection number 381391 Inspection dates 15–16 March 2012 Lead inspector Heather Weston

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 193 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Blackledge (Acting Chair) Headteacher Karen Hepworth-Lavery Date of previous school inspection 9 November 2006 School address Park Farm Way Peterborough PE2 8XA Telephone number 01733 703656 Fax number 01733 703657 Email address office@heritagepark.peterborough.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors visited 18 lessons taught by seven teachers together with three sessions led by four teaching assistants. Meetings were held with parents, groups of pupils, governors and staff. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of documentation including the school development plan, monitoring records safeguarding policies and procedures, governing body minutes and 74 parental questionnaires.

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Information about the school

The school is smaller than most other primary schools, and draws pupils from the Park Farm district in Peterborough. Most pupils are White British. About a third are from a range of other ethnic backgrounds, mainly Other White or Black African backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who have English as an additional language is just below the national average. Fewer pupils than average are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average, although the proportion with a statement of special educational need is above average.

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Information about the school

The Asgard before- and after-school club is run on the school site and managed by the governing body.

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Information about the school

The school meets the government’s current floor standards, the minimum expectation of progress and attainment for pupils at the end of Year 6. It has achieved a number of awards, including the recently accredited Inclusion Quality Mark, the Basic Skills Quality Mark; Artsmark Gold and the Healthy Schools Award. The school currently holds the International Award at intermediate level and is about to be assessed for the full award. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is an outstanding school. The view of one parent, that ‘we cannot praise this school, its teachers and in particular its headteacher highly enough’ is echoed time and again by others. All aspects of the schools work are outstanding.

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Key findings

 Pupils have achieved high attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 for each of the last 5 years, reflecting outstanding progress from their starting points on entry to the school.

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Key findings

 Sustained high attainment is the outcome of outstanding teaching, the rigorous use of assessment data, and to the highly effective management of additional support. Teachers make learning interesting and enjoyable. Activities are challenging and thought-provoking. The school environment is vibrant. Teachers’ expectations are mirrored in pupils’ work. Everything is of the highest quality, including the presentation of pupils’ work, which is exemplary.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ behaviour is also exemplary. It reflects their very strong moral and social development. In lessons, pupils’ attitudes and their ability to work with each other contribute significantly to their learning.

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Key findings

 Underpinning this excellent provision are outstanding leadership and management. The leadership of teaching is outstanding and the management of performance is rigorous. The headteacher’s very high expectations are fully endorsed by the governing body, and shared by her deputy and by all other staff. The breadth and balance of the outstanding curriculum is demonstrated exceptionally well through displays in classrooms. The school’s emphasis on developing pupils’ awareness of different countries and cultures is reflected in pupils’ art and written work and strongly supports their spiritual and cultural development. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the profile of science throughout the school in displays and by making sure that aspects of science are included in the thematic curriculum and other activities wherever possible.

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Achievement of pupils

Children’s skills, knowledge and understanding on entering school vary. They have fallen over the last few years, and for current pupils are below expectations in most areas, and well below in communication, language and literacy. Children make good progress overall in their Reception year, and enter Year 1 with broadly average skills. They make outstanding progress in their language development. This is because of the thorough and systematic teaching of letter sounds and the strong emphasis on language, for example the correct use of ‘solid, liquid and melting’ when discussing what happens to chocolate when it gets warm. There is also a very strong emphasis in the Reception class on developing relationships and on promoting children’s independence. Children become absorbed in their work, whether playing bingo on an electronic workpad or investigating mixtures with others in groups, for example.

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Achievement of pupils

Up to 2011, pupils in Key Stage 1 made outstanding progress and reached attainment in all areas, including reading, well above national averages. A fall in attainment in 2011 was associated with changes of staff; leaders dealt swiftly with this situation and, as a result pupils made satisfactory progress to reach average attainment by the end of Year 2 and further support was provided in Year 3 to address any areas of underachievement.

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Achievement of pupils

Parents say that their children make good progress. Current pupils’ work and school data show that all pupils in both Key Stages 1 and 2 are working at above average attainment in English, mathematics and science and are making outstanding progress. Close attention is paid to the teaching of reading and standards in reading are above average in all year groups. There is almost no variation between the progress of different groups. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those with English as an additional language all make outstanding progress.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ engagement in lessons is outstanding. They are reflective learners, interested in the tasks set for them and keen to rise to the challenges they are given. For example, pupils in Year 5 were fascinated to observe what happened to an egg placed in vinegar; through skilled teaching they deduced that the bubbles on the egg were carbon dioxide and they were amazed to see that the egg had increased in size once the shell dissolved. Pupils are highly motivated, and constantly engaged. They listen, collaborate and apply themselves well to their work. Pupils in Year 1 Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

demonstrated this when working together to act out scenes from ‘Jack and the Beanstalk with a twist’. This drama work subsequently resulted in the pupils applying themselves enthusiastically to the task of writing the story.

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Quality of teaching

All parents and pupils say that teaching is good. This is confirmed by inspection evidence, which found that the quality of teaching in the school is outstanding. Teaching in Reception and Key Stages 1 and 2 is mainly outstanding and elsewhere consistently good, resulting in outstanding learning and progress. Teachers set high expectations for pupils, challenging them with probing questions and problem-solving tasks. Teachers use their excellent subject knowledge to plan imaginative activities that are relevant to the real world. For example, Year 6 pupils wrote letters of complaint regarding aspects of a recent school trip and then had to respond to each others’ criticisms in a formal professional way. Teachers match the work and strategies very well to pupils’ needs and through specific teaching develop high levels of independence. They skilfully weave aspects of the curriculum together to enable

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Quality of teaching

pupils to link their learning in the different subjects. Teachers evaluate learning extremely well during lessons, taking appropriate steps to ensure that all pupils learn equally well. Teaching contributes strongly to pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical skills and strongly promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Homework is set regularly, is challenging and appreciated by pupils who say that it supports and extends what they are learning in the classroom. Teachers assess their pupils’ learning well. Pupils know how well they are doing because teachers give them thorough feedback, and are very clear about what they have to improve through marking and the use of targets.

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Quality of teaching

The school is highly successful at narrowing the gap between disabled pupils, pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs and all pupils nationally. This is because of outstanding teaching matched closely to pupils’ needs, skilled in- class support and targeted intervention sessions. Small group work organised by skilled staff supports those who are in danger of falling behind; and partnership working with outside agencies helps pupils overcome any barriers they may have to their learning. Data show that support is having a significant impact on pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Parents, staff and pupils are highly positive about behaviour and safety. Every parent who responded to the questionnaires agreed that their children are safe in school. Almost all parents feel that behaviour is good in school. A few feel that lessons are disrupted by bad behaviour. However, pupils say that behaviour in lessons is always very good and inspection evidence confirms this. Their excellent attitudes to learning enable lessons to proceed without interruption. They are invariably respectful and courteous both to each other and to adults in and out of lessons, and make an exceptional contribution to the safe, positive learning environment. Pupils of all ages are perceptive of the needs of others and so instances of bullying or racist Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

incidents are very rare. The school does not tolerate any unsafe behaviour or bullying. Any incidents that occur are dealt with swiftly. The school involves parents in discussions to resolve issues and there is no reoccurrence. Pupils are highly aware of different forms of bullying, and of how to keep themselves and others safe. Care for the youngest children in the Reception class is outstanding and children in this class also show a high level of awareness of each others’ welfare and safety. Attendance, having fallen because of particular instances of persistent absence last year, has improved and is once again above average. Persistent absence does still affect overall attendance levels, but all instances are due to particular circumstances beyond the school’s control. The school provides work where appropriate for pupils who are off school for long periods and works closely with other agencies to improve

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Leadership and management

Heritage Park School fulfils its aim that ‘the school is a place where pupils and staff are happy and feel secure, and where there is a purposeful and pleasant atmosphere conducive to learning’. Leadership and management are outstanding. All members of the school community strive to do their very best and help each other in their quest for continual improvement. Equality is at the heart of all the school’s work and there is no discrimination. This has been endorsed by the recently awarded Inclusion Quality Mark.

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Leadership and management

The rigorous programme of monitoring involves all those with leadership responsibilities. As a result, all leaders and managers have a very accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development in respect of pupils, staff and members of the governing body. Relentless and continuous efforts focus on improving teaching and learning so that teaching is outstanding. The culture of continuing professional development is embedded at all levels and training has a profound impact on the skills of staff and governors. The school’s curriculum, with its extensive and meaningful enrichment, provides valuable experiences for pupils and high quality opportunities for learning. The many developments over the years in terms of the thematic curriculum have added meaning and relevance. Its global, historical and ecological dimensions have contributed with great success to pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Science, however,

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Leadership and management

makes a lesser contribution to the thematic curriculum than it might and is less celebrated in display. Pupils’ personal development is promoted and enhanced in all lessons and activities, and is embedded in daily practice. Through robust procedures, the school meets statutory requirements for the safeguarding of pupils. It engages very effectively with parents. The Asgard before- and after-school club provides high- quality provision for those pupils who access its services.

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Leadership and management

The schools excellent provision, and its track record in sustaining achievement and tackling any weaknesses the minute they appear, demonstrates that it has an outstanding capacity to improve.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Heritage Park Primary School, Peterborough, PE2 8XA

Thank you for giving us such a warm welcome on our recent visit. We thought that you were all extremely polite and respectful, not only to us, but to each other. We thought that your behaviour in lessons and in the playground was amongst the best we have seen. We were impressed by your knowledge of different peoples’ cultures and by your work both in your books, and around the school. Thank you for sharing your views about the school in discussions and through the questionnaires. It was clear that you are happy to come to school and feel very safe in school. You said you know the school wants you to do your very best in every way, and that you enjoy lessons and the different activities the school provides.

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Inspection of Heritage Park Primary School, Peterborough, PE2 8XA

We think that your school is outstanding in every way. You make extremely good progress in your learning because your headteacher, governors, and everyone who teaches you work so effectively to make sure that everything they do is of high quality. Your work covers all the subjects you should learn. Your whole school, your classrooms, corridors and outside areas are full of displays which celebrate this work and help you think. These included wonderful examples of artwork, books with photographs of your teachers in Kenya and China and many other things.

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Inspection of Heritage Park Primary School, Peterborough, PE2 8XA

The only area which we feel is not so well celebrated is science. Because of this we have asked your school to include science in all your displays as much as other subjects and make sure aspects of science are included in your topics and activities wherever possible.

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Inspection of Heritage Park Primary School, Peterborough, PE2 8XA

You can help by continuing to behave so well and respectfully and by producing work for science displays which is of the same high quality as all your other work. We wish you well for the future.

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Inspection of Heritage Park Primary School, Peterborough, PE2 8XA

Heather Weston Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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