Harwood Hill Junior Mixed Infant and Nursery School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 8–9 June 2011 Inspection number 373146 Harwood Hill Junior Mixed Infant and Nursery School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 117227 Local Authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 373146 Inspection dates 8–9 June 2011 Reporting inspector Brian Cartwright HMI

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 under pilot arrangements; it was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act .

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 203 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ollie Dowlen Headteacher Philip Gray Date of previous school inspection 5 November 2007 School address Harwood Close Welwyn Garden City AL8 7AG Telephone number 01707 322855 Fax number 01707 331245 Email address head@harwood.herts.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’. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This pilot inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one additional inspector. Inspectors observed 14 lessons taught by eight different teachers. They met with groups of pupils, staff and members of the governing body including a parent governor, and spoke with a local authority representative. They observed the school’s work, and looked at the school’s evaluation and planning documents, local authority monitoring reports, and governing body minutes. They examined 67 parental questionnaires, 97 pupil questionnaires and 10 staff questionnaires.

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Information about the school

The school is smaller than the average sized primary school. The proportions of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those whose first language is not English, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those with a statement of special educational needs are average. The school has met government floor targets in the past three years. There is an on-site private pre-school provision that is not managed by the governing body. A new headteacher took up post in September 2010. In addition, six teaching staff have joined the school since its previous inspection. All but two members of the governing body are new since September 2010. 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 2

Does the school adequately promote the pupils’ well-being? Yes Does the school adequately promote community cohesion? Yes Does the school provide value for money? Yes

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Key findings

‘The way they teach makes the children really want to learn.’ This comment by a parent accurately captures the key strength of Harwood Hill School. It is providing good quality education for all of its pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils are rightly proud of their school. They persevere when work is challenging, cooperate well together in lessons and behave well around the school. They also contribute their ideas enthusiastically in group and class discussions. This is because teachers plan and deliver interesting activities that engage and motivate pupils of all abilities well. Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel safe, because staff care for their needs and concerns well. The achievement of pupils at Key Stage 1 is good, leading to above average attainment by the end of Year 2. The new headteacher quickly identified the reasons behind declining Key

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Key findings

Stage 2 English attainment in 2010. All staff have worked hard together to improve standards of literacy through the ‘Big Write’ approach , so that achievement in Key Stage 2 has recovered and is currently good. Other school managers play an effective role in monitoring pupils’ progress, through regularly scrutinising their work and collaborating with colleagues to improve practice.

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Key findings

Most lessons are good, because teachers successfully motivate the pupils with their own enthusiasm, good subject knowledge, encouragement and high expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving. In the few lessons where teaching is satisfactory, teachers spend too long talking to the whole class, without effectively using strategies that require every pupil to respond. Pupils’ work is thoroughly and accurately marked throughout the school, but sometimes the comments do not make it clear enough to pupils what they should do to improve, and when they should do it.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

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?

 Minimise the time spent by teachers, to no more than 5 minutes, when they are introducing the lesson to the whole class, so that pupils can all begin their learning activities promptly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure written advice to pupils on what needs improving in their work is clear, requires a direct response, and also ensure pupils subsequently have time to act upon that advice.

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Main report

Since the previous inspection in 2007, there have been substantial changes to staff, and to the composition of the governing body. Although pupils’ performance initially remained high in 2008, a decline in 2009 and 2010 Year 6 test results occurred, and Key Stage 2 overall progress measures slipped from significantly above average, to just below average because attainment in English dropped from significantly above to just below average. Attainment in mathematics remained above average. The new headteacher quickly identified weaknesses in Key Stage 2 English as the cause, and has successfully galvanised the current teachers in a robust programme to tackle these shortfalls, particularly in writing. As a result of his strongly supportive leadership, all staff have worked hard to improve provision for literacy, so that overall achievement in Key Stage 2 has recovered and is currently good because progress is better than expected for most pupils individually, and groups of pupils.

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Main report

Their attainment in English, including in reading, and in mathematics, is above average when measured by the required formal Teacher Assessment. Despite the historic decline for older pupils, the achievement of pupils by the end of Key Stage 1 remained good, with attainment at the end of the stage continuing to be above average, including good reading skills. Pupils arrive in Nursery with generally lower than national expectations for their age. Good provision, including good teaching, ensures these younger children make good progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage, before starting Year 1 at broadly average levels of attainment. Their independence, patience and determination to learn is already emerging in their positive attitudes to learning at this early stage.

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Main report

The governing body was not closely or regularly monitoring performance, partly because that information was not available. The reconstituted governing body has recently received good support from the local authority including training in child protection, safer recruiting and the use of school performance data. The new senior leadership team has introduced rigorous termly assessment checks for every pupil. Subject coordinators now play a critically effective role in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning across the school. In turn, classroom teachers in Key Stage 2 now know what progress pupils ought to be making from Key Stage 1, and can see who needs extra support. This swift and effective response at all levels is evidence of good current leadership, a shared ambition for further improvement in outcomes for each pupil and demonstrates a good capacity for further improvement. Teachers report favourably on the approach to professional development introduced by the

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Main report

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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Main report

headteacher, that includes good training, coaching, clear job descriptions and specific time to carry out responsibilities.

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Main report

No significant differences in progress between different groups of pupils were evident in 2010, with groups of pupils attaining standards overall that were similar to, or better, than similar groups nationally. Now, as then, pupils with special educational needs and/or difficulties make just as good progress as others. This is also the case for pupils whose first language is not English, which is consistent with the school’s good promotion of equality of opportunity. That inclusive approach is personified by the headteacher and shared by his staff. The school receives several new pupils each year part way through their key stage, who all do well within a relatively short period of time and stay to the end of the key stage. This is because teachers work very well with support staff, and all the classroom teams are skilled at supporting and including these otherwise potentially vulnerable learners. Their day-

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Main report

to-day caring and encouraging manner results in all pupils becoming fully included in school life, and enjoying equal success. A noticeable strength of classroom practice is the active role played by teaching assistants in leading learning, to pupils of all abilities, and the equally effective role of the teacher in taking time to work with groups of pupils of all abilities. Fresh displays of pupils’ work throughout the school show good evidence of pupils studying a range of different cultures, faiths and backgrounds.

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Main report

Teaching is good overall, exemplified in the best lessons where teachers successfully motivate their pupils with their own enthusiasm, good subject knowledge, encouragement and high expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving. In these good lessons, very little time is lost in setting up the lesson’s activities, so pupils can get cracking on the main activities quickly. Those activities are well matched to pupils’ abilities and interests, and include a strong demand for pupils to think for themselves, reflect upon the meaning of what they are learning, talk with partners, try practical activities as well as just written tasks, and find out information for themselves. This results in a very positive, good humoured and enjoyable classroom working ethos. It also cultivates the natural inquisitiveness of pupils, who are keen to ask questions and seek explanations when they are unsure. As a result,

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Main report

pupils are confident learners, cooperate effectively together and with staff, and learn briskly. In a small minority of lessons, teachers spend too long talking to the whole class as they set up the main activities without engaging every pupil. As a result, some pupils have to wait to get started on learning, although they remain politely attentive in the meantime. Reading is taught well throughout the school, resulting in confident readers of all ages. The announcement by a Year 2 teacher that a phonics lesson was about to start was greeted with an enthusiastic and resounding ‘YEAH!’ In the few lessons where teaching is satisfactory, teachers spend too long talking to the whole class, without using strategies that require every pupil to respond. Pupils’ work is thoroughly marked, with good work highlighted and praised. Errors are accurately identified, but sometimes the written comments are too subtle to trigger a response;

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Main report

for example, ‘Do you think you should check your calculations?’ really means, ‘These need checking, then doing again!’ 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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Main report

Pupils enjoy school a great deal and are proud of their community. For example, they tried very hard to walk quietly and respectfully into a Key Stage 2 assembly, knowing they were representing the school. They carefully considered and reflected upon the message, linked to taking small steps towards big goals. Because of the good quality of teaching, pupils are well motivated and try very hard to do well, persevering when the tasks are difficult. Their commitment to learning is a distinctive personal quality that is a strength of the school. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school; recent improvements to the organisation of playtimes are much appreciated by pupils and result in lively, but considerate, behaviour in the playground. Because of the close attention to their care paid by staff, pupils are confident that rare instances of bullying will be resolved. Almost all the pupils in the survey feel safe all of the time,

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Main report

and all 78 parents who responded said the school kept their child safe. There are hardly any serious disciplinary incidents, or instances of lessons being disrupted. One class could recall, after a bit of thought, ‘losing one minute of breaktime’, once. The school is a harmonious community where pupils are happy, indicative of the high moral and social standards engendered by the school in its pupils; one pupil said, ‘I wish I could live here.’ Parents are almost unanimously supportive of all the work of the school and agree that behaviour is good, their child enjoys school, and the school keeps them safe. School leaders are aware of one or two instances where some individual parental concerns have yet to be resolved. But one comment, typical of many, perceptively noted the school has ‘just the right teachers to make my child grow and flourish both academically and personally’. The parents association (HHSA)

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Main report

is making an important contribution financially and socially to school life, ensuring the school is held in high esteem by its local community. Other partnerships are strong, including those with local authority agencies in support of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Main report

Attendance and punctuality are broadly average and improving. The headteacher identified inconsistencies in the previous practice of the school in recording ‘lates’, and a number of parents and carers taking their children out of school for term time holidays. He is rightly working hard to remind those families of the negative impact this may have on their children’s progress, and the need to ensure children are brought to school in good time. As a result, attendance and punctuality have improved since last year. Teachers are very good at welcoming the odd latecomer, carefully ensuring the pupil is not directly associated with the punctuality problem.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Harwood Hill Junior Mixed Infant and Nursery School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 12 statements about the school. The inspection team received 78 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 203 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % Q1 My child is happy at school 54 75 18 25 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q2 My child feels safe at school 51 71 21 29 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q3 The school helps my child to achieve as well as they can 44 60 26 36 3 4 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q4 The school meets my child’s particular needs 40 55 30 41 3 4 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q5 The school ensures my child is well looked after 44 60 27 37 1 1 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q6 Teaching at this school is good 45 62 25 34 3 4 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q7 There is a good standard of behaviour at this school 43 59 27 37 3 4 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q8 Lessons are not disrupted by bad behaviour 34 47 29 40 8 11 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q9 The school deals with any cases of bullying well 29 40 34 47 1 1 1 1

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q10 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 42 58 29 40 2 3 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q11 The school responds to my concerns and keeps me well informed 39 53 28 38 6 8 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q12 The school is well led and managed 44 60 25 34 2 3 2 3

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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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 48 6 0 Primary schools 6 47 40 7 Secondary schools 12 39 38 11

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 13 42 41 3 Special schools 28 49 19 4 Pupil referral units 14 45 31 10

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements tha t were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 December 2010 and 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. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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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

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on 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 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. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be:  The achievement of all pupils.  Behaviour and safety.  The quality of teaching.  The effectiveness of leadership and management. and taking into consideration  how well the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7AG

Thank you for your friendly and positive welcome to me and Ms Bax, during our inspection of your school. You are rightly enjoying your learning at this good school. We spent time in all of your classes, and found good teaching, and particularly good learning because you are so committed to doing your best. Once you have the chance to get started on lesson activities, your perseverance and enthusiasm help you to make good progress. We also appreciated how well you behave towards one another, both in lessons and around the school. You show excellent consideration for one another, and everyone seems to be included in your games.

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Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7AG

Some test results in English for Year 6 pupils last year were not as good as possible. The headteacher has spotted the problem, which was linked to writing. That is why he has introduced ‘the Big Write’, which we know you enjoy. This is helping to ensure you are currently achieving well. Most lessons get started briskly, so you are soon into the main activity, and of course soon learning new things. All lessons should be like this. Teachers spend many hours accurately marking your work, and are good at giving you praise and encouragement. They also spot what needs improving, but are sometimes a bit too polite in telling you exactly what to do to fix it, and insisting that you do so promptly. You can help by looking back at their marking, responding to the advice, and showing them when you have done it.

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Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7AG

Brian Cartwright Her Majesty's 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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