Shepherd Primary

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 20–21 June 2012 Inspection number 379346 Shepherd Primary Inspection report

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Unique reference number 117096 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 379346 Inspection dates 20–21 June 2012 Lead inspector Najoud Ensaff

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 191 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Sutton Headteacher Claire Foad Date of previous school inspection 8 November 2007 School address Shepherds Lane Mill End Rickmansworth WD3 8JJ Telephone number 01923 773478 Fax number 01923 444740 Email address admin@shepherd.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’.

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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. The inspection team observed 21 lessons or part lessons taught by ten teachers, including the two deputy headteachers. Meetings were held with members of the senior leadership team and governing body. Inspectors observed pupils in lessons and around the school, listened to them read and spoke to them about their experiences at school and about their learning. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey in planning the inspection. They observed the school’s work, and looked at lesson and curriculum planning, pupils’ books, self-evaluation documents, the school improvement plan, local authority reports, the school website, records relating to safeguarding and the monitoring of teaching, and the tracking of different pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour. Questionnaires returned by 95 parents and carers, and others completed by staff and pupils, were also analysed.

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Information about the school

Shepherd Primary School is smaller than the average primary school, with a part- time nursery. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is slightly higher than average. The large majority of pupils are White British and the proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including those supported by school action or with a statement of special educational needs, is above average. Their needs mostly relate to moderate learning or speech, language and communication needs. The school meets the government floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

Since the last inspection there have been several changes in the leadership team. The headteacher took up her role in September 2011; the two deputy headteachers and the Early Years Foundation Stage leader were appointed in September 2010. Most teaching staff joined the school in September 2010, the special educational needs coordinator joined in September 2011 and the Chair of the Governing Body assumed his role in March 2012. The school caters for children whose parents and carers reside in the local area, and there is a Children's Centre on the school site which is subject to separate inspection arrangements. 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

 Shepherd Primary is a satisfactory school. It has some good features: it is a welcoming, friendly place where pupils are well cared for and valued. The school is not yet good because the quality of teaching and rates of progress across the school are not yet consistently good enough to help pupils achieve well, given their starting points. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Key findings

 Achievement is satisfactory. Children enter Nursery with skills broadly in line with others of their age. Pupils make satisfactory progress across the school. Attainment has risen over the last year so that pupils now leave the school with attainment in English and mathematics that is broadly in line with the national average.

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Key findings

 Behaviour and safety are satisfactory. Pupils are friendly and sociable. Their behaviour ensures there is minimal disruption in lessons, and they have a clear understanding of how to stay safe. They report that any rare instances of bullying are handled efficiently. Attendance over the last year has risen so that it is now average.

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Key findings

 Teaching is satisfactory with some examples of good classroom practice in each key stage. Not all teachers use assessment information effectively to plan and carry out lessons that meet the needs of all pupils, or to set them individual challenging targets. Although some marking is good, marking does not always provide enough individual guidance to pupils on how to improve. As a result pupils are not consistently guided or challenged to achieve well.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are satisfactory. Safeguarding arrangements are secure and the school engages well with parents and carers. The monitoring of teaching and the management of performance are not sufficiently sharp to help the quality of teaching to improve rapidly. The curriculum generally meets 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

pupils’ interests, although there are few opportunities for pupils to apply skills across more than one curriculum area.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the pace of progress so that attainment across the school improves by the end of the next academic year by:  ensuring that teachers consistently use assessment information to plan and carry out lessons that meet the full range of pupils’ abilities  increasing opportunities for pupils to use and apply their skills across the curriculum  ensuring that teachers set individual, challenging targets for pupils which inform marking and are regularly reviewed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Enhance the monitoring of teaching so that:  all teachers have a clear and effective view of what constitutes good teaching  lesson observations lead to individual improvement targets for teachers which are regularly monitored and reviewed.

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Achievement of pupils

When children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage they have skills which are broadly in line with those expected for their age, although their skills in communication language and literacy are weaker than those in numeracy. Skills in solving problems, reasoning and numeracy develop satisfactorily so that most children seen on inspection were able to count to 10 and understand what adding and taking away meant, with some able to count beyond 10. Teachers and learning support assistants generally guide children in Reception to develop their communication, literacy and language skills, so that children seen on inspection were beginning to recognise and sound out simple words. Learning activities and progress in lessons are not consistently monitored and the purpose of activities is not always clear. As a result, children's progress overall in the Early Years Foundation Stage is satisfactory rather than good. Children behave well and demonstrate positive

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Achievement of pupils

attitudes to learning. The vibrant and secure indoor and outdoor areas help them to develop well in their creative, personal and social skills.

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Achievement of pupils

Almost all parents and carers believe their children are making good progress in the school. Although progress is sometimes good, particularly in Year 6, it is more typically satisfactory throughout the school. Pupils in lessons respond well to tasks, demonstrating a willingness to work hard. Teachers have positive relationships with pupils but they do not all understand what constitutes good teaching. They do not consistently use assessment information to pitch work at the correct level or reshape 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

tasks for pupils of different abilities. Pupils did not find the work consistently challenging in some observed lessons. As a result they made no better than satisfactory progress. In the lessons where pupils made good progress, they were well motivated and understood fully what they were doing. In these lessons, work was well matched to pupils’ needs including for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and higher-attaining pupils.

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Achievement of pupils

By the end of Key Stages 1 and 2, attainment in reading is generally broadly average. Skills in mathematics are slightly stronger than in English in Key Stage 1, and weaker in Key Stage 2, but attainment is broadly average throughout the school. As a result of focused interventions, former gaps in achievement, particularly in mathematics, between disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, those known to be eligible for free school meals and other pupils, are closing.

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Quality of teaching

While some teaching, particularly at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2, engages and enthuses pupils so that good learning takes place, other lessons lack sufficient pace. This is because teachers do not always pitch tasks at the right level for the range of abilities within their class. Sometimes they do not intervene or reshape tasks in response to pupils’ learning soon enough. Teachers do not consistently make good use of assessment data to plan work at the right level for individual pupils or provide them with clear enough information on how well they are doing and where they need to improve.

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Quality of teaching

The most effective teaching was seen where teachers used their knowledge of pupils' different abilities and needs to tailor work well for them. In these lessons, such as a Year 2 poetry lesson, teachers understood and communicated the purpose of an activity very clearly; they adapted tasks and allowed pupils to assess their own learning, so that pupils fully grasped how to develop their skills further. In other lessons, teachers used resources, including the outdoor learning environment and technology well to engage pupils. These lessons motivated them and excited their interest in learning. For example, pupils in Year 2 were keen to record their observations about different animals as a result of having collected information outside. Both here and in another Year 6 mathematics lesson, work was well matched to the individual needs of pupils so that they made good progress. Teaching of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs also varies. Where

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Quality of teaching

teachers and learning support assistants effectively guide these pupils, they make good progress. Where they are less well supported or where intervention is not timely, they make no more than satisfactory progress.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development satisfactorily across the securely-planned curriculum through art, music, religious education and educational visits. Inspectors saw some good promotion of spiritual development in Year 6, where pupils created podcasts of radio advertisements. Pupils in the photography club used digital cameras to manipulate images in the style 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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Quality of teaching

of Andy Warhol. During these activities, pupils experienced awe and wonder in being challenged to think creatively.

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Quality of teaching

Marking of pupils' books is generally regular, with pupils sometimes being given useful suggestions about how to improve their work. The best marking consists of accurate and regular feedback, with teachers providing pupils with individual targets and an opportunity to respond to their comments. This good practice is not yet sufficiently widespread across the school. Consequently, not all pupils are sure about the next steps in their learning.

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Quality of teaching

Most pupils think they are well taught. The vast majority of parents and carers agree, and believe that their children’s individual needs are met. The inspection team found that although there is some good teaching, it is satisfactory overall.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Typically, pupils’ behaviour is satisfactory. Most parents, carers and staff are positive about behaviour. A small minority of pupils reported that sometimes behaviour is less than good either around the school or in lessons that do not engage them. Inspectors found pupils behaved well enough in the vast majority of lessons observed. They were polite, and respectful of others around the school. The school has good systems for managing and monitoring behaviour but a very small minority of staff report that these are not always effective. Pupils reported that they generally get on well together at school and that any instances of bullying are effectively handled. Pupils have a clear understanding of different types of bullying, such as verbal, physical and cyber bullying and they understand how to keep safe. Almost all pupils feel safe, and all their parents and carers agree. One wrote of the ‘helpful’

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

and 'compassionate' staff, while others commented on how happy their children were at the school.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance fell in 2011 to below the national average. It has since risen for almost all pupils to broadly average, and gaps between the attendance of those who are persistently absent and others have closed.

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Leadership and management

Since taking up her role in September 2011, the headteacher has worked hard to improve attendance and achievement with some success. Focused work in some areas of relative weakness in teaching, through professional development and performance management, has secured positive improvements. For example, better teaching of reading and mathematics in Years 2 and 6 in particular, has led to increased attainment in English and mathematics for these groups of pupils. These developments, and the increased involvement of the governing body, show that the school has capacity for sustained improvement. Leaders and managers have a concerted approach to school improvement. They have a generally accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, although their monitoring of teaching in 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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Leadership and management

general is not always sufficiently rigorous. For example, when feeding back to teachers, leaders do not always set individual targets for improving teaching that are then followed up in subsequent checks on teaching.

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Leadership and management

Engagement with parents and carers is very positive; several parents and carers commented on the helpfulness of staff. The governing body increasingly provides appropriate challenge to school leaders, and ensures that statutory requirements for safeguarding are met. The school promotes equality satisfactorily, ensuring that gaps in achievement are closing for all groups of pupils. Pupils confirm that discrimination of any form is not tolerated.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum meets pupils’ academic needs appropriately. All required elements are covered. Overall, pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted adequately. Studies of different religions and places of worship, as well as explorations of different countries and cultures, provide pupils with opportunities to develop culturally. Shared expectations of behaviour and opportunities for reflection through assemblies and in religious education lessons promote pupils' moral skills well; mixed-age reading and playground-buddy activities also ensure pupils' social skills are developed well. 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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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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

Inspection of Shepherd Primary , Rickmansworth WD3 8JJ

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

We enjoyed coming to visit your school, watching you in lessons and listening to your views, including those that some of you gave in questionnaires. Thank you for being so friendly, polite and helpful during our visit. Your school provides you with a satisfactory education.

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

These are the best things about your school.

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

 It is a happy, friendly school with positive links to the community.  You say that staff care about you and help to keep you safe. Our findings confirm this.  You behave well enough in lessons.  The senior leaders at your school are working together to improve how well you learn, and this is beginning to have positive impact.  You have good opportunities to develop social and moral skills.

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

In order for your school to improve further, we have asked leaders and managers to:  make sure that teachers always think hard about the work you are set in lessons so that it is neither too hard nor too easy  make sure that you have opportunities to use the skills you have learnt in a range of subjects and ways  make sure that your teachers always give you challenging targets which they use and review so that the marking in your books is as helpful as possible  improve the way that senior leaders check that teaching is getting better.

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

You can all help by talking to your teacher when you do not understand how to improve your work and by continuing to work hard. I hope that these points will help you and your school to move forward.

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

Najoud Ensaff 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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