Hextable Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 23–24 May 2012 Inspection number 381807 Hextable Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 135118 Local authority Kent Inspection number 381807 Inspection dates 23–24 May 2012 Lead inspector Gavin Jones

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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 390 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Hemmings Headteacher Kate Thew Date of previous school inspection 8–9 October 2008 School address Rowhill Road Swanley BR8 7RL

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Telephone number 01322663792 Fax number 01322669422 Email address headteacher@hextable-primary.kent.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in educa tion 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 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.

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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 observed 23 lessons of which one was observed jointly with the headteacher. All teachers who were present at the inspection were observed. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, governors and staff. 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 a range of pupils’ books, listened to pupils read, checked attendance figures, examined monitoring files and scrutinised the school’s procedures for safeguarding. Inspectors analysed questionnaires from 112 parents and carers, 23 staff and 47 pupils.

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Information about the school

The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school. It was created by the amalgamation of two local schools in 2007. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average as is the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or supported at school action plus is broadly average, but varies greatly from class to class. There is an after-school club which is managed by the governing body. The school has a Healthy School award and a Safe School accreditation. The school meets the government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. During the inspection, pupils in years 5 and 6 were on a study visit in the Isle of Wight and therefore could not be observed in lessons. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Information about the school

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a satisfactory school. It is not yet good because there have been inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, leading to attainment being average and progress being satisfactory over time. There has been improvement in this current year in both of these areas. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.  Attainment in reading and mathematics is average. Attainment in writing, although still broadly average, is somewhat lower. Achievement is satisfactory. All groups of pupils make similar progress, although rates of progress vary from class to class.  The quality of teaching is satisfactory. There has been variability across the school leading to satisfactory achievement overall. Teaching has recently improved as has pupil’s progress. Tasks are generally matched well to the needs of learners. There are some inconsistencies in marking. Pupils show good

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Key findings

attitudes to their work and engage enthusiastically in learning.  Behaviour and attitudes in lessons are good and sometimes exemplary. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and this is confirmed by their parents. Pupils say that bullying rarely occurs, and on the rare occasions it does, school staff are quick to deal with it. Over time pupils develop qualities that will support them well as they move to their next stage of education.  The headteacher, ably supported by her new senior leadership team, provides strong leadership and vision. While a number of significant initiatives have been put into effect and are showing positive impact, this impact is only recently being seen. Data about pupils’ performance are analysed well and effective monitoring and support for teachers, linked to performance management, is reflected in improvements in teaching. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Key findings

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 pupils’ attainment, especially in writing, so that by July 2013 in Year 6 at least 90% of pupils attain Level 4 and 30% reach Level 5 by;  placing more emphasis on re-drafting work for improvement  giving extra support to boys so that they might be more engaged in writing activities  making targets more specific to individual pupils evolving directly from their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teaching and pupils’ progress in learning are consistently good by:  improving the quality of marking so that pupils are well aware of how they can improve their work  tracking the progress pupils are making during lessons with sharply focused questions to a wide range of pupils  ensuring that teachers remind pupils of their learning targets more regularly.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the school with skills similar to those of other children of this age, although their writing skills are lower than expected. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, so that by the time they enter Year 1, their personal and social skills have developed well, as has their ability to link sounds with letters and recognise a range of shapes. Writing skills have improved and are average.

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Achievement of pupils

Elsewhere in the school and over time, attainment has been average in both English and mathematics. More recently, improvements have been seen in both Year 4 and Year 6. Minor gaps in progress between different classes are closing and are carefully checked at termly pupil progress meetings. Recent teacher assessments and accurate tracking of progress indicate that attainment in reading and mathematics is now better than in previous years, with a greater proportion of pupils working at, or close to Level 5. Attainment in writing still lags a little behind the other two subjects. This is confirmed by evidence from pupils’ books in the two Year 6 classes. The school’s tracking data shows that all groups including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, made satisfactory progress. Data from the current year shows all groups making more accelerated progress. Over 90% of parents and carers

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Achievement of pupils

who responded to the inspection questionnaire believe that their children are making good progress. Inspectors found that, over time, progress has been satisfactory, but that it is now improving.

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Achievement of pupils

Learning is sometimes successfully reinforced through good use of first hand 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

experiences. In a Year3 lesson pupils handled and sorted food, looking at our needs for nutrients. The task was well structured and many questions arose from the practical nature of the activity, ensuring pupils achieved well.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ attainment in reading is average by the end of Year 2. This results from a cohesive plan for the teaching of phonics (the links between sounds and letters) together with regular use of focused group reading activities. Pupils enjoy reading and do so accurately and with understanding. They often use their phonic skills as a first strategy for word recognition. Although it was not possible to hear pupils in Year 6 read, previous data shows that their attainment in reading is average. In topic work, pupils use writing skills satisfactorily in communicating their ideas. These skills, while improving, still lag behind their reading.

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Quality of teaching

Typically in lessons, teachers’ classroom management is good and pupils are encouraged to take responsibility and develop independence, supported by good relationships between pupils and adults. Activities are matched well to the needs of pupils and to the learning objectives of each lesson. These are planned for well by teachers. Good links are made to previous learning. For example, in a Year 1 lesson on measurement pupils were helped to see how previous learning enabled them to tackle new learning. ‘I can’ statements, shared with pupils during most lessons, help them to be able to make broad assessments on how well they are doing in the lesson. The teaching of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs ensures that they make similar progress to that of their peers. Teachers plan well for their needs, making good use of assessment information and setting out challenging tasks for them. They are supported well by teaching assistants.

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Quality of teaching

Questioning by teachers during lessons is less effective. Questions are not always directed carefully enough to different groups of pupils to check up on their progress. This limits the opportunity to re-shape the rest of the lesson. On occasions, responses by pupils are limited by the closed nature of the questions. Although many pupils know their learning targets they are not reminded of them often enough, particularly for their writing. At the same time, while the marking of pupils’ work is improving, there is still not enough consistent emphasis on how pupils might improve their work. In a successful Year 4 mathematics lesson, frequent feedback gathered from pupils, helped the class teacher ensure that all groups were making progress. Discussion between pupils was at a high level and effective use of additional adults led to all groups making good progress and achieving well in their learning. Over

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Quality of teaching

90% of parents believe that their children are taught well. Inspectors found that, over time, teaching is satisfactory, but with an improving picture in the current year.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers pay good attention to promoting pupils’ personal development. Discussions and reminders around the theme of ‘Building Learning Power’ are on display in all classes. Teachers have put the curriculum into effect well, since its development in 2010, helping pupils to see the links between subjects. Literacy skills are used well in class topic work, for example in work on Australia in Year 4 and in Big Write work 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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Quality of teaching

several classes. However, the interest of boys is not always captured by the topics available, although the school is already seeking to change this. As a result, their work is often not as good as that of girls in the same class.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. There is a good balance between allowing children to initiate their own activities for learning and ensuring that basic skills, such as phonics, are taught directly and to a good level.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Almost all pupils who answered the questionnaire agree that behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. Inspection evidence shows that this is typically the case. No bullying or racial abuse incidents have been recorded in the last year and fixed term exclusions are very low. A very large majority of parents also believe that behaviour is good and that their children are safe in school. During the inspection behaviour was most often good and sometimes exemplary, tending to follow the quality of pupils’ engagement in their lessons. In nearly all classes behaviour for learning is good and this contributes to the progress pupils make and their personal development. Pupils listen attentively, ask questions, show good attitudes to their work and try hard to complete their tasks. Behaviour at playtimes and at lunch is equally good, with these occasions being well supervised. Pupils understand the

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

various forms of bullying but with very few exceptions, report a lack of bullying of any type. Attendance is average and punctuality is very good, as pupils are keen to get to school.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher has, over time, joined the two sets of staff into a collegiate unit, now determined to work towards further improvement. The leadership team, created in September 2011, is now successfully driving improvement. Staff questionnaires reflect the high level of commitment to this task. Leaders and managers at other levels are contributing towards improving pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. The school’s monitoring of teaching is accurate with joint lesson observations confirming this. The school’s profile of teaching shows that it had been satisfactory for some time but since September 2011 there has been a significantly greater proportion of good and outstanding teaching observed. It has taken the school some time to reach this stage, resulting in a period of satisfactory progress in learning.

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Leadership and management

The governing body meets all of its statutory duties in relation to safeguarding. Documentation is thorough and consistently put into practice. Governors understand the strengths of the school and have growing links with classrooms and subject areas. Child protection is well-managed and all staff have basic first aid training with some having more specialised training for the youngest pupils. It manages an after- school club which is well organised and supervised.

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Leadership and management

Middle leaders are taking on their roles with enthusiasm and contribute to 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

improvement with a range of monitoring activities, leading to action plans for improvement. The school’s own development plan captures all aspects the school is trying to improve and has clear targets and success criteria. This, linked with recent improvements in both teaching and pupils’ progress, shows the school has capacity to improve further.

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Leadership and management

The school’s recently reviewed curriculum has a good emphasis on developing pupils’ skills in literacy and numeracy. Pupils are enthusiastic about the curriculum which makes good links between subjects. The quality of displays of work reflects the efforts put into work by pupils. Pupils’ cultural, moral and social development is promoted well, although the promotion of their spiritual development is not as well developed. Staff act as effective role models, enabling pupils whose circumstances have made them vulnerable to overcome their difficulties and achieve well. Partnerships between the school and other schools locally, together with links with the local community, enhance the life of pupils in school and support their personal and social development in particular. Links with parents have been particularly well promoted by the headteacher. Parents support children in school with reading, they receive notification of events through Parent Mail and texts and there are growing

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Leadership and management

links with the large traveller community, already helping to improve their attendance and consequently pupils’ progress. The school, through its rigorous programme of tracking and termly progress meetings, ensures that all pupils have an equal chance to learn and make progress. It rigorously tackles any forms of discrimination. One grandmother, whose granddaughters speak English as an additional language noted, ‘I can’t believe how well they have been supported and the care they have been shown.’

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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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Inspection of Hextable Primary School, Swanley, BR8 7RL

My colleagues and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to so many of you when we visited your school very recently. We judged that your school is satisfactory. We also noted that it was improving. Nearly all of you agree, in the questionnaire, that you are happy and safe at school, and so do your parents. You leave school with similar standards as other children of your age, having made satisfactory progress at school. Very recently your standards have improved because teaching is improving.

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Inspection of Hextable Primary School, Swanley, BR8 7RL

Your views in the questionnaire show that almost all of you feel that behaviour is good. We agree with this and so do most of your parents. We found that you are polite and considerate. Your teachers take care of you well and your headteacher and her senior leaders are now making improvements happen.

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Inspection of Hextable Primary School, Swanley, BR8 7RL

To make sure that improvements continue and standards rise further, we have asked the governing body and headteacher to do two things.

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Inspection of Hextable Primary School, Swanley, BR8 7RL

 Raise attainment especially in writing by helping you re-draft your work more accurately and help boys become more interested in writing activities.

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Inspection of Hextable Primary School, Swanley, BR8 7RL

 Improve teaching so that it is all good. We want teachers to remind you about your targets more often. We also want them to check your progress more regularly during lessons and through marking help you see how you might improve your work.

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Inspection of Hextable Primary School, Swanley, BR8 7RL

You can all help by keeping up your good attitudes to your work and attending school regularly.

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Inspection of Hextable Primary School, Swanley, BR8 7RL

Yours sincerely Gavin Jones 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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