Panshanger Primary School

Panshanger Primary School Daniells, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 1QY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Most pupils make at least good progress across all subjects because they enjoy learning and strive to do their very best work.  The behaviour of pupils is invariably excellent; pupils get along very well and make sure that everyone has a chance to contribute in lessons and participate on the playground.  Pupils are confident readers because they have good skills with which to tackle more demanding texts.  In national tests, results have continued to rise and attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is now above average because of the good progress pupils have made.  Teaching is mostly good and occasionally outstanding because teachers know the pupils exceptionally well and provide work which challenges most of them.  The headteacher and senior leaders make sure that teachers know exactly how well each pupil is doing, and provide good support to improve teaching, particularly where it has

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some teaching remains which requires improvement, particularly where the most able pupils find work too easy.  Progress is not yet consistent across all year groups, and the most-able pupils do not always reach the very highest levels of attainment of which they are capable.  Pupils do not do quite as well in mathematics as they do in English.  While leaders and managers have made sure that teaching continues to improve, they have not yet been as effective in moving teaching to the highest levels.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons or parts of lessons delivered by 10 teaching staff, as well as sessions delivered by teaching assistants. Inspectors also looked at the work pupils have done and discussed this with pupils, listened to pupils read, and reviewed plans for lessons and the curriculum. Observations totalled approximately seven hours.  During the inspection, inspectors had meetings with senior leaders, teachers, pupils, governors and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors spoke informally to parents and carers, and considered the 47 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey of parental views.

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Inspection team

Andrew Saunders, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jacqueline Bell-Cook Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and for whom the school receives additional income (the pupil premium) is below average.  Almost all pupils are White British; a very few pupils in the school are from a range of other ethnic heritages. Almost all pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action, at school action plus, or who are disabled or who have statements of special educational needs is broadly average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all teaching is consistently good, and that a greater proportion of teaching is outstanding, by developing the confidence of teachers in trying out the very best strategies modelled by colleagues.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the rate of progress, particularly in mathematics and for the most able pupils, ensuring that all pupils reach the highest levels of which they are capable, by:  increasing the independence of pupils in driving their own learning and setting challenging goals for themselves  giving the most-able pupils harder work to do.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When they join the school, children have skills and knowledge which are typical for their age. The well-established routines and caring attitudes of adults mean that children settle well and make a good start on their learning journey.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 During Key Stage 1, good progress continues, particularly in developing confidence in speaking and listening. Recent assessments at the end of Year 2 show that pupils’ attainment was above average, although not quite as good in mathematics as in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The levels of attainment that pupils reach in national tests at the end of Year 6 have been rising and are above average. The most recent cohort to complete these tests made outstanding progress in English. Progress in mathematics was above average, but was not quite as high as in English.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 While the most-able pupils usually make good progress, they are capable of even greater progress. Occasionally, the work they are given does not stretch them to the full extent of their capability. These pupils are keen to complete the tasks set for them to a high standard but do not yet show enough determination to push themselves even further.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are supported by knowledgeable adults, and the additional support they get is well focused on their particular needs. As a result, these pupils make good progress. Other pupils help to support them well, and the caring ethos of the school means that pupils celebrate each other’s successes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are eligible for additional support through the pupil premium make similar progress to their peers, because the funding allows the school to increase the level of adult support focused on helping these pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The strong emphasis on developing reading skills means that pupils are confident readers and they use these skills well across the curriculum, giving them confidence in tackling the texts they come across.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are also given good opportunities to develop their writing and mathematical skills in other subjects. They know how to apply these skills more widely because the well-developed curriculum makes these links explicit.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most of the teaching seen during the inspection was good. This is because senior leaders have made clear their expectations and have eliminated any inadequate teaching. A small proportion of teaching remains which requires improvement. There is not yet sufficient outstanding teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The work pupils do in their books, records of monitoring of teaching, and lesson observations carried out with senior leaders during the inspection show that the school has an accurate view that good teaching is typical over time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Effective professional development to improve the teaching of reading and writing means that agreed strategies are well-embedded. Strategies to improve teaching of mathematics have become increasingly effective although these are more recent than for reading and writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use the accurate information they have about how well the pupils are doing, to plan tasks which develop pupils’ skills and knowledge at a good pace. Lessons begin with a clear focus on what the pupils will be doing, alongside helpful indications of how they will know if they have been successful.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make sure that pupils have enough time to complete their work. They usually keep their explanations appropriately short, following up with further explanations when this is needed, because they keep track of how well pupils have understood what they need to do.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the very best examples, teachers notice when work may be too easy for some groups of pupils, and adapt the task during the lesson. Occasionally, the most-able pupils find the work too easy. This is not always readily identified, because pupils’ attitudes to learning are so positive and they get on with their work so well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers typically hold high expectations of pupils’ writing and presentation of work and pupils respond positively to this. Marking in books follows clear guidelines and gives pupils excellent direction about how to move their learning forward. Pupils respond to this, which helps to consolidate their progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers engage pupils’ enthusiasm by making use of interesting resources and choosing topics which appeal to the pupils. For example, Year 3 pupils particularly enjoyed working out exchange rates for Roman coins to buy a range of artefacts. As a result, they made rapid progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ exemplary behaviour in lessons and around the school contributes to the good progress they make in their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils had lots of positive comments to make about their school; they say that it is a great place to learn. They like being at school and their attendance has been consistently above average. Parents and carers expressed similar, positive views about the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils show immense kindness and consideration for one another and feel very well cared for because of the excellent relationships between adults and pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 During lessons, pupils focus on their work well and are keen to make sure that they fulfil the success criteria for the task. While they are sometimes lively, this is usually because they are enthusiastic about what they are doing. Just occasionally, it is because work is not challenging enough.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils increasingly participate in evaluating their own and each other’s work. They like doing so and typically give each other good ideas about how they could improve what they have done.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The high expectations and positive rewards for good behaviour mean that the very few pupils who join the school with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties are quickly helped to make better choices. In particular, pupils appreciate that ‘golden time’ rewards their efforts to maintain their excellent behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Before school, there is a well-led activity club which gives pupils who use it a very positive start to their day, particularly where they may face challenging circumstances outside of school. After-school activities are also popular, including a wide range of sporting opportunities and a highly popular art club.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and senior leaders demonstrate systematic and realistic assessment, helping to focus their efforts. Together, they have developed an immensely caring atmosphere in the school, which parents and carers particularly appreciate. This is increasingly complemented by a determination for the school to reach the highest levels of performance.

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The leadership and management are good

 Together with the governing body, senior leaders have kept track of the impact of strategies that have been introduced, reviewing how they are implemented. This has continued the trend of improvement in the results pupils achieve, and has raised the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders provide good training opportunities and model the high expectations they hold to improve teaching. Opportunities to share the very best strategies between colleagues are helping to raise the quality of teaching further. For example, ways of teaching reading have been shared and mean that there is a consistent approach across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Professional development opportunities have been well focused on the areas that have required improvement. As a result, most teaching is good and some is outstanding. Senior leaders have recognised that the next step is to make sure all teaching is good and outstanding teaching even more frequent.

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The leadership and management are good

 The role of middle leaders has developed well so that these members of staff take responsibility for bringing about significant improvements within their areas. For example, the teaching of mathematics and writing have been a focus and has led to improved results.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders provide exemplary care for pupils and staff, and this sets the tone for all relationships across the school. This means that all members of the school community feel highly valued, have opportunities for their own development, and are keen to contribute in all areas, not just within their job specification.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school helps ensure the personal development of pupils through well-planned personal, social and health education (PSHE) and social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) lessons. Along with assemblies, these contribute well towards the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders across the school make sure that pupils benefit from a well-balanced curriculum, including wider opportunities such as high-quality sports, drama, music and languages. The views of pupils are beginning to be used in further development of the curriculum.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has helped the school to develop an accurate self-evaluation and improve the way data is used to identify any additional help pupils may need. It has also challenged the school to ensure that it can show robust evidence for the effectiveness of strategies introduced.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  is good because members of the governing body have continued to support and challenge the school to ensure that the needs of pupils are carefully identified and met  checks the accuracy of its view of the work of the school through an appropriate programme of visits and interrogation of the data  tracks groups of pupils to make sure that the pupil premium funding is used to support these pupils and to improve the outcomes they achieve.

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The leadership and management are good

 Together with the governing body, senior leaders ensure that statutory requirements for the safeguarding of pupils are met. Staff receive regular training, for example, in dealing with bullying and supporting pupils’ understanding of their own safety.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 117294 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 403312

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 228 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Cllr Mike Larkins Headteacher Muriel Will Date of previous school inspection 25 February 2008 Telephone number 01707 328846 Fax number 01707 393543 Email address admin@panshanger.herts.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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,

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School details

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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School details

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

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