Husborne Crawley Lower School

Husborne Crawley Lower School School Lane, Husborne Crawley, MK43 0UZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  Children enjoy their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage and quickly learn new skills.  Pupils’ attainment is well above average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2.  Pupils make rapid progress in these subjects across the school because they are taught well.  Teachers plan interesting lessons and involve pupils well in improving their work.  Teachers provide more difficult work for pupils who are particularly able.  Teachers and other adults work well together to help pupils who struggle with communication, reading, writing or mathematics.  Pupils are proud of their school and this shows in their very good behaviour and in their outstanding concern for other pupils.  Pupils really enjoy coming to school, feel safe and attend very regularly.  Leaders have improved teaching by setting up different ways to find out how well each pupil is doing.  Leaders have improved the way that writing

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

is taught by providing effective training and expert advice.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are a few lessons where teachers miss opportunities to plan or reshape a task so that they get the best out of each pupil.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons. One of these was a joint observation with the acting headteacher.  The inspector observed the school’s work, looked at the work in pupils’ books and heard pupils read.  The inspector met with a group of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and two other governors, a representative from the local authority and school staff.  The inspector took account of the 26 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 11 staff questionnaires.  The inspector looked at a number of documents, including the school’s data on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documents, the school’s website, behaviour and attendance records and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Nicola Davies, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is lower than average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is lower than average.  Most of the pupils are White British.  Nearly all pupils speak English as their first language.  Fewer pupils than average are eligible for the pupil premium.  The current acting headteacher took up her post three weeks before the start of the inspection.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the proportion of outstanding teaching in Reception and Key Stage 1 by ensuring that teachers:  adapt their planned activities in lessons where pupils are making slower progress than expected  make full use of opportunities to learn outdoors, particularly for children in the Reception class and some younger pupils in Year 1  plan activities for some younger pupils where they can experiment and find things out for themselves.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the governing body makes all required statutory information available for parents and carers and others on the school’s website.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children are well taught in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The proportion reaching a good level of development by the end of their Reception Year is usually above average. Children do not always have good opportunities to learn outdoors and to find things out for themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards are high at the end of Year 2. Attainment in reading and mathematics is well above average. Attainment in writing is also well above average and has improved rapidly since the school was last inspected.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress in Years 3 and 4. This means that most leave the school with reading, writing and mathematical skills which are appropriate for or better than those expected for pupils of their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The few pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium make good or better progress in line with their peers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Although they are relatively few in number, their needs are quite varied and they are well supported by knowledgeable and caring staff at the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ broader understanding is good. Pupils talk confidently about topics and subjects they have studied as part of the school’s creative curriculum.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Expectations are high. One teacher noted that the focus on aspiration had made a huge difference to her own teaching and the progress pupils make. Leaders follow this up through the system of regular pupil progress meetings.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading and mathematics are very well taught. The sounds that letters make are successfully taught to younger children and pupils use these sounds to help them read unknown words.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Older pupils have excellent opportunities to read widely. They develop a real enthusiasm for reading, make full use of the school library and read regularly to find out more about the topics they study at school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of writing has improved. Since the last inspection, teachers have developed their skills in the teaching of writing through a combination of expert training and sharing best practice within the school. Teachers have found that showing pupils how to upgrade their own work has been particularly successful.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers know each pupil very well. This helps them to ensure that the tasks they set are almost always at the right level for each child. However, sometimes teachers miss opportunities during lessons to reshape or adapt the way a task is carried out in order to get the best out of individuals.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and other adults make good use of their time. Pupils benefit from a blend of whole- class teaching and individual work. Individual work includes well-planned activities for pupils who are particularly gifted in a subject as well as help for pupils to overcome a specific problem.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Other adults make a good contribution. Teachers provide clear plans which help adults know exactly what each pupil needs to achieve in a lesson and how they can help. Their involvement, and that of volunteers from the school community, also supports pupils’ impressive progress in reading.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers give pupils the opportunity to use their good reading, writing and mathematical skills in a range of different contexts and through different activities. This term’s topic of rainforests means the school is awash with colourful jungle displays and talk of humidity and epiphytes.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is good. Teachers help pupils know what to do next through their comments. Pupils also judge their own work and progress. This helps them think about how to improve and helps their teachers plan their next lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. A well-planned mix of teaching and play helps children progress well and mature socially. The new covered outdoor area is not yet fully used as a space for learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They behave exceptionally well in class and are keen to make sure they do their best in tasks set for them. They respond very positively to the challenges teachers and other adults set for them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are excellent. Teachers encourage pupils to develop strong bonds across year groups which means that older pupils display very thoughtful and mature behaviour towards the youngest pupils. In turn the youngest children develop good social skills and attitudes because of the examples they are set.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils behave very well around the school. The oldest pupils are confident to intervene if they overhear someone being unkind, or to report more serious incidents to an adult.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Instances of poor behaviour are rare and are carefully recorded. Incidents connected with pupils’ race, gender, disability or other characteristics are very rare. This is because teachers plan lessons or talks which give pupils a real understanding of the dangers of prejudice and the different types of bullying.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance is above average. Pupils are very keen to come to school and arrive punctually. They enjoy the wide range of extra activities the school provides.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Parents and carers enjoy a good relationship with the school. Online questionnaires indicate that all those who responded would wholeheartedly recommend the school to another parent.

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The leadership and management are good

 The previous acting headteacher improved teaching by setting up a very thorough system to monitor the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress. This included lesson observations, looking at pupils’ work and regular meetings with teachers and pupils to discuss pupils’ learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The current acting headteacher is continuing these improvements. She is working together with the headteacher of another local school to monitor the quality of teaching through lesson observations which focus closely on the quality of pupils’ learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school development plan clearly sets out how teaching and progress for pupils will be maximised. This planning has been led by the acting headteachers working together with school staff and governors.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is interesting and varied. Pupils benefit from good opportunities to participate in sport. Musical activities have a high profile in the school. The school’s creative curriculum stimulates pupils’ interest in different subjects and meets their needs well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided effective support. This support has been particularly valuable as the school has been led by two acting headteachers since September 2011.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has also provided appropriate training for teachers. This has been helpful as staff in this small school often hold many responsibilities. One result of this training is that the leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage has improved and is now good.

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The leadership and management are good

 Partnerships with other local schools are particularly strong. The school has an extensive programme to prepare pupils for their transfer to their new school at the end of Year 4. This helps pupils settle in quickly.

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The leadership and management are good

 Partnerships with parents and carers are strong. Surveys show that parents and carers feel well informed and many form a long-lasting relationship with the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  has an accurate view of how well the school is performing  has made good use of the information provided by the acting headteachers  has had a positive impact on planning for school development  has not yet ensured that all required information is available on the school’s website.

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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 109460 Local authority Central Bedfordshire Inspection number 405238

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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 5–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 50 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Len Wisson Headteacher Sue Isaacs (Acting Head) Date of previous school inspection 7 December 2010 Telephone number 01525 280232 Fax number 01525 280232 Email address office@hclowerschool.co.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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