Hatfield Peverel Infant and Nursery School

Hatfield Peverel Infant School Church Road, Hatfield Peverel, Chelmsford, CM3 2RP

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils do well and make good progress from their starting points. The school’s results have improved over the last two years from being below the national average to average.  Children get off to a good start in Foundation Stage and make consistently good progress.  Pupils enjoy reading and they are encouraged to read widely and often.  Teaching and learning across the school are good and some teaching is outstanding.  Teachers plan their lessons well and make lessons interesting and fun, which helps pupils to learn new skills quickly.  Behaviour in and out of lessons is good; pupils showing good manners and co- operative and positive attitudes to learning.  Leadership and management are strong and are committed to making the school a good place for pupils to learn and to do well.  The governors know the school and hold the headteacher to account well; they are instrumental in driving improvement and show

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

a caring interest in the pupils and their development.  Governors visit the school often and gather valuable information to see how well the pupils are doing in lessons.  Since the last inspection the school has used assessment data effectively to help pupils know how to improve their work.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 More able pupils are not always given the opportunities to attempt more demanding tasks designed to help them to make even better progress.  The outside learning area in the Foundation Stage is not yet adequately used to build on what children learn in the classroom.  Leaders and managers in The Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 are still developing new ideas to improve learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes with each class being observed at least once. In all 20 lessons were observed.  Inspectors had discussions with members of the Governing Body, a representative from the local authority, the head teacher, all teaching staff, parents and a group of pupils.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentary evidence including the school’s tracking of pupils’ progress, documents relating to safeguarding and special educational needs, and the school’s self-evaluation.  Pupils’ written work from the previous school year was scrutinised.  Inspectors took into account the views of 23 parents as recorded on Ofsted’s Parent View online survey as well as a recent survey of parent’s opinions on changes in the school.

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Inspection team

Mandy Snook, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Bimla Thakur Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average infant school, which serves its local community, as well as a wider community in more recent times.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for funding through the pupil premium is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action or school action plus, or who have a statement of special educational needs, is broadly average and increasing annually.  The school shares some facilities and resources with an adjacent junior school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from good to outstanding in order to raise attainment by providing demanding tasks for more able pupils.  Ensure that teachers make greater use of the outside learning area to provide better opportunities for children’s imaginative play and social development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A high proportion of pupils achieve the nationally expected levels in English and mathematics, regardless of their starting points. After a significant dip in attainment in 2011, there has been a rising trend across the school over the past year and currently, and in particular, an improvement in pupils’ attainment in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of pupils making and exceeding typically expected progress is good and increasing rapidly. Even when attainment fell, good progress was still made by many pupils. However, the most able pupils do not always make the progress expected of them as tasks are not always demanding enough.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs do well, achieving broadly in line with similar pupils nationally. The school sets ambitious targets for these pupils who make good progress because they benefit from the specialist intervention and support delivered by skilled teaching assistants who encourage independent problem solving skills and build pupils’ confidence.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils develop secure literacy and numeracy skills over time; they learn quickly and make good progress from the firm foundations of what they already know. Scrutiny of Key Stage 1 pupils’ books reflected the good progress made and good, imaginative extended writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is celebrated in this school. It is encouraged in lessons and pupils are enthusiastic when discussing their reading logs. A home reading programme encourages parental engagement as well as supporting the development of pupils’ skills and attitudes. Guided reading sessions are fun and provide opportunities for pupils to share their books and to play word games.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Speaking and listening skills are good; pupils express themselves clearly and confidently and with refreshing candour. Pupils are encouraged and have many opportunities to develop these skills through a social and personal development programme that is taught.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 From starting points that are broadly average, children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress in all areas of learning, Children learn well and develop skills quickly in a stimulating indoor learning environment. Outdoor learning is more restricted as it is not always linked well enough to all areas of learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Lesson observations show good levels of engagement, enjoyment and continuous assessment of pupils’ work. Pupils are motivated to learn and are excited by creative, fast paced lessons especially in literacy.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Those pupils eligible for extra funding do well; they make progress significantly above that typically expected and benefit from a number of intervention strategies and support. The school spends this money well, making special provision for more vulnerable pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils, staff and parents believe that all make good progress at this school and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Inspection findings support these views.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Much teaching is good with some outstanding practice where pupils were able to work at a brisk pace and level that enables them to make good progress. For example in an art lesson in Year 1, the teacher gave pupils opportunities to experiment with various pencil techniques of shading and tone in their drawings. In a Year two class, the pupils worked in teams to design and create moving robots. High quality work was produced in both classes.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best lessons, teachers use probing questions to encourage discussions and to support learning. They encourage pupils to draw on previous knowledge and to apply new information to deepen their understanding. This often created excited debate and contributed to pupils wanting to attempt more challenging tasks.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Observation of lessons over time by senior leaders indicates that pupils benefit from consistently good and outstanding teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching of information and communication technology across the curriculum is well planned, and is evidenced in creative tasks completed by pupils in the previous year’s books and on display in the school. Pupils develop good investigation skills early on in Year1 and this continues throughout the key stage.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking and assessment are effective in guiding pupils to make good progress and to improve their work. Teachers always check how well their pupils are doing during lessons and pupils have many opportunities to assess their own and each other’s work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan their lessons in detail and are good at adapting their planning to meet the needs of pupils. They judge what worked well and what needed to be changed to make their next lessons even better.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The curriculum has had a positive impact on learning, particularly in classes with a greater number of boys. They say that they enjoy their lessons and find learning fun! However, more able pupils are not always given the opportunities to develop their thinking skills and to attempt more demanding tasks.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is good in lessons and at break times. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning, which promote good levels of engagement and confidence. They behave well in all situations. Pupils are self-disciplined and treat each other respectfully; they are particularly good at taking turns and listening to each other. Behaviour at lunch times is boisterous and high-spirited and is carefully monitored by staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour towards other adults is well mannered and co-operative, standing aside, opening doors and engaging in friendly conversation.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Teachers manage behaviour consistently well, applying the school’s positive behaviour policy when necessary. Pupils are involved in discussions about behaviour and contribute to policy making in order to promote a good behaviour ethos in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Senior leaders monitor behaviour logs regularly; these records show very few incidents over a long period of time.  Pupils feel safe in this school and know how to keep themselves safe through the good guidance they are given informally and in lessons. Pupils have a clear understanding of types of bullying and they receive excellent quality teaching on how to use the internet safely.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is average and punctuality is good.

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The leadership and management are good

 The head teacher and her deputy show good modelling of professional standards. The leadership team pursues excellence and has made significant changes since the last inspection in order to achieve its goals. Leadership in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Children’s progress is tracked by detailed, ongoing observations of their learning. Priorities are clearly identified and now need to lead into effective action plans that take into account outside learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school self-evaluation is accurate and this information is used to challenge teachers to constantly improve through well-organised action plans. Data tracking is rigorous and used effectively to check and improve how well pupils are doing.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers benefit from suitably targeted training and development, which are carefully recorded. Appropriate career paths are agreed in collaboration with senior leaders. Staff performance is managed well and this has a positive impact on the quality of both teaching and learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The head teacher and subject leaders have successfully developed the curriculum in order to meet the needs of all pupils and to maximise their achievement. However, the small, outside learning area is not used well to promote opportunities for more imaginative activities and the development of collaborative tasks. Some sessions lack the scope and organisation for outside activities to develop and enhance pupils’ skills and learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 This broad range of learning experiences in Years 1 to 2 is well designed to lift attainment, stimulate good progress and provide strong promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Assemblies are inspiring, used to promote positive attitudes and contribute to the community ethos of the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Engagement with parents and carers is positive and continues to improve, with the vast majority of parents and carers saying that they would recommend this school to others. The school is inclusive and provides good support to families.

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The leadership and management are good

 The safeguarding of pupils meets requirements. The school carries out the necessary checks on staff to ensure that they are suitable to work with children and all staff have received the appropriate level of safeguarding training.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides appropriate light touch support for this good school where pupils reach high standards and leaders secure continuing improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  holds the school to account well and are instrumental in driving improvement  is enthusiastic, supportive of the school and very proud of its achievements  visits the school regularly and gathers information on teaching and learning  manages finances efficiently and ensures that development is ongoing.

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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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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 114974 Local authority Essex Inspection number 405554

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 173 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anne Hudson-Lund Headteacher Cindy Lewis Date of previous school inspection 16 September 2010 Telephone number 01245 380220 Fax number 01245 382490 Email address office@hatfieldpeverel.essex.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, please

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School details

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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