Handale Primary School

Handale Primary School West Park Avenue, Loftus, Saltburn, North Yorkshire, TS13 4RL

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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 Outstanding 1

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This is a good school

 Handale Primary School is a good and rapidly improving school. This is because, since the last inspection, leadership at all levels has been strengthened.  Pupils achieve well. All groups make good progress from their individual starting points, regardless of ability or background, and reach standards that are at least in line with national averages by the end of Year 6.  Teaching and learning are good across the school because teachers have high expectations and teach interesting lessons. Some teaching is outstanding.  Pupils enjoy being at school and, justifiably, feel very safe. They say that if they have any problems they will be well looked after. Their behaviour is excellent.  School leaders, including governors, have a highly accurate view of the school’s strengths and priorities for the future. Extremely thorough checking on the quality of teaching has led to very marked improvements in teaching and learning.

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This is a good school

 Parents express overwhelmingly positive views about the quality of education and care at Handale School. Home-school links are strong.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching across the school. The most successful practice is not yet shared consistently across all classes, which means that some pupils are not challenged sufficiently to achieve more highly.  The rate of pupils’ progress in mathematics, while good, is not as fast as it is in reading and writing.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 19 lessons led by 14 different teachers.  Discussions were held with pupils, teaching staff, school leaders, two members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents. These included the school’s tracking data about pupils’ progress, planning and monitoring information, the self- evaluation summary, the school development plan, the safeguarding policy and minutes of the governing body’s meetings.  Also, inspectors took account of the 10 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 12 questionnaires completed by school staff.

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Inspection team

Alan Sergison, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Graeme Clarke Additional Inspector Philip Scott Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Handale Primary School is a larger-than-average school, serving the community of Loftus.  The school is on a split site in two different buildings, separated by a road.  The headteacher has been in post since September 2010. There have been a significant number of other staffing changes since the last inspection.  Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The school provides a breakfast club and a pre-nursery class for pupils and families.  The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding available to the school to support pupils eligible for free school meals, those looked after by the local authority or who are the children of members of the armed forces) is above average.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school holds the Healthy School and the Woodland Trust Gold awards.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching to raise pupils’ achievement further by: - sharing more widely the skills, expertise and best practice found in the school - refining teachers’ questioning skills so that in all lessons they can regularly check pupils’ understanding and adjust their teaching to meet different needs with accuracy - ensuring that all lessons move at a good pace so that all pupils are fully engaged in the learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Speed up the rate of pupils’ progress in mathematics so that it equals that in reading and writing by: - ensuring that the mathematics curriculum secures pupils’ basic calculating skills at an early age so that they can effectively apply these to problem solving.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement in Key Stages 1 and 2 has improved since the last inspection and is now good. Pupils of all abilities make at least good progress. Standards of reading, writing and mathematics are at least average by the time pupils leave in Year 6. While pupils make good progress in mathematics, their rate of progress in this subject is not as fast as it is in reading and writing. This is because they have not yet developed secure calculation skills.  The majority of children join the school with skill levels that are well below those expected for their age, particularly in their communication and personal and social development. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, in all areas of learning. Children eagerly explore the exciting, carefully structured, motivating activities provided for them and enjoy their learning. They enter Year 1 as confident and enthusiastic learners.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in lessons. For example, in a successful Year 6 poetry lesson children were encouraged to explore the patterns in rhyme. This activity was well linked to previous learning and the brisk pace to the lesson and the variety of activities ensured that they all remained engrossed in their learning. Pupils’ attitudes to learning were exemplary.  Disabled pupils and those who have special needs make good progress because all staff understand their learning needs well and make rigorous efforts to meet them. The gap between their achievement and that of others is reducing as a result.  The school has also narrowed the gap between the achievement of all pupils and the achievement of those pupils entitled to pupil premium funding. It does this by carefully providing extra adult support and specialist intervention where necessary to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.  Pupils read fluently and widely. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 tackle new and unfamiliar words well

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The achievement of pupils is good

because they develop a good understanding of letters and their sounds. By Year 6, pupils read with expression, enthusiasm and interest. They have a good knowledge of different writing styles and a clear view of what they enjoy reading.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most of the teaching observed during the inspection was good and some of it was outstanding. Inspectors agree with the overwhelming majority of parents who say that teaching is good.  Teachers plan lessons to make sure that all pupils are given work that gets the best out of them. A range of different teaching methods used in the classroom ensures that pupils learn quickly. Marking is generally good and helps pupils to know how well they are doing and how to improve. In the most successful lessons, teachers ask searching questions that extend pupils’ learning and help teachers to see how much they have understood. In lessons where this questioning is not as sharp learning is not as brisk.  Where teaching is at its best, pupils are excited by the activities they are presented with and are engrossed in their learning. For example, in a Year 5 lesson pupils were fully engaged in identifying the key features of a biography. Skilful questioning by the teacher served to deepen

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The quality of teaching is good

understanding and support assessment. A brisk pace maintained throughout the lesson moved learning forward and ensured that pupils made good progress.  In a well taught mathematics lesson pupils in Year 6 were stimulated and enthused by being asked to find the area of plots of land within an allotment. This real-life task brought learning to life and good-quality support from the teacher and teaching assistant ensured they worked well with a partner or on their own, developing independent learning skills. Not all mathematics lessons, however, ensure sufficient focus on the development of these basic calculation skills.  Not all teaching is as good as this. Sometimes the pace of the lesson flags or teachers’ questioning is not sufficiently sharply focused; pupils are not given sufficient time to respond to questions and so the pace of learning and pupils’ progress slow.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is also good. For example, in one session, as

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The quality of teaching is good

children explored the features of a fairy story, skilful questioning by the class teacher supported them to reflect on the story, to predict what might happen next and to develop their awareness of the links between letters and sounds. Children are taught to develop a level of independence and they are comfortable working with other children and with adults.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour in and around school is exemplary. In lessons they display a high level of focus and want to do their best at all times. They cooperate well and try hard even when tasks are quite challenging. In Nursery and Reception, children take turns and treat each other kindly. Pupils and the overwhelming majority of parents agree that behaviour is excellent.  Pupils show respect to others and are polite and courteous. They enjoy school and are proud of their school. Behaviour at playtime and lunchtime is excellent. Pupil ‘play leaders’ offer support to those who do not have anyone to spend time with and quickly ensure they are included in games.  Pupils have a very secure grasp of what constitutes bullying and report that there are very few incidents of bullying or harassment. They speak confidently about how a range of staff are always at hand to help them. They demonstrate an excellent understanding of how to avoid risk

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

and danger. The sensible manner in which they move between the two separate sites shows their excellent understanding of road safety.  The school has worked very hard with families and a range of specialist support agencies, in addition to providing meaningful rewards, to help improve pupils’ attendance. The contribution of the school’s own learning mentors has also had a significant, positive impact in this area and levels of attendance are above average.  This school lives up to its motto ’Learning and Caring Together’.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leadership has been significantly enhanced since the last inspection. The headteacher leads the school with drive, energy and a high degree of ambition for the best for every pupil. She has been the key to the improvements that have been made. She quickly identified areas within the school which needed to be tackled. As a result, both the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make are improving rapidly.  Other senior leaders make a very significant contribution to ongoing school improvement. A supportive team approach has been established. Everyone is committed to, and focused on, the improvement agenda.  The systems to check pupils’ progress are rigorous and, as a result, the school has an accurate understanding of its performance. Performance management and sharply focused professional development contribute effectively to the development of staff skills in order to secure continuous improvement. This includes support for newly qualified teachers. As yet, leaders have

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The leadership and management are outstanding

not had time to capitalise fully on opportunities to share the best teaching practice within the school.  The broad and balanced curriculum is firmly focused on improving pupils’ speech, language and number skills. A range of highly positive curriculum experiences encourages pupils’ frequent practice of their developing skills, for example, through visits to the Victorian Ironstone Museum and Carlton outdoor residential pursuits centre.  An extensive range of enrichment activities including visits, visitors, school clubs and the breakfast club adds to the richness and enjoyment of pupils’ learning. This has a very positive impact on pupils’ behaviour and contributes exceptionally well to their excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school places a high priority on learning about rights and responsibilities and pupils respond very well to this.  The school works well with parents, as illustrated in the words of one who wrote, ‘I would not

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The leadership and management are outstanding

hesitate to recommend Handale School to any new parent’. Parents are happy with the leadership of the school and agree that the school keeps their children safe. The part played by the learning mentors is critical to the school working successfully with all families.  Safeguarding procedures meet the statutory requirements.  The local authority provides light-touch support to this good school.  The governance of the school:  Governors, under the guidance of a dedicated and experienced Chair of the Governing Body, have made a very significant contribution to securing the recent improvements in the school. They are passionate about securing the best for every child. They are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school, including the quality of teaching. They have ensured that the training of teachers is directly linked to efforts to improve the quality of provision. They have a good understanding of the progress pupils are making. Governors review teachers’

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The leadership and management are outstanding

performance to ensure that any salary progression is related to the quality of teaching and leadership responsibilities. They also monitor the expenditure of the school well, especially funding received through the pupil premium, to ensure good value for money is secured.

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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 131645 Local authority Redcar and Cleveland Inspection number 406445

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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 267 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Daren Fowler Headteacher Helen Blakeley Date of previous school inspection 25 January 2011 Telephone number 01287 640416 Fax number 01287 640416 Email address Handale_primary_school@redcar-cleveland.gov.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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