Red Hill CofE Primary School

Red Hill CofE Primary School Midhurst Close, Worcester, WR5 2HX

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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 achieve well particularly in mathematics and in reading. They enjoy their learning and are keen to undertake challenging work.  Teaching is good and some is outstanding. Tasks are exciting, fun and well planned to promote pupils’ independence and to meet their individual needs.  Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school and pupils say that they feel safe and well cared-for.  Leadership and management are good overall and some elements, particularly the leadership of the headteacher, his deputy and governing body, are outstanding. As a result the school has improved in all aspects of its work since the previous inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The Early Years Foundation Stage requires improvement because leaders have not kept sufficiently up to date in the requirements of this key stage, particularly in the use of the outside area, in promoting literacy skills and in ensuring high quality teaching.  A small minority of teachers sometimes miss opportunities to build on their prior learning and to quickly move them on with a new challenge once they show that they understand.  Pupils do not achieve as well in writing in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 as they do in reading and mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons, five of which were seen together with the headteacher. They also made a number of further short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with pupils, members of the governing body, a representative from the local authority and staff, including subject leaders. Conversations also took place with parents and carers.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at policies, self-evaluation and development planning, monitoring records, information about pupils’ progress, safeguarding documents, and samples of pupils’ work.  The views of 39 parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were taken into account, along with 19 responses to the staff questionnaires. The school’s own recent survey of parent views was also taken into account.

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Inspection team

Mary Davis, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Christopher Crouch Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average, while the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is below average, the largest group being of Pakistani heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care, those known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent in the armed forces serving overseas, is lower than in most schools.  The school provides a morning nursery, but few of these children transfer to the Reception class. Attendance at Nursery varies from day to day. Most children transfer to Reception from other

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Information about this school

providers. Some children have had no previous nursery education.  The school provides before and after school clubs, managed by the governing body.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is no alternative off-site provision used by the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement in writing in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 by:  using the existing outstanding practice established in mathematics, to ensure that leaders fully focus on promoting writing skills through a cohesive approach throughout the school, to create a sense of drive and purpose.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further raise the quality of teaching so that more is outstanding and all is consistently at least good by:  ensuring that all teachers plan lessons where pupils can build on their prior learning and regularly check on pupils’ progress during the lesson so that they can be moved on quickly once they show that they understand.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build the capacity of the Early Years Foundation Stage leadership by:  ensuring leaders and teachers fully understand and apply current practice, particularly in providing opportunities for children to move freely between the indoor and outdoor areas, and ensuring that the outdoor activities provided fully promote children’s learning  involving all adults in promoting literacy and ensure that teachers plan effectively to meet children’s individual needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Reception class with skills, knowledge and understanding that are typically at the levels expected for their age. In literacy, skills are below expectations. Children make expected progress during this year and develop good personal and social skills, playing and cooperating well together. In 2012, children began in Year 1 still below nationally expected levels in writing, although above expectations in all other areas of learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1, attaining well particularly in mathematics and in reading. In 2012, the results of the national screening test for reading for pupils in Year 1 were average. However, attainment in writing remained below national levels at the end of Year 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment by the end of Year 6 has improved since the previous inspection; pupils’ average points scores showing a dramatic rise from the previous year. This was as a result of leaders’ well-focused strategies to improve mathematics. In 2012 attainment in all subjects was significantly above the national average as was the proportion of pupils attaining the highest levels in reading and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are excited by the tasks set for them and keen to contribute their ideas. They say that teachers make their lessons fun and that they enjoy lessons most when they are difficult and challenging. They develop independence through many opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning. For example, in an outstanding Year 5 reading lesson, pupils showed maturity, taking turns in leading their group in identifying unfamiliar words and exploring their meaning. This generated excitement as they shared their ideas.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in all years show pleasure and enjoyment in reading. Although opportunities are sometimes missed in the Early Years Foundation Stage to promote skills quickly enough, elsewhere pupils read well for their age and even the weakest readers are able to read with fluency and expression.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment in writing is below that of other subjects in the lower years. However, as a result of good teaching in Key Stage 2, inspectors observed pupils in this key stage writing extensively in a variety of styles and being able to improve their own work through a clear understanding of the features of good writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress as a result of the highly personalised specialist support they receive both in lessons and in small groups.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The very small number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals achieved in line with this group nationally in last years’ national tests. Comparison with previous years is not practical because of the small and varying numbers of pupils involved. The well-targeted pupil premium funding has enabled this group to benefit from extra support, including one-to-one tuition, and to achieve successfully.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress in their communication skills as a result of teachers’ strong focus on the use of key words, ensuring that pupils clearly understand what they mean and use them in their writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Leaders’ rigorous checking shows that teaching is typically good or outstanding and this was confirmed through lesson observation during the inspection.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers generally plan lessons that match pupils’ individual needs and abilities well. Resources are well-prepared to support low attainers, while higher attainers are encouraged to be independent and often exceed the lesson objective targets set for them. For example in an outstanding mathematics lesson, the teacher kept a clear overview of all groups of pupils during the task, so that she was able to identify quickly when pupils were ready for another challenge and used questioning skilfully to encourage them to think more deeply.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There is some slight inconsistency however, as a result of a small minority of teachers not sufficiently taking account of what pupils are already able to do and building on these established skills. For example, in a Key Stage 1 numeracy lesson, one pupil became quite cross that the problems he had been given were too easy. A minority of teachers sometimes miss opportunities to evaluate how well pupils are learning during the lesson and to move them on with their learning as soon as they show understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Nursery is good and children are well cared for and stimulated in their play, learning to take turns. Inspectors observed children showing enjoyment as they learnt about Italy through making pizza and greeting each other in Italian.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are a real strength of the school’s staff although not always fully deployed. For example, in a phonics (linking letters and sounds) session in Reception, opportunities were missed to divide the class up into groups so that all adults could be involved in promoting skills according to the different abilities within the group. Elsewhere teaching assistants provide expert support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. They know pupils well, and this enables them to provide appropriate support and to promote their independence.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All teachers ensure that pupils have an excellent understanding of their targets and what they need to do to achieve them. Teachers provide a wide variety of resources to promote pupils’ independence in improving their work. Exemplary written marking was seen in Year 6 where the teacher provided opportunities for pupils to respond to advice and to practice skills. This enabled rapid progress to be made and for many pupils to exceed their targets.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons showing positive attitudes to learning, and warm relationships are evident throughout the school. When teaching is outstanding, behaviour is exemplary as pupils become engrossed in their work. They are polite and welcoming to visitors.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour around the school is orderly and pupils manage their own behaviour well when leaving or entering the school at break time, responding quickly to instructions. They listen intently in assemblies and join in singing with enthusiasm.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils told inspectors that the school staff keep them safe. They show a good understanding of different forms of bullying, including cyber bullying, but say that incidents are rare and that adults support them well. They particularly value the work of the pastoral support worker who is always there to help them should they be upset. They also say that adults encourage them to resolve their own arguments if they can before asking for help.  Behaviour is managed well and pupils have a good understanding of rewards and sanctions. Pupils with behavioural difficulties are well supported and incidents of exclusions, previously above average, are now declining.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school is rigorous in supporting pupils and their families whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and are tenacious in ensuring that they receive the external support that they need. The pastoral support worker has been particularly effective in ensuring pupils’ well-being and promoting regular attendance, which is now above average.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy taking responsible roles, through the school council, the eco-committee and celebrating different faiths and cultures through the community club. Here pupils plan and deliver assemblies, for example to celebrate the Chinese New Year. They value the fact that the school seeks their views on the quality of teaching, for example in mathematics.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Staff, parents and carers express positive views about behaviour and safety.

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The leadership and management are good

 The inspirational headteacher, very well supported by his deputy and the governing body, has been single-minded in improving the quality of teaching, raising achievement and ensuring good behaviour. A calm and productive atmosphere has been established throughout the school. Staff and pupils have responded to leaders’ high expectations and to an environment where success is celebrated.

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The leadership and management are good

 Management processes to monitor the performance of all staff including the regular checking on teaching quality are meticulous. Teachers are set appropriate targets and are held to account for the progress made in their class and to the school development priorities. Teachers are deployed appropriately, for example by placing an outstanding teacher in a class that had previously experienced frequent staffing changes. This has resulted in dramatically improved behaviour and achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders are quick to act to address areas for development identified through rigorous self- evaluation. For example following the 2011 Key Stage 2 low mathematics attainment, a cohesive recovery plan was introduced that ensured common practice across the school. This has resulted in pupils now showing great enjoyment of the subject and, in 2012, over a quarter of pupils achieving level 6 in mathematics. The leadership of literacy currently lacks this cohesive approach and the drive to raise attainment across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupil progress is also tracked and analysed meticulously and the performance of different groups of pupils carefully examined to ensure all are achieving. Any under-performance is quickly identified and followed up by the special needs coordinator who has ensured that disabled pupils and those with special education needs are appropriately identified and supported. This has had a significant impact on the progress of this group during the current academic year.

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The leadership and management are good

 The good range of subjects is well matched to pupils’ needs, and promotes their strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Leaders ensure that exciting and stimulating experiences are provided. For example, pupils told inspectors of their excitement at visits by the ‘History Man’ who brings historical artefacts into school, for example to support their study of World War II. Pupils are now developing their literacy and numeracy skills well across all subjects.  Parents and carers are fully involved in the life of the school, through weekly newsletters and workshops to enable them to support their child’s learning. The popular and well-organised before and after school clubs have been provided in response to requests by parents and carers.

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The leadership and management are good

 Health and safety is a high priority within the school. Safeguarding and child-protection procedures are well-established and kept up-to-date. All the appropriate staff are suitably trained.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is not ensuring that the outside area is used effectively or that children can access this area at all times during the day. The provision is consequently often formal with the main focus on adult-initiated activities rather than children choosing for themselves. Opportunities are also being missed to provide outside activities that stimulate learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided appropriate support for the school over recent years in ensuring the raising of achievement and providing training for staff and governors.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school is good:  The governing body is extremely well-organised and focused on raising achievement through improving the quality of teaching. Governors hold the headteacher to account to ensure that each teacher’s salary progression is closely linked to the success made in reaching targets that are set for him/her to improve pupils’ progress. They undertake appropriate training and are keen to improve their effectiveness further. They know the school very well, having a very clear understanding of performance data. This enables them to compare the school with those nationally and to provide effective challenge and support for the school’s leaders. They check that pupil premium funding is used to ensure that alternative activities, such as one-to-one tuition, lead to improved outcomes for these pupils. They ensure that safeguarding meets current requirements.

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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 116859 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 405674

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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 235 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kevin Ruff Headteacher Spencer Morris Date of previous school inspection 16 June 2011 Telephone number 01905 352524 Fax number 01905 352524 Email address office@redhill.worcs.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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