Hindringham Church of England Primary School

Hindringham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Wells Road, Hindringham, Fakenham, NR21 0PL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Standards are too low in writing and mathematics. Too few pupils reach the higher levels of attainment, especially in Key Stage 1.  The progress of Reception children requires improvement because activities do not always help them to develop their basic skills.  Not enough teaching is consistently good. Teachers do not always expect pupils to write at length or produce work of a sufficiently high standard.  At times teachers do not set work at the right level of difficulty for all pupils, especially more able pupils and particularly in mathematics.  Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are not good enough.  When teachers mark pupils’ books they do not always give them helpful advice about how to take the next steps in their learning.  Leaders do not always check the quality of teaching rigorously or often enough.

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The school has the following strengths

 Standards in reading are rising rapidly because teachers teach the links between sounds and letters (phonics) well and pupils make good progress.  Pupils behave well and are keen to learn. They say they feel safe in school.  The effectiveness of the governing body has improved since the last inspection.  The acting headteacher has brought stability to the school, introduced more effective systems for checking pupils’ progress and clearly identified the key priorities for improvement.  The partnership arrangements are creating good opportunities for the development of staff. 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons or parts of lessons, several of which were joint observations with the acting headteacher. All teachers and most support staff, including higher-level teaching assistants, were seen working with the pupils.  The inspector also visited small groups teaching phonics, and guided-reading groups.  The inspector heard pupils read, attended two assemblies and, with the acting headteacher, looked closely at examples of pupils’ work.  The inspector looked at a wide range of school documents, including development plans, policies, self-evaluation reports, monitoring files, safeguarding and curriculum materials, evidence of the school’s partnership work and information for families.  Meetings were held with pupils chosen at random. Discussions were held with the acting headteacher, class teachers, the Chair of the Governing Body and another governor and a representative of the local authority.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector could not access the eight responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) because there were not enough of them, so spoke with several parents on the playground instead.  The inspector also considered 12 staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Nick Butt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds.  There are two mixed-age classes, one with Reception children and Key Stage 1 pupils and the other with Key Stage 2 pupils.  A below-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, those known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well-above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for progress and standards in English and mathematics.

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision for its pupils off-site.  The acting headteacher took up his post in January 2012 following a period of uncertainty at senior leadership level.  At the time of the inspection the school had seen considerable changes of staff due to sickness or maternity leave, and both class teachers were replacements who had only recently taken on their teaching commitments.  The school is in a long-standing partnership with Blakeney Primary School, which has recently had its own separate inspection, and shares the acting headteacher. From April 2013 the school will also join with Walsingham and Kelling primary schools to become part of a hard federation of four primary schools under a new permanent headteacher.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good by making sure that:  Reception children have enough opportunities to find things out for themselves and take part in activities that extend their learning and language skills  all pupils are given appropriately demanding work to do, especially the more able  teachers give pupils relevant next steps when they mark their books that will move their learning forward rapidly  all teaching assistants have the good subject knowledge they need to give high quality support to pupils, especially in mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in writing and mathematics by making sure that:  all pupils write at length more frequently  teachers expect pupils to produce writing of a high quality  tasks in mathematics are set at the right level for all pupils, and are hard enough for the more able  teachers take particular care to check and improve pupils’ speaking and listening skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  making sure that leaders check the quality of teaching rigorously and systematically so that more of it becomes consistently good. February 2013 4 of 10

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2012 standards at the end of Year 2 were below average in reading, writing and mathematics and too few pupils attained the higher levels. This is because the more-able pupils were not always given work that is difficult enough for them to do.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Reception children do not make the progress they should in writing and mathematics because the activities they undertake are not sufficiently focused on developing their basic skills. Adults do not encourage children enough to share good quality language or extend the range of words they use. Children do not have enough time to find things out for themselves because they are often working with an adult.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Year groups are very small, and standards can fluctuate widely from year to year. In 2012 the five Year 6 pupils did well from their starting points and most exceeded nationally expected progress. However, across the school, standards vary. Pupils tend to do better in reading than in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children join the school with a very wide range of abilities that are mainly typical. The school’s effective focus on the teaching of phonics means that children develop a good range of approaches to tackling new words and make good progress in their reading. Achievement in reading is good throughout the school, so that older pupils talk with enthusiasm about the authors they enjoy.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of pupils in writing requires improvement because teachers do not always expect them to write at length or give them sufficiently demanding work to do. This does not motivate them to produce writing of high quality, and often their work is not neatly presented.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In mathematics, progress requires improvement because at times teachers give all the pupils the same work to do. This means that it is too easy for some and too difficult for others and progress slows. More-able pupils in particular are not stretched enough.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their peers. They receive more consistent support in reading and so make good progress. In other subjects, especially mathematics, the support is more varied, and a lack of good subject knowledge occasionally prevents teaching assistants from helping pupils to do better.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school has supported the few pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium benefit by providing additional one-to-one support. This has enabled their attainment to become similar to that of all pupils nationally and there are no gaps in their performance compared with other pupils in the school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because too little is consistently good. Often learning is too easy, especially for more-able pupils, and teachers do not expect enough of them. Pupils are not always encouraged to explain their thinking, or taught to listen carefully to one another so that February 2013 5 of 10

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of Reception children is not good because activities do not always have a clear purpose linked to developing skills, and pupils do not have enough chances to explore on their own, away from adults. Adults do not use questioning sufficiently to probe children’s understanding or to extend their language.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In other subjects work is not consistently set at the right level for pupils, especially in mathematics. Teachers do not focus enough on setting out the next steps pupils need to take to improve, nor routinely assess how successful they have been by the end of the lesson or involve the pupils themselves in assessing how well they have done.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 When teaching is good pupils are fully engaged in learning and enthusiastic about their work. For example, pupils in the Key Stage 2 class enjoyed translating shapes across a grid and working out the steps needed to accomplish the operation successfully. Pupils worked well together and checked their work carefully.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of phonics and guided reading is good. Teachers have benefited from high quality training and run their groups at a brisk pace. Standards in reading are consequently above average.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Reception children make good use of the spacious outdoor area. This has improved since the last inspection, is well resourced, and allows children to experience all areas of learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well and are keen to learn, especially when teaching enthuses them. They are very caring towards one another, with the older pupils looking out for the younger ones. Pupils say, ‘We are all friends here!’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Relationships between adults and pupils are good. There is mutual respect. As one pupil put it, ‘I feel I can tell them anything. They always want the best for you.’ Adults are consistent in the way they manage behaviour and do it well. Just occasionally, pupils’ concentration strays because teaching does not make enough demands of them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say there is no bullying. They known about different types of bullying such as name calling and cyber bullying. Parents who spoke to the inspector agreed that there is no bullying and that pupils typically behave well. They value the school’s caring, family atmosphere.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Lunchtimes are happy social occasions. Most pupils have school dinners because the food is so good. They mix well at their tables and are quick to help one another without being asked. During the inspection the kitchen celebrated Chinese New Year, and pupils relished attempting to each sweet-and-sour chicken with chopsticks.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe, both at school, in the home, and out and about on roads, or near railways or water. They know all about keeping safe on the internet and not divulging their personal information to people they do not know. February 2013 6 of 10

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are punctual to school and attendance is improving so that it is in line with the national average. The school makes clear to parents that term-time holidays are unacceptable and gives rewards to pupils with full attendance.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has been through a lengthy period of uncertainty, with several different headteachers and acting headteachers and many changes in staff. This has made it hard to maintain the continuity and momentum of improvement, as training has to be repeated for new staff and procedures gone over again. Consequently, teaching and achievement have not improved fast enough.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership requires further improvement because the way leaders check the quality of teaching is not as rigorous as it should be, which has meant some inconsistencies have not been picked up or tackled quickly enough.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The acting headteacher has put the school on a firm footing. His calm collaborative leadership has helped staff to welcome change and look forward with optimism to the new federation. Under his steady guidance, the school has made improvements, especially in the teaching of reading and in the development of the roles of other leaders.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Staff have welcomed the changes introduced by the current acting headteacher, particularly in strengthening their use of information about pupils’ progress. Teachers have become better informed about pupils’ progress in mathematics and reading and have been able to identify pupils at risk of falling behind and take action to meet any specific needs. There is still some variation in the accuracy of assessments of writing.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school works well with its partner school in Blakeney. Staff have taken on additional responsibilities and benefited from sharing good practice and joint training.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The way subjects and topics are taught gives pupils a wide range of positive experiences, especially when these are supported by visits and visitors. Pupils were very interested by a project on Tudor life conducted by visitors from a Norfolk museum, and enjoyed trying out quill pens and dressing up in Tudor costumes. These experiences, combined with close links with the community and the church, help to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and governors work hard to ensure all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed and to narrow the gaps in achievement between any disadvantaged pupils and the others. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority gives good support to the school. It has been very helpful, along with the Diocese of Norwich, by providing the acting headteacher from its ‘pool’ and helping governors to prepare the way for the new federation with three other schools.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body’s effectiveness has increased since the last inspection. Governors are all trained and know about the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement and how it compares with all schools nationally. Governors are clear about how pay links to performance, how the February 2013 7 of 10

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The leadership and management requires improvement

school rewards good practice and how it tackles underperformance, and set clear targets for improvement. The governing body has been working well with the Diocese and the local authority to pave the way towards the new federation of schools. They have cleared a budget deficit and ensure the school gets value for money at all times. They know about how the pupil premium and other funding is being spent and the impact it is having. Governors make sure that all safeguarding requirements are met. 8 of 10

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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. 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 121086 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 405991

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 39 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Burrows Headteacher John Marshall-Grint (Acting) Date of previous school inspection 16 November 2010 Telephone number 01328 878323 Email address office@hindringham.norfolk.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

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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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