Holyoakes Field First School

Holyoakes Field First School Bridge Street, Redditch, B97 6HH

p.1

Inspection dates 28 February–1 March 2013

p.1

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

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Good teaching helps all pupils, regardless of their ability or background, to make good progress in English and mathematics.  From below-average starting points, almost all pupils reach the standards expected for their age by the end of Year 4.  Pupils who need extra help make good progress because adults help them to develop the skills they need.  Pupils’ behaviour in and around the school is good. They show positive attitudes to learning in lessons.  Pupils say they feel safe and secure at school. Attendance has improved since the previous inspection and is now average. Parents and carers agree that their children are happy to come to school and are well cared for.  The way the school organises the teaching of different subjects ensures that all pupils show good levels of engagement, interest and enthusiasm in learning.  Leaders at all levels are ambitious for the school and work together well to improve

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

teaching and to raise pupils’ achievement.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to raise pupils’ good achievement to the next level.  More-able pupils do not always make the best possible progress because the work teachers set for them in some lessons is not sufficiently demanding.  Although some teachers’ marking of pupils’ work tells them what they need to do next to improve, this is not the case in all classes.  Pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to respond to teachers’ marking of their work.  Leaders do not make enough checks on the progress of different groups of pupils to ensure that their actions to improve their achievement are effective.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons or parts of lessons taught by 11 teachers, and one assembly for the younger pupils. Two of the lessons were jointly observed with senior leaders.  Short visits to observe the teaching of reading were made. Activities relating to the teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs were observed.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, staff and members of the governing body. In addition, the lead inspector talked with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors talked with pupils, listened to them read and observed them at play during break and lunch times.  The school’s safeguarding policies, improvement plans, notes from meetings of the governing body and records of pupils’ behaviour were reviewed. Inspectors also looked at the work pupils were doing in their books, and at records of their progress.  Inspectors took account of the 19 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View)

p.2

Information about this inspection

and 39 replies to the staff questionnaires. The views of parents and carers were sought at the start of the school day as they brought their children to school.

p.2

Inspection team

Sarah Warboys, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jennifer Taylor Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Holyoakes Field First School is an average-sized school.  About half of the pupils are White British. Well-above-average proportions of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds and speak English as an additional language.  An above-average proportion of the pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding to the school. The funding is based on the number of children at the school known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority.  The percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported by school action is well-below average.  The proportion of pupils who require extra help and are supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well-above average.  No alternative or off-site provision is used by the school.  Five new teachers have joined the staff since September 2012.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching and thereby raise pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by ensuring that all staff:  set more demanding work for those pupils who are more able  extend the good practice that exists within the school to provide pupils with clear information about what they need to do to improve their work to all classes  increase opportunities for pupils to respond to teachers’ marking of their work so that they can practise and improve their skills.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the leadership of teaching by ensuring that all leaders, including members of the governing body, check the progress of classes and groups of pupils at least termly, so that they are able to make more informed decisions about the effectiveness of their actions on pupils’ achievement.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills, knowledge and abilities which are well below those expected for their age, particularly in personal, social and emotional development and in communication and language. They make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes because adults provide plenty of interesting and engaging opportunities to develop their basic skills. By the time they enter Year 1, children’s skills are closer to average, though weaknesses remain in language and mathematics development.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

 All pupils, including those who need extra help, make good progress during their time at the school. By the time they leave the school in Year 4, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are similar to the levels expected for their age and improving.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment in reading by the end of Year 2 is average. Young children are taught phonics (the links between letters and the sounds they make) regularly and systematically. This continues into Key Stages 1 and 2 and provides them with good support for spelling. Pupils are taught more complex reading skills as they move through the school. Teachers provide pupils with good opportunities to use their reading skills in lessons. Volunteers from the community spend time with pupils reading and enjoying books together.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. This is because of the extra help they receive in lessons and in small-group work, which tackles precise gaps in their knowledge and skills. Pupils new to English and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress because adults model language well and help pupils to learn and practise new words and phrases.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils eligible for free school meals were, on average, about five terms behind similar pupils nationally in English and three terms behind in mathematics at the end of Year 2 in 2012. Funding the school receives to provide additional support for these pupils is being used effectively to provide extra adult support in lessons. It provides pupils with access to educational visits and to the additional activities the school has to offer. These pupils are making good or better progress and are catching up rapidly with their classmates.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching ensures that all pupils, including those who need extra help, make good progress and achieve well. During the inspection, the positive relationships adults have with pupils were apparent throughout the school. All adults constantly encourage pupils and praise them for their efforts. Their achievements are acknowledged and celebrated frequently.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Adults break learning down into small, manageable steps for those pupils who need extra help and make it practical, fun and appealing. In Year 1, for example, pupils enthusiastically searched in the pirate’s treasure chest to find numbers to subtract, one from another. Consequently, they made good progress.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Adults interact well with children in the Early Years Foundation Stage as they play, and this helps them to develop communication skills successfully. In the Nursery, children learn how to take turns and to get themselves ready for different activities. During the inspection, children were enjoying taking care of ‘babies’ and practised looking after them. In the Reception classes, children eagerly dug for ‘minibeasts’ in the soil outdoors. They used magnifiers and pictures to identify them, noticed their features, counted them and talked excitedly to each other and to adults about what they had found.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 In most lessons, teachers have high expectations of learning and behaviour. Their secure subject knowledge contributes well to pupils’ good progress in lessons. Adults ask pupils searching questions that reinforce learning, clarify their thinking and help to deepen their understanding. Teachers’ use of information and communication technology enhances learning because it motivates pupils and helps to maintain their interest.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Lessons are organised so that pupils are taught specific skills and then provided with rich opportunities to apply them in learning about other subjects. In a mixed Year 3 and 4 class, pupils readily put their reading and writing skills into practice as they searched for information about different animals and presented their learning in the style of a ‘fact-file’.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 On the whole, teachers plan work for different groups of pupils that is set at just the right level of difficulty to move their learning forward. Occasionally, the work planned for more-able pupils does not challenge them enough and, as a result, they do not make as much progress as they could.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is uneven across the school. All teachers provide pupils with clear information about how well they have done. Not all pupils are given precise guidance about what they need to do to improve their work. There are missed opportunities for pupils to address their errors or to improve their skills because teachers’ comments, where they do exist, are rarely followed up.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Typically, the behaviour of pupils in lessons and around the school is good. Those from different backgrounds work and play well together. Pupils have a good understanding of the school’s systems for promoting good behaviour and are clear about its rewards and sanctions. They enjoy and appreciate the silver and gold stickers they receive as a reward for good behaviour. Pupils say that the system helps the vast majority to behave well.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that they feel safe and know how to seek help. Incidents of bullying, such as name- calling are rare, but where they do occur, pupils report that they are dealt with effectively by staff. In lessons and in assemblies, pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, for example, when crossing the road and how to be visible at night. They have a good understanding of how to keep safe when using the internet.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Most parents and carers say that their children are happy to come to school, feel safe and are well cared for. Some expressed concerns about behaviour. Inspectors found, and school records show, that adults manage behaviour consistently well. Those pupils who have very specific behavioural difficulties are supported well and make good progress in their personal and academic development over time.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school works well with outside agencies to provide support for those pupils whose circumstances have made them vulnerable, which enables them to get the help they need. As a consequence of close working with families, pupils’ attendance, low at the time of the previous inspection, has been raised to the national average.

p.5

The leadership and management are good

 Under the leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the school has made good progress on the areas identified at the previous inspection. Senior leaders, including the governing body, have secured a cohesive staff team which is working hard and successfully to raise pupils’ achievement. They know what the school does well and are clearly focused on its key priorities.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The imaginative way that the school teaches different subjects has been particularly successful in improving pupils’ attendance and raising their achievement. Exciting work on display shows how well interesting topics and themes promote learning and provide rich opportunities for pupils to practise their basic English and mathematics skills. All pupils, whatever their ability, show high levels of enthusiasm for learning because teachers adapt work to suit pupils’ particular needs and interests.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The lessons teachers plan for pupils foster their imagination and stimulate their curiosity. For example, Reception children thoroughly enjoy exploring the woodland and jumping up and down in muddy puddles in the Forest School. In Year 2, pupils have fun experimenting with paint- mixing to create different shades of colour. Pupils sing together harmoniously in assembly. Such activities promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders regularly look at teachers’ lesson planning, pupils’ workbooks and watch them teach. Leaders and teachers decide together how teaching can be improved and teachers are provided with appropriate training to develop their skills. Good teachers receive pay awards. Those new to teaching are supported by more experienced colleagues and all staff are keen to learn from each other. Consequently, teaching is improving and pupils are making good progress as a result.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The school is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity. Senior leaders and teachers look at the progress of individual pupils carefully to make sure that no pupil is discriminated against. They make sure that those who need extra help are identified and support is put in place to help them learn the skills they need. However, leaders at all levels do not make termly checks which show how well classes and groups are doing so that they are able to test whether their actions are raising pupils’ achievement.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided effective support to the school, particularly in terms of improving the quality of teaching and, hence, pupils’ achievement.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors offer challenge to the school on its performance. They have a clear idea of pupils’ achievement and how the school compares to other schools nationally. Governors have a good knowledge and understanding of what the school, and the governing body itself, does well and what needs to be done to improve. They have actively undertaken training so that they are well informed when making decisions about what should happen in school. Governors visit school regularly to read with pupils and to see the school’s work for themselves. They regularly seek the views of pupils, staff, parents and carers. Governors work with senior leaders to ensure that good teachers are rewarded and any underperformance tackled. They manage the school’s finances effectively, including the school’s plans to use the additional pupil premium funding. They are aware that this extra money is making a positive difference

p.6

The leadership and management are good

to these pupils. Governors ensure the school fulfils its statutory duties for safeguarding pupils.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 116724 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 401618

p.8

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.8

School details

Type of school First School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 238 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Parsons Headteacher Carol Newton Date of previous school inspection 29 April 2010 Telephone number 01527 62928 Fax number 01527 63881 Email address office@holyoakes.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9