Jenyns First School and Nursery

Jenyns First School and Nursery Uplands, Braughing, Ware, SG11 2QJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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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This is a good school because

 This is a very welcoming and caring school. It works very effectively to meet the different needs of its pupils. Pupils of all abilities make good progress, whatever their starting points.  Pupils’ achievement is good in English and mathematics and especially high in Reading. Pupils develop good reading skills so that they read fluently and understand what they are reading.  Teaching is good, with a small amount that is outstanding. Teachers’ good subject knowledge helps them plan interesting and often inspiring lessons.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage benefit from the very good provision they receive and achieve well. This ensures they make a strong start to their education.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are friendly, well-mannered and support each other well in class and in the playground. Outstanding pastoral care by all staff creates a warm, welcoming environment where pupils feel safe

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This is a good school because

and their learning flourishes.  School leaders work closely with parents, involving them in the learning and progress of their children. Parents are extremely complimentary about the school.  Governors play a big part in action planning and checking on the work of the school. They work closely with the headteacher and, together, they have helped the school to improve both teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always make full use of opportunities in other than English to encourage pupils to write in a range of styles.  Not all teachers refer to pupils’ learning targets and their next steps for improvement when marking their work, particularly in mathematics.  Teaching is not always brisk enough to hold pupils’ attention, and there are too few opportunities for pupils, particularly for the most able, to explore ideas and organise their own learning for themselves.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed six lessons and also made some short visits to classes.  Meetings were held with pupils, the governors, the headteacher and the teachers with specific responsibilities. The lead inspector also met with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 22 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as well as consulting informally with parents and carers before school. Additionally, 10 responses to the staff questionnaire were considered.  The inspector observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of documents including the school’s improvement plans, information on pupils’ current progress, planning, minutes of the governing body meetings and records relating to special educational needs, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  The inspector heard pupils read, talked to them in lessons and evaluated samples of their work.

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Inspection team

Raminder Arora, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a small school where the large majority of pupils are White British.  Very few pupils are from minority ethnic or mixed heritage backgrounds.  There are three classes containing pupils from more than one year group.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding from the government for children in local authority care, those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families, is below average.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs supported at school action is below average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. Most of these pupils have speech and language or moderate learning difficulties.  The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school other than at the usual times is higher than average.  The Early Years Foundation Stage has one class of Nursery and Reception children.

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up his post in September 2009 and shares 40% of his time with another very small local school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement by making more teaching outstanding, by:  providing a wider range of opportunities outside English to extend pupils’ writing skills and understanding of writing in different styles  ensuring that all teachers refer to pupils’ learning targets and their next steps in learning when marking their work, particularly in mathematics  ensuring all teaching is brisk and demanding with enough opportunities for all pupils, particularly the more able, to find things out for themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement across the school is good. Children start school with skills that are generally in line with the age-related expectations but which are sometimes a little weak in Language and communication. Good teaching in the mixed Nursery and Reception class ensures they make good progress and achieve well. As a result, they are well prepared for Key Stage 1, which they enter with levels of skills and knowledge that are mostly as expected for their age, and often higher, especially in the area of personal, social and emotional development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Throughout Key Stage 1, pupils continue to make good progress in the key subjects of reading, writing and mathematics, achieving levels that are above the national average by the end of Year 2. This is particularly true in reading, where more pupils attain the higher levels than is typical.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is taught well across the school and, by the end of Year 2, pupils’ standard of reading is above average. By end of Year 4 most pupils are confident and fluent readers, who enjoy using the school library for learning and for pleasure. Pupils’ attainment in reading is securely above the national average when they leave school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The introduction of the ‘Big Writing’ programme is beginning to speed up pupils’ progress. In mathematics, pupils’ progress is sometimes a little limited because teachers do not set pupils clear targets for improvement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 By the end of Year 4 pupils make good progress from their starting points and reach standards of attainment in English and mathematics that are generally above those expected. A review of pupils’ work revealed that they make the best progress in reading but that there are not enough opportunities to write in different styles across the curriculum. This especially limits the opportunities for pupils to work at higher levels.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress and achieve well. The progress of pupils at school action plus is often better than that for similar groups nationally. This is because pupils’ needs are identified quickly and they are given extra support from skilled teaching assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As a result of good teaching, the school is narrowing the gaps in attainment between all pupils. The attainment of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is in line with that of their classmates in both English and mathematics. Skilled classroom assistants ensure that pupils are challenged in lessons well. The school has used the new funding to provide additional support in the classrooms and also to ensure these pupils can access the full range of educational activities it offers, such as trips, sport and a variety of clubs after school. This broadens the experiences they bring to their learning in the classroom.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching and learning are good. All teachers prepare interesting materials that help pupils learn well. Teachers’ good subject knowledge helps them plan interesting and often inspiring lessons .

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants provide good support to pupils who need extra help with their work.  Effective relationships create a productive environment for learning. Pupils cooperate well with their teachers and are treated respectfully. They are keen to answer questions and produce good quantities of work

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are given good support in lessons by teachers and by other adults. They encourage these pupils to think for themselves by skilful questioning, and explain tasks carefully.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Some teachers’ marking is good and gives pupils a clear idea of how to improve. This good practice is not carried out consistently by all teachers. The targets for learning especially in mathematics, are not clearly set or referred to in marking, and this restricts pupils’ ability to make consistently good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Classrooms are attractive with helpful displays to enhance pupils’ learning. Examples of good writing are well celebrated; however, opportunities for good quality writing across other subjects are limited.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage enables children to make very good progress. The outdoor activities of a wide range, for example, the class’s own Rain Forest, children engage actively and are excited by learning. As well as effective teaching of key skills, children are helped to think about what they are learning and to develop the skill of working by themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers generally plan work carefully so that it closely matches the range of pupils’ abilities in the class. Occasionally however, the work set for the more able pupils is not challenging or brisk enough to hold their interest and attention.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They make good progress because they are eager to learn and work hard in lessons. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is generally good

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Staff and pupils consider behaviour in school to be good. Instances of even minor bullying are rare and are dealt with effectively by adults. Pupils know what constitutes bullying. They are well educated in e-safety, and the list of rules displayed around the school provides helpful guidance for pupils to learn about e-safety.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents are supportive and the majority who responded to Parent View indicated that the school makes sure children are well behaved and thrive in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school successfully promotes equality of opportunity and ensures that there is no discrimination. Pupils from different backgrounds play together happily at break times and they support each other very well in lessons

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are proud of their school. When a group of pupils were asked if there is anything the school could do better, they were hard pressed to think of anything. Pupils thoroughly enjoy learning and this is reflected in their good progress. The rate of attendance is average but improving.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave with respect and courtesy to adults and other pupils. They have a well developed sense of right and wrong. Pupils enjoy school and say that they feel safe due to the good care and attention they are given by their teachers and other adults in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is not yet outstanding because, occasionally, pupils lose concentration when the teaching is not brisk enough. Additionally, some pupils do not readily use their initiative or work independently.

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The leadership and management is good

 The headteacher has successfully united the whole-school community. He has created a culture where everyone is valued and all are passionate about learning.

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The leadership and management is good

 The school evaluates its effectiveness accurately. The outcomes are used astutely to set the development priorities for the school. The school improvement plan is comprehensive in tackling the areas needing development, and details clearly the amount of improvement to be made and the timescale for this improvement.

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The leadership and management is good

 The good leadership of teaching and learning, and constant focus on staff training have consolidated and strengthened pupils’ achievement. These, together with the effective and regular checks made on staff performance, have led to improvements in pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management is good

 The leadership team monitors teaching carefully, and works closely with staff to encourage all teachers’ practice to match that of the best. The way teachers share good practice and support each other is strength of the school. All staff work well as a cohesive team and are committed to raising pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management is good

 Planning in all subjects is good and provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development enhances pupils’ learning experiences. Pupils learn about other cultures and traditions and demonstrate a good understanding of other faiths. The curriculum is enhanced by extra-curricular activities, visits and visitors, that are appreciated by all the pupils

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The leadership and management is good

 The village community benefits from the involvement of the school in local events. A mutually supportive working relationship has been established with all parents. One very happy parent commented, ‘… a friendly school, but with rules and procedures that instil respect’.

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The leadership and management is good

 The local authority has provided effective advice and support to the headteacher and the governors during a period of instability of staff changes, particularly at senior level since the last inspection. A very beneficial link has been made with the headteacher’s other school and the local schools in the Rib Valley Pyramid to provide training and to share examples of best practice.

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The leadership and management is good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a good awareness of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and have a clear focus on improvement. They have a good understanding of what the school’s achievement data shows, know where teaching is strong and how it is being improved, and oversee the arrangements for monitoring teaching performance carefully. They carry out their legal duties, such as those relating to the headteacher’s own appraisal and safeguarding, well. Individual governors and committees monitor expenditure carefully, including the use of the pupil premium funding.

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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 117087 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 412620

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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 3–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 68 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Lisa Webb Headteacher Mr Paul Larkey Date of previous school inspection 17 September 2008 Telephone number 01920 821461 Fax number 01920 824060 Email address admin@jenyns.herts.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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