Haresfield Church of England Primary School

P R O T E C T – I N S P E C T I O N School report

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Haresfield Church of England Primary School Haresfield, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, GL10 3EF

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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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils are securely on track to make good progress and achieve well from their different starting points because teaching is good.  Leaders have taken firm action to address a dip in performance in 2012 in boys’ writing in Year 6. Pupils’ progress in writing is now good.  Reading is a strength of the school. Pupils have good reading habits and get a great deal of pleasure from reading on their own.  Teachers manage pupils well and provide activities that capture the pupils’ interest. They encourage pupils to express their views confidently.  The quality of teaching is good and is monitored regularly. Teachers get effective feedback on how well they are doing so that they can improve their own performance.  Pupils discuss their ideas together and answer questions enthusiastically. They work well on their own and together in small groups; this helps them to learn well.  Pupils like coming to school and behave well in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

lessons and in the playground. They get on well with each other, and feel safe and free from bullying.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always plan activities which sufficiently meet pupils’ individual needs and this inhibits learning.  Pupils are not given enough help to enable them to set their own targets, and decide for themselves what they need to improve.  There is not enough professional development provided, for example through coaching or observing the best practice to promote outstanding teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons, including six which were joint observations with the headteacher. He observed an assembly.  Meetings were held with staff, members of the governing body and groups of pupils.  A discussion was held with a representative of the local authority by telephone.  The inspector took account of the 36 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). Parents’ views were also gathered from informal conversations at the start of the school day.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at documents, including the school improvement plans, school checks on teaching, records relating to attendance, and the school’s data on pupils’ progress. He also scrutinised samples of pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Peter Clifton, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average primary school. Approximately one quarter of the pupils attends from the local area; the rest travels from further afield.  The pupils are taught in four classes.  Nearly all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action is below average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families, is well below average. Currently, the school has no pupils who are in the care of the local authority.  The headteacher started in the school in September 2012.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching by:  making sure that teachers’ planning for activities in lessons fully meets the needs of all pupils in the class  giving pupils more help to enable them to set their own targets and decide for themselves what they need to improve.  Strengthen leadership and management by:  giving teachers more opportunities to work with outstanding practitioners, through coaching and observing best practice  checking closely on improvement and providing a sharper focus in observations on what makes outstanding teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s records of progress show that different groups of pupils are making better than expected progress across the school from their different starting points. This includes disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.  Samples of work show that the very small number of pupils of all groups eligible for the pupil premium funding make progress in English and mathematics which is in line their classmates. There were no pupils from these groups in Year 6 in 2012.  Learning observed in lessons was strongest in the Early Years Foundation Stage and the upper part of Key Stage 2.  Children’s starting points in the Early Years Foundation Stage are typically in line with age- related expectations. Children’s good progress is evident, for example in their work on shape. Children recognise a good number of different polygons by counting the number of sides and corners. The good progress children make in learning about phonics is reflected in the Year 1

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The achievement of pupils is good

phonics screening check where, in 2012, they exceeded the expected national standard.  Readers in Years 1 and 2 use their knowledge of phonics (letters and their sounds) well to help them to read a broad range of words. Lower attaining pupils are beginning to read confidently and fluently, eager to reach the end of the story and then talk about what they have read.  In 2012, overall attainment in Year 2 was above the national average. Current attainment is on track to be similar. Pupils in Year 2, for example, write facts about chameleons, putting their ideas into different paragraphs and joining sentences together with connectives. They use ‘word walls’ effectively to extend their vocabulary and try out new words.  More-able older pupils have very good reading habits; they express preferences for different authors and choose a wide range of books to read. They have helped to promote reading, for

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The achievement of pupils is good

example by writing short accounts about ‘Why I would recommend this book’.  Although pupils’ attainment in Year 6 in 2012 was close to above the national average in English, there was a dip in progress in writing. This weakness has been robustly addressed. Current attainment in Year 6 is higher and pupils are firmly on course to make better than expected progress from their starting point in Year 3. Pupils have a good understanding of different writing devices, such as the use of simile and metaphor and how to use phrases and clauses to enrich sentences.  Progress is not better than good because although parts of lessons promote outstanding learning, this is not a consistent feature of lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good and learning moves along at a brisk pace. Questioning by teachers probes pupils’ understanding well and there are frequent opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas together and this enlivens learning in lessons.  Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Learning activities are often fun and interesting. Younger children for example, greatly enjoyed writing invitations to a friend to come to the ‘Indian restaurant’ and then eating together the curry they had helped to make.  Reading, writing and calculation skills are taught well. Basic skills to help with reading and spelling are taught effectively in Early Years Foundation Stage. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 solve mathematics problems using their good understanding of place value. Teaching in Years 5 and 6 promotes the skills necessary for pupils to write at the higher National Curriculum level.  Marking is helpful and is developmental as it effectively informs pupils about what they have

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The quality of teaching is good

done well and what must be improved. In the pupils’ books, ‘brilliant blue’ comments are made alongside ‘wobbly black’ comments, which set targets for improvement. The pupils value these comments and respond to them.  Teaching assistants provide valuable support, for example to help groups of children learn letters and their sounds or to help with sentence writing and number skills. This includes disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who require individual help.  Occasionally, the pace of learning dips in some parts of lessons, for example when tasks given are repetitive and do not help pupils to move their learning on quickly enough and in the final part of lessons when too long is spent reviewing work done.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy coming to school and their learning. They express their views with considerable confidence and appreciate the wide range of merits and awards they can receive for good work and effort. They attend regularly.  Pupils work well with each other in classes, for example when using the internet to research ideas for project work or to help them to complete tasks. They typically listen carefully to each other’s views and readily contribute their ideas. These good learning habits start in the Early Years Foundation Stage and are built on through the rest of the school.  Pupils are well mannered, friendly and courteous in and around the school. Incidents of misbehaviour are rare. Pupils comment that they are always treated with kindness and consideration by the staff. They know they have rights as well as responsibilities. The pupils have worked together to draw up the code of behaviour for their class.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils confirm that they feel safe and secure in school and that there is an absence of bullying. Pupils know about the different ways in which they could be bullied. They are aware of the potential dangers of using social media and why they should not give out personal information on the internet.  Parents, carers and staff confirm that pupils’ behaviour and safety are a strength of the school. Pupils, parents and carers spoken to confirm that staff are welcoming and that any concerns are dealt with well. Recent questionnaire returns by parents and carers show a high degree of satisfaction about all aspects of the school’s work.  There are a few occasions when pupils lose concentration in lessons and have to be reminded to pay attention.

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The leadership and management are good

 The monitoring of teaching has been successful in promoting good learning in lessons. The teaching observed during the inspection matches observations made by the headteacher from her regular visits to lessons. Monitoring identifies strengths and weaknesses and these are followed up, in subsequent visits, to check on improvement.  Good teamwork has been established. Staff have supported improvements introduced by the headteacher. Rapid improvement in writing has resulted over the past year, because this area has been a key focus of the school’s work.  The headteacher closely tracks the progress of individual and different groups of pupils. Meetings are held with staff to check that they know how well individual pupils are doing and whether any additional help or support is needed. This has helped to close any gaps in progress and provides evidence of the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity.

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The leadership and management are good

 More remains to be done to promote outstanding teaching, for example through using links with other schools so that staff can observe and work with outstanding teachers.  In lessons and assemblies pupils have good opportunities to reflect on how well they are doing and to think about those who are not as fortunate. Pupils get on well with each other and discrimination is not tolerated; they are encouraged to value each other’s differences. Pupils learn about different cultures which are threaded effectively through topic work.  The headteacher values the individual support given by a headteacher colleague from another school. However, a representative from the local authority has not yet visited the school this academic year, for example to review the action taken to tackle the dip in performance in 2012.  The governance of the school:  Governors monitor the budget well and the school has a small amount of money held in

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The leadership and management are good

reserve. Decisions about spending are regularly evaluated. Governors know how pupils’ progress is monitored and how pupils’ achievement compares with national averages through the reports they receive. Governors have tracked the effectiveness of the additional support provided using pupil premium funding. Some governors have more in-depth knowledge about progress information and a good understanding of the data. While governors have information about pupils’ progress in different classes, their arrangements to hold teachers fully to account have only recently been developed, as have decisions about whether or not teachers should move up the salary scale. Governors have worked closely with the headteacher to improve relationships with parents; questionnaire returns over the past year indicate that this has been highly successful. Governors make sure that they know and follow the required procedures

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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 115626 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 413167

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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 99 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rebecca Orchard Headteacher Rachel Bacon Date of previous school inspection 2 February 2010 Telephone number 01452 720303 Fax number 01452 720303 Email address admin@haresfield.gloucs.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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