Holly Hill Primary and Nursery School

Holly Hill Primary and Nursery School Off Portland Road, Selston, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG16 6AW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that has serious weaknesses.  Pupils’ achievement is inadequate. Pupils have not made enough progress.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics have not been high enough in Key Stage 2.  Staffing disruption in Years 3 and 4 has meant that pupils in these year groups still make inadequate progress.  Teaching is inadequate because it has led to progress that is too slow.  Pupils’ books show some teachers accept careless and unfinished work.  Time is wasted in some lessons, especially for more-able pupils, because teachers do not quickly move pupils on to harder work.  Marking in mathematics does not always tell pupils how to improve their work.  Parents do not get good enough information about how they can help; the school website is not fully working and reading diaries are not all used well.  Leaders have not kept a careful enough check on whether all pupils who get extra help through special funding have made enough

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

progress.  When leaders check on teaching they do not always double-check their judgements by looking at how well pupils make progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children make a good start in Nursery and Reception.  Year 6 teaching is now good and pupils have made rapid progress in this year group.  Relationships between adults and pupils are warm and positive. Pupils behave well in lessons and around school, and feel safe.  The recently restructured senior leadership team and new Chair of the Governing Body have a very clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They know what needs to improve and have shown they can do it by already improving writing and some of the teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons, four of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. They heard pupils read and talked to pupils of different ages about their past and present work. They looked, in particular, at pupils’ mathematics and writing books.  Meetings were held with pupils, representatives of the governing body and local authority, and staff, including senior and middle managers.  Inspectors took account of the 47 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and they spoke with parents and carers informally.  Inspectors observed the work of the school. They looked at a range of documentation, including information about pupils’ progress, and procedures to safeguard children.

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Inspection team

Kath Campbell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Keith Williams Additional Inspector Malcolm Johnstone Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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Information about this school

 Holly Hill is a larger than average-sized primary school.  Nearly all pupils are White British and very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  An above-average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding given to schools for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children in the care of the local authority, and children who have a parent in the armed forces.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action and the proportion at school action plus are below average. There are currently no pupils with a statement of special educational needs.  Care for pupils before and after school is provided by a separate organisation and did not form part of the inspection.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There has been significant staffing instability in Key Stage 2.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching, particularly in Years 3 and 4, and increase the proportion of good and outstanding teaching by making sure that teachers:  spend less time on lengthy explanations so that pupils have more time to practise skills and more-able pupils move on to demanding work earlier in lessons  consistently provide activities that interest and inspire pupils  consistently demand that pupils work with care, and complete the tasks they are set  have the opportunity to learn from the outstanding practice that exists in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in English and mathematics by:  improving the use of reading diaries  using marking more effectively in mathematics to let pupils know how to improve their work  providing more planned opportunities for pupils to develop their problem-solving skills  monitoring the progress of pupils who are known to be eligible for pupil premium funding, and taking immediate action if this shows support is not fully effective.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leaders and managers, including the governing body by:  making sure that leaders focus with greater precision on the impact of teaching on learning, particularly of those pupils supported by pupil premium funding  making sure that the school’s website is fully operational and complies with current requirements  providing better information for parents about their children’s progress.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Achievement is inadequate because pupils, including those with special educational needs, do not make enough progress, particularly in Key Stage 2. During a period of staffing difficulties, standards in Key Stage 2 have fallen. Although school leaders know what needs to be done, changes of teaching staff have limited the pace at which achievement has improved.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Underachievement across Key Stage 2 is now being tackled. In 2012, Year 6 standards in reading and writing were over a year behind those nationally and standards in mathematics about two terms behind. Staffing instability continues to result in some inadequate learning in Years 3 and 4, and too slow progress for these year groups.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Strong teaching in Year 6 this year has meant that pupils of all abilities have made at least good progress, with some outstanding individual achievement. Current attainment is slightly above average in both English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Children start in the Nursery class with skills that are below those expected for their age. The talking and early writing skills of some are weak. Despite achieving well in the Early Years Foundation Stage, standards remain below average when pupils join Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Achievement in Key Stage 1 requires improvement because progress is not consistently good. Staffing disruption in the current Year 2 temporarily slowed progress. These pupils are now getting firmly back on track.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Attainment in reading in Key Stage 1 is broadly average. Younger pupils use their knowledge of letters and sounds (phonics) to work out unfamiliar words. The early morning reading club for older pupils is raising the interest pupils have in reading, particularly for boys. However, reading diaries do not always give parents and carers enough information about how well their children are doing.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Writing has been a key priority area for development. Strategies to develop an enthusiasm for writing through initiatives such as the introduction of extended writing sessions have been established, and are having a good impact.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 While standards in mathematics declined in Key Stage 2, they remained broadly average in Key Stage 1. Action taken to make mathematics more enjoyable, particularly for older girls, has proved successful. Targeted work to ensure lower-ability pupils improve their skills has also been put in place. This is resulting in better learning, but as yet this has not been established long enough to significantly raise attainment. Pupils are starting to be encouraged to use their mathematical skills in real-life situations, but this is still limited in some year groups.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The achievement of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is similar to that of other pupils. These pupils benefit most when working with adults during group activities in lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium who were in Year 6 in 2012 made similar progress to their classmates. They attainment was about four terms behind their classmates in English and one term in mathematics. The gap was bigger than seen nationally in English and smaller in mathematics. Although pupil premium funding has been used appropriately to provide, for example, one-to-one support for individual pupils and smaller teaching groups, the school has not established systems to check whether the gap between the performance of these pupils and others is closing this year.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teaching is inadequate because it has failed to ensure pupils make the progress of which they are capable. Teaching is weaker in Key Stage 2, particularly in classes disrupted by staff absence.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 In Years 3 and 4, pupils’ books show that far too often teachers accept careless work and have not pushed pupils hard enough to finish work or improve it. Work in subjects other than literacy and numeracy is sometimes of poor quality and badly presented.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Where teaching is weak, teachers often talk for too long instead of letting pupils get started. This slows progress, particularly for the more-able pupils, who are ready to get on with more challenging work. Activities are uninspiring and expectations are not high enough.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 School records show teaching has improved as a result of leaders’ actions. There is now more good teaching. No inadequate teaching was seen during the inspection and some observed was of outstanding quality. However, the school is not yet using the outstanding teaching enough as a model from which other teachers can learn.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes is good because staff have high expectations and they make sure that learning is fun. They successfully establish secure foundations for future learning.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Classrooms are friendly, welcoming places. Adults who support teachers are skilled at working with pupils of different abilities and they make a strong contribution to pupils’ learning.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 In the best lessons, teachers present activities in a lively and interesting way and learning moves along at a rapid pace. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils of all abilities made outstanding progress because they were fully engrossed in improving the speech they were writing. Expectations were very high and pupils were proud of their achievement.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 In areas that have been targeted for development, such as writing, expectations are much higher than in the past. Teachers’ marking in writing is now of good quality and is used consistently well across the school to raise attainment. Marking in other subjects, especially in mathematics, is not used so effectively to help pupils improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite, friendly and courteous. Their positive attitudes, good behaviour and enthusiasm contribute well to their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. By the time they leave, most pupils have a mature approach towards learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Children in the Nursery and Reception classes gain good social skills because adults recognise the importance of developing these aspects of children’s learning right from the start.  Adults and pupils get along well because they like each other. Behaviour in lessons and around school is good and playtimes are enjoyable social occasions. Merit and class assemblies show the school at its best. There is a real sense of community and pupils appreciate each others’[ success.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In lessons, pupils of all ages work well together. They particularly enjoy talking with a partner about their work. They are proud of their school and are keen to discuss their work. Even in lessons where teaching lacks lustre, pupils remain attentive and responsive because they are keen to learn. Pupils in classes disrupted by staffing changes respond well to temporary staff and remain focused on their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In discussion, pupils say that incidents of bullying are very rare and that they are dealt with swiftly and effectively. Pupils are well informed about how to stay safe, including when using computers and the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is average. Because of effective monitoring, the number of persistent absentees has fallen and there have been no exclusions in the past academic year.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because, when they evaluate the success of teaching or actions they have taken, leaders do not always look closely enough at the progress that pupils make as a result.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The checks carried out by the headteacher on the quality of teaching are detailed. However, these checks do not consistently focus on the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning, so advice given to teachers is not always fine-tuned in terms of what will lead to good results. Nevertheless, leaders can show teaching has improved for staff who have been in the school for some time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Teachers have not always been held accountable for the standards pupils achieve. Teachers are now fully involved in assessing the progress of individual pupils and are far more accountable. Underachievement is identified much more quickly than in the past.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Despite several changes in the leadership of special educational needs, the school has maintained a careful check on the progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. By contrast, no one has a clear enough grasp of whether pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium make as much progress as they should. The systems for checking their progress as they move through the school are limited and are not sufficiently well coordinated. As a result, no one knows precisely how much impact extra help has had on their progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The relatively new senior leadership team has made a good start on sorting out the main issues that have led to the decline. The very recent appointment of a deputy headteacher has strengthened this team. Senior leaders are firmly focused on making sure standards rise.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Despite some weaknesses in fine-tuning their evaluations, leaders know the strengths and weaknesses. The school’s plan for future improvement is rightly based on what the school does well and what it needs to do to raise attainment. Some high-quality monitoring and evaluation of literacy work have identified improvements that have led to better standards in writing. This shows the school has the capacity to improve.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subjects and topics are effectively organised. Pupils enjoy the extra activities on offer and other opportunities, such as older pupils’ recent residential visit, make a good contribution towards pupils’ personal development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school makes sure that all pupils, regardless of their circumstances, are given opportunities to participate fully in school life. For example, pupil premium funding is set aside to make sure that all pupils have an equal opportunity to take part in extra activities.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Parents and carers hold mostly positive views about the school. There are mixed views concerning whether they know enough about their child’s progress. This is partly because the lack of a fully effective school website means they are not sufficiently involved in their children’s learning. The school’s website does not fully comply with current requirements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has provided an appropriate level of support following the decline in standards in 2011. It has effectively supported individual teachers and set up links with partner schools to share expertise. The school is also part of the authority’s Raising Attainment scheme.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  After a difficult period, when pupils’ achievement declined and experienced governors left, the governing body has re-established its capacity to challenge leaders and hold them to account. The relatively new team of governors understands how to use data and has introduced appropriate systems for checking the school’s work and providing training for individual governors to gain expertise. As a result, governors now have a realistic view of the school’s performance and what needs to be done to improve. They have decided where achievement is not good enough, that teachers should not move up the pay scale.

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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 122579 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 411716

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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 331 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah Brand Headteacher Mark Eadon Date of previous school inspection 22 October 2008 Telephone number 01773 783909 Fax number 01773 783909 Email address office@hollyhill.notts.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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