Holland Haven Primary School

Holland Haven Primary School Primrose Road, Holland-on-Sea, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 5PP

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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 Good 2

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

 Over time standards have been too low and too few pupils have reached the levels of which they were capable.  Not enough teaching is consistently good or better as teachers do not check how well pupils are doing in lessons and adapt their teaching to make sure that all are sufficiently challenged.  The recent improvements are too new to have been sustained over time.  Pupils have still not made good progress over time by the time they leave the school because they have had too much catching up to do.  Expectations of what more-able pupils can do and achieve are not high enough.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to use and apply their knowledge in problem-solving activities.

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The school has the following strengths

 A new headteacher and leadership team have quickly identified what needed to be done and tackled weaknesses effectively. Although they know that there is further to go, they have already had an impact in improving teaching and accelerating pupils’ progress.  Pupils across the school are now making expected and often good progress.  Standards in each key stage have risen sharply this year.  Pupils are well behaved, try hard in lessons and are keen to do their best.  Pupils say they feel safe in school.  The quality of teaching is improving.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes, visiting 23 lessons and part lessons.  Discussions were held with pupils, the headteacher and other leaders, three representatives of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The team looked at a range of documents, including the school’s development plan, minutes of governing body meetings, safeguarding records and work in pupils’ books.  Parents and carers were asked for their views at the end of the school day, and the views of the 45 parents who responded to the Parent View survey were analysed.

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Inspection team

Simon Griffiths, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Lynn Lowery Additional Inspector Christine Newell Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British. There are fewer pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds than in most schools of this size. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is well below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average and the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium is above average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, looked-after children and those with a parent in the armed services.  There is a higher than average proportion of boys in the school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher has been in post since September 2012. There is also a new deputy headteacher.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching to good and so increase achievement by making sure that:  all pupils, particularly the more able, are given sufficiently demanding work to do in all lessons  teachers share and learn from the examples of outstanding teaching in the school  teachers regularly check during lessons on how well pupils are learning and adapt the lesson accordingly providing more opportunities for pupils to use and apply their knowledge in problem-solving activities.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Over previous years, standards and progress have been too low. More-able pupils, in particular, are not sufficiently challenged and not enough of them reach the higher levels of attainment.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils have underachieved in the past. Achievement now requires improvement rather than being inadequate because of the clear rise in levels this year at the end of each key stage and the increasing proportion of pupils making good progress across the school. This is the result of major changes made at the start of the year by the new headteacher.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils start at the school with skills and knowledge in line with those expected. They make expected progress and sometimes better in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and most children are working within the expected levels when they join Key Stage 1. Children are able to take turns to practise skills and they respect each other’s responses. Progress in phonics (linking letters and sounds) is accelerating because children learn the letters and sounds as soon as they start school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Results in reading are rising quickly by the end of Year 2. However, results in the Year 1 reading check have been low. Pupils are able to use strategies to break down words but a few of the younger pupils say they would like to read more often in school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils in Key Stage 1 are now reaching levels in line with those nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. This represents a considerable improvement on 2012, when pupils in Year 2 were two terms behind the national average in reading and writing, and close to a year behind in mathematics. Assessments have been checked very carefully by the school to ensure their accuracy.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The proportion of pupils now reaching the expected levels at the end of Key Stage 2 has also risen sharply this year and is now average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 A good example of current progress is evident in pupils’ performance in the new spelling, punctuation and grammar test. Most pupils reached the expected standard and nearly half of them reached the higher levels.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is tracked very carefully. Their progress and attainment is rising. Data from 2012 show that, in English, eligible pupils were about half a term behind the others but, in mathematics, they were just over two terms behind.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The gap in the performance of boys compared to girls is closing and, in younger years, the progress of both boys and girls is similar. There are still few older boys reaching higher levels of attainment.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs have in the past made less progress than they should but pupils currently in the school are making nationally expected progress, with some doing much better.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Some of the work in a sample of homework books is clearly outstanding. This is because expectations are very high and tasks are clearly linked to pupils’ own levels and the next steps they need to take to move their learning on.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are not challenged enough and are given work they already understand or have done before. Where teaching is less effective, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding often enough during the lesson to adapt their teaching; for example, to increase the level of challenge.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Sometimes teacher’s explanations limit the amount of time for independent activities because they go on for too long.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not always make it clear exactly what it is that groups of pupils, and particularly the more able, are expected to have learned by the end of the lesson. The work that these pupils are given to do is sometimes too easy for them.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Activities are chosen carefully to appeal to boys as well as girls, and many boys say how much they enjoy reading and writing. However, pupils are not given enough opportunities to solve problems and find things out for themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Phonics is taught systematically. Adults often ‘play’ alongside children and are skilled at prompting them to find out things for themselves. However, there are not enough planned opportunities for more-able children to progress more quickly. Sometimes, boys become restless when it is not clear what it is that is to be learned.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Carefully prepared lists of the skills pupils need to learn are in all pupils’ books and allow them to reflect on the next steps in learning and challenge themselves under the watchful eye of the teacher. Throughout the school, ‘polishing pens’ are used for pupils to identify features of text. These new ideas are used more effectively in some classes than others.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants make an effective contribution to learning. In some lessons, they assess pupils’ contributions in class discussions and follow these up with support. They also support groups, for example, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in the school has been consistently good over time. Pupils are courteous and well mannered. They are friendly and confident to talk with visitors. The very large majority of parents feel their children are well behaved at school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In lessons, pupils try hard and work well together as individuals, pairs and groups. Good learning habits are established and they quickly organise themselves when starting new activities.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour at playtimes and lunchtimes is good. This is because pupils have a lot of activities and space. The dining hall is calm and pupils can chat happily. Staff serving lunches know pupils by name and treat them with courtesy.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show a lot of interest in the school and share their ideas on how it can improve. They show respect for each other and also children in other countries through partnership with a school in Ghana.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe in school. They have a good understanding of how to use the internet safely and of issues such as cyber-bullying but are not always clear on other different forms of bullying. A few pupils and parents expressed some concern about bullying and pupils being ‘picked on’, though most said this was rare and quickly sorted out.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There are some examples of challenging behaviour but these are managed well by staff. There is an obvious sense of care, and pupils are well known by leaders and teachers as individuals.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new leadership team have secured many significant improvements in a very short space of time. Leaders have focused very tightly on raising attainment. In the school’s Raising Attainment Plan, all actions are measured in terms of pupils’ learning. The school tracks the performance of individual pupils and groups of pupils very closely and uses the information effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has been very determined in sending teachers on courses, working with partner schools and checking very regularly on the quality of lessons being taught. This has helped to improve the quality of teaching and, with it, the rate of progress pupils make. Leaders’ judgements on the quality of teaching are made on progress, checking also the work in pupils’ books. The headteacher’s judgements on the quality of teaching are accurate.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders are enthusiastic and are growing in confidence. They now have the information needed to be more effective. Teachers are pleased that expectations are now much higher and are proud to be part of the team. Though staff work well together, they do not have enough opportunities to share and learn from the very best practice that exists in the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provided high levels of support in the light of previous results and created opportunities for teachers to go on extra training. In recognition of the quality of leadership and fast pace of improvement, it now provides much lighter support.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents are increasingly involved and value the ‘class teas’ as well as the formal parents evenings. One parent commented to inspectors, ‘It’s a very tight ship now.’

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The leadership and management are good

 Arrangements for safeguarding meet requirements and there have also been improvements, such as a parents’ waiting area at the front of the school, to improve safety.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They admit this has not always been the case. They responded to the results in 2011 to bring about some improvement to meet floor standards. They refer to the Data Dashboard, which is a new annual summary of the school’s results and other data in a file that can be checked by governors and parents on the Ofsted website. They say that this was instrumental to them in ‘seeing the wood from the trees’ and focusing attention closely on pupils’ achievement and the need to improve it.  Governors now monitor the work of the school and have their own Governors Attainment Plan, which is based on their own visits and judgements. They have benefited from focused training by the local authority and have a good understanding of the quality of teaching.  Governors carry out their statutory duties well and make visits to carry out checks; for

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The leadership and management are good

example, health and safety and safeguarding records. They are now clear on the link between pay progression and each teacher’s performance. They know what the school is doing to tackle any underperformance.  Governors are fully aware of how the pupil premium funding is spent. They know that, in 2012, outcomes were disappointing.  Governors are spending further resources on both building alterations and extra teaching, which are directly related to the priorities they have agreed on raising standards.

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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 115256 Local authority Essex Inspection number 401506

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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 Foundation Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 317 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Philip Johnson Headteacher Sue Bardetti Date of previous school inspection 26 November 2009 Telephone number 01255 813704 Fax number 01255 812641 Email address admin@hollandhaven.essex.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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