Holme Valley Primary School

Holme Valley Primary School Timberland, Bottesford, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, DN16 3SL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  The school has established a strong track record of well-above average standards in English and mathematics. Achievement is outstanding.  Pupils, including those eligible for the pupil premium and those with special educational needs, make excellent progress from their starting points on entry to the school. Although the more able make strong progress, very occasionally their progress dips in a few classes when the work is not challenging enough.  Teaching is outstanding overall and is especially strong in the youngest and oldest classes.  Behaviour, relationships and safety are excellent throughout the school and result in pupils enjoying school and doing so well.  Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of all aspects of the school’s work.  Leadership and management are outstanding at all levels. The governing body, the headteacher, other senior leaders and those who lead subjects work together very

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

effectively. They make a significant contribution to improving teaching and other aspects of the school’s work. This means that the school has strong capacity to continue to improve in the future.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors saw teaching in all classes, observing 11 full lessons, including two joint observations with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. In addition, a number of shorter visits were made to lessons in the Early Years Foundation Stage and to see particular aspects such as the teaching of reading, or pupils being taught individually or in small groups. A range of other school activities including playtimes, lunchtimes and an assembly were observed.  Past and current work in Key Stage 1 and 2 classes was scrutinised and some pupils were heard reading.  Meetings were held with school leaders and other staff, members of the governing body and with a representative of the local authority.  Documents, including school development planning and reports showing the school’s view of its own performance, safeguarding documents and policies and records relating to behaviour, safety and attendance were inspected. A range of information on the performance of the school in

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Information about this inspection

comparison with other schools nationally was also analysed. The school’s records of pupils’ progress were also analysed.  The views of 52 parents who completed the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were analysed. Short discussions were held with 27 parents of a total of 37 children at the beginning of the second day of the inspection. The results of a recent school survey of parents’ views with 196 returns held last April were also taken into account.  Inspectors received the views of staff through discussions and also through analysing 17 responses to the inspection questionnaire. They received the views of pupils through both informal and pre-arranged discussions.

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Inspection team

Roger Sadler, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Alan Chaffey Additional Inspector David Matthews Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 In this larger than an average-sized primary school, most pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  A below-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  In 2012, the school met the government’s current floor standards that set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure, in a few classes, that more-able pupils are given even more opportunities to do their very best.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Achievement is outstanding throughout the school. This is confirmed by national test and assessment results, the school’s records which are supported by accurate assessments, pupils’ work and inspection evidence on the progress pupils make in lessons.  Most children start school with levels of development that are broadly typical for their age. Their personal and social development is a little above that typically found. The Reception children had been in the school for two months at the time of the inspection; they were attentive, enjoying school, behaving in a very grown-up way and thriving. They benefited from mixing with Year 1 pupils in their mixed-age classes. By the end of Reception a high proportion of pupils exceed standards expected of pupils of this age.  Children in Reception and in Years 1 and 2 make excellent progress in learning letters and their sounds and this success is reflected in the high scores they achieved in the last two years’

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

national phonics screening tests.  The kind and sensitive, yet challenging support adults give to children in the two Reception/Year 1 classes enable them to work independently and concentrate well for extended periods.  Most pupils make excellent progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 because teaching is outstanding. The school has established a track record of above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics in national curriculum assessment over the last three years. Pupils currently in Year 6 are on track to attain even higher standards than last year and more pupils are on track to attain the higher levels (Levels 5 and 6). This is because leaders recognised that on a few occasions in some classes, even more could be expected of more-able pupils and consequently provision for these pupils is improving throughout the school.  The school’s comprehensive system for tracking the performance of each pupil and careful use

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

of this information ensures that the needs of all are clearly identified and all are given equal opportunity to succeed.  Throughout the school, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make excellent progress in lessons due to the expert additional support they regularly receive from teachers and teaching assistants.  Wise spending of pupil premium funding has helped these pupils achieve strongly. For example, in 2013, pupils eligible for pupil premium funding attained considerably higher than similar pupils nationally by the end of Year 6 taking into account their results in mathematics, writing and reading national assessments. Over the last two years the gap in how well pupils eligible for free school meals and other pupils in the school are doing has narrowed. The school’s own thorough analysis and inspection evidence indicates that this year, these pupils are doing even better.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is excellent and pupils enjoy the wide range of interesting and challenging tasks they are provided with in both the indoor and outdoor learning areas. The strong emphasis on developing basic skills helps children progress very quickly in their reading, writing and number work. This provides an excellent preparation for older classes.  Exemplary teaching in the two oldest classes is invariably provided by the teachers. These two teachers are senior leaders and subject leaders for English and mathematics. Their outstanding practice provides them with a strong base to work with other staff to continually improve the work of all staff. Expert coaching has ensured a consistent approach to teaching and learning, especially in English and mathematics and to how behaviour is managed and relationships formed.  A particular and growing strength throughout the school is the way that pupils are provided with

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

excellent guidance for learning. Pupils are helped to see exactly where to concentrate their efforts to improve and especially the oldest pupils show an impressive understanding of the next steps in learning.  A common feature of lessons throughout the school is pupils being given short periods of time to discuss their answers to the teacher’s questions with a partner. This practice has helped pupils develop their excellent speaking and listening skills.  Teachers and teaching assistants in all classes create an excellent climate for learning in their classrooms and in lessons and pupils are continually engaged and interested and sustain excellent levels of concentration and effort.  Well-trained and effectively deployed teaching assistants make a strong contribution to pupils’ excellent learning, especially the learning of lower-attaining pupils or those with special educational needs.  More-able pupils progress strongly throughout the school and on most occasions they are given

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

a high degree of challenge which benefits them considerably. On a few occasions, there is scope to provide them with even more extra support to enable them to do even better. Work is already in hand to deal with this.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ exceptionally strong learning habits and strong relationship skills are nurtured from the moment they enter school in the Early Years Foundation Stage and are developed as they move through the school. Parents recognise that the school is happy and harmonious.  Excellent behaviour is soon established in Reception. A consistent approach that all staff adopt to managing behaviour ensures that by Year 6, pupils show considerable maturity and have first- rate attitudes to learning and to work. These strong personal and social skills support strongly the outstanding progress pupils make throughout the school.  Pupils are very clear about how to keep themselves safe and they show careful respect for the safety of others. They also show excellent understanding of how to keep safe on the internet. Older pupils are very keen to take on extra responsibilities around school. They know all about issues such as bullying and are proud that there is no bullying in their school and confident that

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

such incidents would be dealt with fully if they arose.  Parents recognise that their children love coming to school and enjoy their lessons. Pupils attend regularly and rates of attendance have been well above average over recent years.  The well-developed personal and social education programme provides pupils with opportunities to reflect on their own attitudes and they are given clear guidance on how to relate to one another. The ethos of the school promotes excellent relationships and high expectations of good manners and conduct. Consequently, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher, senior leaders and the governing body focus relentlessly on ensuring that all pupils are enabled to do their best. Teachers and governors show an impressive understanding of how to use national and school data to monitor the achievement of pupils in each year group. The progress of individuals and groups of pupils, such as the more-able pupils and those with special educational needs or those eligible for the pupil premium is closely analysed each term. Leaders and staff use this information to tailor provision to ensure that all pupils have equal opportunity to succeed.  Pupil progress information is used expertly to direct school improvement activities. For example, members of the governing body noticed that no Year 6 girls had attained the highest level in national tests in mathematics and they asked the headteacher and senior leaders to investigate why this was the case. Senior leaders and teachers benefited from this work and the school now

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The leadership and management are outstanding

has raised its expectations for girls in mathematics and learned much about how to ensure that girls are able to do their very best in mathematics.  Staff appreciate the high quality of the guidance and challenge they continually receive from senior leaders. Consequently, the quality of teaching and pupils’ attainment are improving. A key improvement in provision over the last few years, due in no small part to this excellent coaching, is in the teaching of letters and sounds. This is especially the case in the younger classes and the much higher standards of reading that are already evident in younger classes are now working through the school.  Parents and staff are unanimous in their view that the school is well led and managed. The school has many strategies to help parents support their children’s learning. In younger classes in particular, many parents make an important contribution to their children’s excellent progress

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The leadership and management are outstanding

in reading.  The school has an excellent curriculum with a clear, but never a narrow focus on basic skills such as literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology. Subjects such as music, and art and design are also strong. Writing skills are developed well in subjects such as history, but chances are occasionally missed to apply, use and develop mathematical skills in other subjects.  The school has a well-developed programme of teaching French in all classes and Year 5 pupils all receive weekly guitar lessons. Residential and other visits are a well-established part of the school’s curriculum and visitors to the school enhance pupils’ knowledge and empathy for the ways of life of other cultures. The curriculum is very well modified to meet the learning needs of all, enabling pupils to make outstanding progress.  A long track record of excellent management of resources has resulted in the school grounds,

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The leadership and management are outstanding

buildings and classrooms being of very high quality. Careful planning and excellent housekeeping have resulted in many new additions being made which support pupils’ learning, personal development and health. For example, pupils are proud of their recently built MUGA (multi-use games area) and benefit greatly from using it.  The school carefully plans so that all funding is used to best effect. Leaders consider carefully with governors how to gain best value from new government funding such as for pupil premium pupils or new primary school sports funding. The effect of spending is carefully evaluated to check that this money is used to good effect. Pupils’ premium spending was successful last year and helped the gap between the attainment of these pupils and other pupils to close well. Sports funding is being used effectively to ensure more pupils participate in physical activity, receive expert coaching and participate in inter-school competitions. Money is also usefully being spent

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The leadership and management are outstanding

to enable a newly qualified teacher to develop the skills necessary to run football as an after- school club in the future.  The local authority provides appropriately light-touch support while providing challenge to continue to improve.  The governance of the school:  The governing body continually arranges training and checks its own effectiveness. It uses award schemes, such as the Quality Mark for School Governance to improve its role. Governance is outstanding and its ability to provide such strong challenge is based on a clear understanding of how to analyse school performance information and to use this analysis to keep the school on its toes. The governing body carries out its duties to ensure that the quality of teaching and the performance of all staff is continually improved and uses financial incentives for staff appropriately. Governors are fully aware of their responsibilities regarding

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The leadership and management are outstanding

safeguarding and have ensured that the school’s arrangements for safeguarding are thorough and fully meet current requirements.

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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 117811 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 425940

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 324 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Edward McCabe Headteacher Judith Moorhouse Date of previous school inspection 23 September 2008 Telephone number 01724 842152 Fax number 01724 842152 Email address admin.holmevalley@northlincs.gov.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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