Feltham Hill Infant and Nursery School

Feltham Hill Infant and Nursery School Bedfont Road, Lower Feltham, Feltham, Middlesex, TW13 4LZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Achievement requires improvement because progress is not consistently strong throughout the school.  Not enough children achieve as well as they should in the Foundation Stage because assessment information is not gathered effectively or used in planning.  Teaching requires improvement because not enough lessons are good or better.  Work is not planned at the right level for some groups of children, especially those with English as an additional language, and boys.  Behaviour and safety requires improvement because checks on the safety of the premises are not rigorous enough.  Leaders and governors are too positive in their views about how well the school is doing. Checks made by senior leaders do not always focus on the impact of teaching on children’s achievement, particularly of different groups.  School planning and monitoring systems are not fully developed to show how actions taken are improving the school’s effectiveness.

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

 Governors do not challenge leaders well enough about the school’s performance.  Some children do not attend school regularly due unauthorised absence during term time.

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The school has the following strengths

 Attainment is consistently well above average by the time pupils leave at the end of Year 2.  Parents’ views which are actively sought by school leaders are mostly positive.  Children feel safe. The positive attitudes they consistently show are a strength of the school.  Children behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite and respectful to each other.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 18 lessons. Most were joint observations with the headteacher or senior leaders.  During these observations, inspectors assessed pupils’ work, spoke to pupils about their learning, looked at teachers’ planning and considered the role of additional adults in lessons.  Inspectors held discussions with senior leaders, teachers responsible for particular subjects, representatives from the local authority and members of the governing body.  School documents and records were scrutinised, including information about pupils’ progress, pupils’ behaviour and attendance, school improvement planning, the school’s evidence on how well it is doing and minutes of governing body meetings.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and spoke to some about their experiences in school. Playtimes and lunch breaks were observed when inspectors talked informally with pupils.  Inspectors spoke informally to parents at the beginning and end of the day. They considered the

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Information about this inspection

24 responses to Parent View and a letter from one parent.

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Inspection team

Ann Debono, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Adam Higgins Her Majesty’s Inspector Janet Tomkins Additional Inspector Michael Elson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average-sized infant and nursery school.  The school has increased to four forms of entry. There are 104 children in the nursery, all attend part time for either morning or afternoon session.  A majority of children are from different ethnic groups and the number who speak English as an additional language is higher than average.  The proportion of children for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and children who are looked after by the local authority) is broadly in line with the national average.  The proportions of disabled children or those with special needs supported through school action and those supported at school action plus or with a statement of special needs are below with the national average.  Extensive building works are in progress, restricting teaching, office space and access to the site.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise children’s achievement so that it is consistently good or better by:  improve planning so all groups of children are challenged by activities that match their abilities and interests, particularly those in the Early Years Foundation Stage and those with English as an Additional Language  ensuring that pupils receive work that challenges them and moves their learning forward at a faster pace, especially in mathematics

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management, including governance, by:  strengthening the school’s improvement plan by including tight timescales for the completion of actions and identifying leaders’ and governors’ responsibilities in evaluating these areas  improve the way leaders obtain and use data and other information to measure the school’s effectiveness at addressing its priorities for improvement  ensuring that judgements about the quality of education in school are not over-generous  making sure the governing body uses accurate information to hold senior leaders and staff to account for improved rates of pupils’ progress and in the quality of teaching.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 All premises and health and safety information is checked systematically.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Engage more effectively with parents and families of pupils who do not attend regularly enough to make sure that attendance rises to at least the national average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children’s’ achievement requires improvement overall. It is not consistently good in all classes.  The achievement and progress of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage requires improvement, planning does not use assessment information to develop children’s skills in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children join the nursery with skills and understanding that are broadly typical for their age. Most make typical progress to begin Year 1 with average levels of development, but too many children do not, notably boys. A significant number of children do not make expected levels in the mathematical areas of learning.  In Key Stage 1 children’s achievement is good. Most children make good progress because teachers have high expectations of what they can achieve.  Good rates of progress are evident in children’s English books. Writing is a strong feature in Key Stage 1. In Year 1 children enjoy writing and reading about different themes such as Sea Life

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

and Mermaids. In Year 2 the higher attaining children drafted some well organised pieces of writing to compare the importance of rules in different religions.  In 2012 the screening check for phonics (the letters that sounds make) for children in Year 1 was below the national figure. A successful focus has resulted in a significant improvement. Results in 2013 are well above the national percentage. Boys and girls, and children who have English as an additional language, do equally well, however pupils who are in receipt of free school meals are falling behind others in this area.  Over time children’s attainment in the end of Key Stage 1 tests in reading, writing and mathematics is consistently and significantly above national average. In 2013 these results, increased further in reading and writing.  Disabled children and those with special educational needs are identified quickly and appropriate

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

support and interventions are put into place. These children make expected progress from their respective starting points.  Children in receipt of pupil premium funding make the same progress in English and mathematics as pupils not in receipt of this extra resource.  The school’s performance tracking systems do not help school leaders or teachers identify and then monitor the effectiveness of support for under performing groups of children. For example, Pupils who have English as an additional language do not make good enough progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because it is not good in too many lessons and does not ensure that all groups of children achieve as well as they can.  Lesson planning is weak because it does not plan work suitable for every pupil’s needs. The use of pupil data and target setting is underdeveloped so neither teachers nor pupils have a clear sense of the next steps in their learning toward year-end expectations.  The provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage does not focus enough on children’s early skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Planning does not show how the outside area can be used to stimulate nursery and reception aged consequently they are not challenged sufficiently in their learning.  Time is not used well to ensure consistently good learning. In some lessons children listen to adults for too long, the ‘busy time ‘in Year 1 is not focused enough and in the Foundation Stage

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

children spend too long on the carpet or having fruit and milk together  The teaching of phonics is consistently effective across the school. Staff training has been successful in developing teachers and teaching assistants skills in the teaching of reading.  Teaching is effective in group work led by adults. Questioning and immediate verbal feedback to individual pupils helps them to improve their work straight away. Some pupils make accelerated progress as a result. Teaching assistants show initiative when working with lower attaining pupils or those with special educational needs and this extra help meets their abilities and needs.  Where teaching is good, teachers’ skilful questioning and good subject knowledge engages pupils and extends their thinking. In mathematics, pupils use equipment to explore ideas about the best unit of measurement. In English lessons, children show a good understanding of

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

spelling and grammar so most can edit their work and know how to improve it further.  In an outstanding lesson for a ‘Forest Schools’ session, children explored and challenged themselves to look closely at mini beasts and choose foraged autumn materials to make paper crowns. Children particularly enjoyed the hot chocolate at the end of the lesson.  Open plan and temporary classrooms are organised efficiently. The working relationships between adults and pupils across classrooms are positive. Despite distractions because of building noise or movement through the teaching spaces, pupils show concentration and a good focus on work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Fire drills and fire safety checks are not recorded regularly or reported to the governing body. Risk assessments due to the building work have been completed but there is insufficient vigilance in the shared space with the junior school at the beginning and end of the day.  Despite the school’s best efforts attendance is low. Senior leaders and the local authority are increasing their efforts to work with families to reduce absenteeism or erratic attendance.  Behaviour management is good. Adults are consistent in applying the school’s rules and expectations. Pupils know what is acceptable and what is not. In lessons and around the school pupils are considerate and kind to each other and to adults.  Pupils feel safe in school. They say that bullying is very rare and parents agree. Pupils know about different kinds of bullying and they know who to see in school if they are feeling unhappy.  Pupils develop good social skills. They get on well with each other, they behave responsibly

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

when working and playing on their own or with others.  The incident log to record and address incidents of a racist nature show that these are rare, when they occur appropriate action is taken to ensure that it is not repeated.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because teaching and achievement are not consistently good throughout the school.  Leaders do not function strategically enough to check the school’s performance. School improvement planning lacks detail. It does not indicate tight timescales by which priorities will be addressed or by whom as a result the school has declined since the previous inspection.  Checks on teaching by school leaders are regular and keep them generally informed about its quality. Action has been taken where this quality has dipped. However, lessons observations and work scrutiny does not focus strongly on the impact of teaching on the progress of different groups of pupils. This means that their view is overgenerous about the proportion of good or better teaching.  Subject leaders do not respond swiftly after an analysis of assessment data However, strong teaching routines and high expectations overall ensure that most pupils leave the school with

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The leadership and management requires improvement

above average levels of attainment in English and mathematics.  The headteacher and senior leaders ensure that the school runs purposefully and efficiently. All staff work together as a close team. The open plan nature of the classrooms supports good partnership work and professional dialogue about the curriculum. It is a transparent and positive place in which to work. Inspectors agree with a typical comment from a parent that the school’s approach helps children to develop a strong sense of personal responsibility.  School leaders have good links with local schools, particularly the neighbouring junior school. Work moderation and training opportunities are now being shared. Teachers visit other schools for professional development and receive visiting teachers to observe practice in Key Stage 1.  The curriculum provides a good range of subjects and is well supported by extra-curricular activities. Pupils enjoy trips to Bird World and the Brooklands Museum. Saturday family sessions

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The leadership and management requires improvement

in Forest Schools are oversubscribed and popular.  The provision for pupils’ social and moral development is a strength of the school. Pupils show good cooperation, respect and confidence when learning together. Pupils’ cultural and spiritual development is promoted through assemblies and themed work, but more could be done to celebrate and include pupils’ experiences from different backgrounds. Physical development is good. Pupils are encouraged to be active and develop these skills from a young age.  The local authority has provided ‘light touch’ support for the school as it has previously been judged as outstanding. As a result the decline in children’s achievement and the quality of teaching has not been identified early enough. Some support however, has been provided in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The governance of the school:  Governors are aware of the school’s strengths but they are less clear about its weaknesses in

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The leadership and management requires improvement

teaching and the achievement of groups of pupils. The school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness states that it is no longer outstanding but searching questions have not been asked by governors about the reasons for this. The school improvement plan does not state how this decline will be addressed or how quickly it will improve and by when.  The governing body have strengthened aspects of their leadership through training to develop their roles and responsibilities. They understand how the school compares with similar schools nationally. They use information about teachers’ performance in the classroom linked to salary scales to address the quality of teaching. They know how the pupil premium budget is spent but they are less clear about the impact this has upon achievement. Governors are committed to the future development of the school and have a high profile in planning the building expansion projects. Governors ensure that safeguarding meets statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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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 102484 Local authority Hounslow Inspection number 427218

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3-7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 459 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Donald Ross Headteacher Maggie Newbury Date of previous school inspection 4-5 March 2008 Telephone number 0208 890 3814 Fax number 0208 844 1126 Email address head@fhi.hounslow.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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