Heath Primary School, Kesgrave

Heath Primary School, Kesgrave Bell Lane, Kesgrave, Ipswich, IP5 1JG

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils of all abilities and from all backgrounds make good progress. Their needs are very well understood and support for them is good.  Teachers’ good subject knowledge enthuses and engages pupils.  Teachers track pupils’ progress very effectively and know the pupils very well. They take very good care of them, so they feel safe. Parents agree.  Pupils have positive relationships with teachers and each other. They behave well in lessons and on the playground.  Pupils are keen to learn and like their lessons because teachers plan exciting and enjoyable activities. This helps them to learn quickly.  Leaders have made important improvements to teaching and learning since the last inspection. They are particularly skilled at quickly providing the right support for individual pupils.  Governors have an accurate awareness of the school’s strengths and aspects for further development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Progress is writing is not as quick as in reading and mathematics. Pupils do not write enough extended pieces of work or sharpen their writing skills when working in different subjects.  Teachers do not make sure pupils improve their work by acting upon the comments in marking, or monitor learning carefully enough during lessons.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 25 lessons. They also observed an assembly and support for learning for small groups of pupils.  Inspectors talked to pupils about their work in lessons, looked at books, listened to pupils read and met with different pupils from Key Stages 1 and 2.  Meetings were held with members of the governing body, local authority representatives and school leaders.  During the inspection, inspectors took account of 89 responses to the Ofsted survey, Parent View, informal discussions with parents before school and one letter from a parent. They took account of 41 questionnaires returned by staff members.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents including school improvement plans, records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding, minutes of meetings of the governing body and records of the school leaders’ monitoring of lessons and information on the management of staff performance.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of the school’s data on pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Inspection team

Richard Blackmore, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Maria Rees-Johnson Additional Inspector Susan Pryor Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is slightly lower than the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is a little above the national average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding is lower than average. In this school the pupil premium supports pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  There is a before- and after-school club, but it is not managed by the governing body and was

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve progress in writing by giving pupils more opportunities to:  practise writing across different subjects  write extended pieces of work more frequently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching by making sure that teachers:  closely monitor learning during lessons so that mistakes and misunderstandings can be quickly dealt with  check pupils use marking guidance to improve the quality of their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter Reception with skills in line with those expected for their age, especially in communication and language. They make good progress because of good teaching, careful checks on their developing skills and a wide range of activities that motivate children to learn for themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics so that, by the end of Year 6, their attainment is above average. Teachers adapt lesson activities well for different ability groups, but do not always keep a close check on pupils’ learning during lessons to ensure that they have understood what they need to do so they can move on with the activities provided.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs and those who are more able make similar rates of progress to others. Their needs are identified accurately and effective help and support aid their learning, for example in small groups and one-to-one sessions with teaching assistants. This demonstrates the school’s commitment to providing an equal opportunity for every pupil and tackling discrimination.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More-able pupils work and learn quickly. Their overall progress is good because, in most lessons, the particularly difficult tasks set for them make them think hard.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Assessments show that the attainment gap is closing in English and mathematics for pupils supported by the pupil premium compared to other pupils. They make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, in line with other groups in the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are confident and fluent readers who love to share books. Reading is a strength because pupils read widely and use reading skills in many subjects. Teachers listen to pupils read on a regular basis and staff teach phonics (the sounds letters make) well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in writing is not as quick as in reading and mathematics. Pupils do not practise their writing skills enough across other subjects to refine their choice of vocabulary. They do not write enough extended pieces to develop a full range of effective writing skills, such as the use of paragraphs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve very well in physical education. A range of specialist teachers encourages physical activity throughout the week and pupils and teachers record and track their activity regularly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection. Staff work closely together, know their pupils well and act as positive role models to help them with their learning. In most lessons, thorough planning leads to adapted activities that take account of the needs of individuals and groups. This ensures that most groups make equally good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Nursery and Reception classes, staff work well together to provide a stimulating range of activities that help the children to explore, think, and understand, and to write and speak well. Children are encouraged to make decisions.  Lessons are exciting because teachers use information about how well pupils are doing, together with imaginative ideas, to plan activities that enthuse all pupils. Progress is fastest when pupils are fully engrossed in learning through group work, discussions and work they do by themselves. Teaching assistants are able to give very close support to these groups or to individual pupils as it is needed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers listen carefully to pupils’ responses to their questions, and often ask an extra question so that pupils explain what they mean or provide an example. Teachers challenge more-able pupils well because they ask them more difficult questions that make them think hard and consider the accuracy of other pupils’ answers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are effective in linking activities with pupils’ targets for each lesson. Most extend this further to specific-subject targets for the year, so that pupils can check they understand exactly what is expected of them and how they can achieve greater success. Pupils are keen to succeed and can increasingly refer to their targets for different subjects and check them when reviewing a piece of work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The primary sports funding is having a positive impact on the teaching of physical skills. It is focusing on long-term benefits through improving teachers’ skills, as well as increasing pupils’ engagement in physical education and sport.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is good and usually up to date. Teachers explain to pupils what they need to do to get to the next level in their work, and set targets for them that are regularly checked. This is leading to improvements, particularly in mathematics. However, teachers do not always follow up their points to see that pupils have acted upon them to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There are good relationships in lessons and pupils respond quickly to teachers’ expectations. However, teachers do not always check pupils’ understanding closely so there are occasions where pupils’ errors remain uncorrected. This leads, for example, to inaccurate use of adventurous vocabulary.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Most parents, carers and staff who expressed an opinion agreed that behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Pupils are polite and generally respond well in class, especially when teaching is good, and show positive attitudes to learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy school and listen carefully to teachers, teaching assistants and each other. They do not have to be reminded to concentrate on what they are doing. This means no time is wasted in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is average and pupils are punctual at the start of school and lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that bullying and instances of poor behaviour are rare but dealt with effectively by teachers. Appropriate records are kept. Pupils could not recall examples of name-calling and consequently felt safe. They knew how to keep safe and feel well cared for.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The lesson observations carried out by inspectors show that teachers are skilled in managing behaviour well. Staff apply the rewards and sanctions system consistently and pupils are clear about the consequences, so teachers rarely needed to use it during the inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good awareness of the needs of others. They raise money for underprivileged people in Romania. The school council organises different events for charity and many pupils engage well in community activities, such as choir performances in the neighbourhood.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have been successful in improving the school so that all aspects of its work are good. They work together with a clear vision for and commitment to the continuous improvement of each pupil. Subject leaders fulfil their roles well, and have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses because they check information about how well pupils are doing in English and mathematics regularly.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders use a wide range of information to plan the right support to help pupils close any gaps in their learning. The information is also used to plan sequences of lessons that build up in difficulty and help all pupils to move forward in their learning. The English leader has already introduced several initiatives to improve attainment in writing, such as teachers assessing together the levels of pieces of writing. The mathematics leader has brought about considerable improvement in progress and attainment in the subject through successful staff training. These initiatives have improved pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders manage the performance of teachers well through straightforward, measurable targets which are linked to pupils’ progress, school improvement priorities, and pay rises and promotion. Staff responses indicated that they are very clear about what is expected of them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school teaches subjects through a range of interesting themes which are fully enjoyed by all pupils. Many visits, such as to the local war memorial, are closely linked to specific subjects and provide worthwhile experiences. These contribute to pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has supported the school well and established a positive and productive working partnership with it. The use of specialists and external consultants has helped to raise the quality of pupils’ education.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has clear plans for how to spend the new government funding for physical education and sport. These include the development of inter-school sporting activities and staff training for the teaching of physical education. Leaders have evaluated the training carefully, identifying that it has improved their skills in teaching different sports and the pupils’ balance and coordination, and are using the results to plan future use of this funding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governors have a good understanding of the strengths of the school in terms of pupils’ performance and the quality of teaching. Records of governing body meetings show that governors hold leaders to account and challenge them to explain pupils’ performance. Governors consider carefully staff performance when approving pay rises, and ensure that pupils’ progress is always taken into account. The governing body knows how the pupil premium is spent and monitors the impact. It knows in detail about the initiatives that have been used and reviews the progress of the pupils supported by this funding rigorously. The governors make sure safeguarding arrangements meet national 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 124593 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 432102

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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 535 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Geoff Swann Headteacher Susan Bowditch Date of previous school inspection 24 October 2012 Telephone number 01473 622806 Fax number 01473 622806 Email address admin@heathkesgrave.suffolk.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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