Garway Primary School

Garway Primary School Garway, Hereford, HR2 8RQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement.  Achievement has declined since the previous inspection, particularly in mathematics.  Too few pupils reach the higher levels in the national tests.  Children do not always make the best progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because the activities arranged for them are not always sufficiently challenging.  Pupils’ progress has been slower than it should be because teachers have set work that some pupils find too hard and others find too easy.  Pupils who join the school partway through their primary education have gaps in their knowledge and understanding.  The targets set for teachers have not been linked to the progress their pupils make.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher’s strong and sharply focused leadership and management has resulted in a very marked improvement this year in pupils’ achievement, particularly in reading and writing.  Teaching has improved greatly this year because teachers use details of each pupil’s progress to plan and check pupils’ learning in most lessons.  Pupils behave well and the arrangements to keep them safe are good. They are eager to learn and they try very hard.  The governing body has benefited from training and is effective in holding the school to account.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed parts of six lessons and carried out a learning walk of all reading and writing sessions at the beginning of the day. All of these were seen and discussed with the headteacher. The inspector also observed other reading activities, an assembly and early morning club.  The inspector talked to a group of pupils from Key Stage 2 and spoke to others informally throughout the inspection.  Pupils’ work from each key stage was examined and pupils from Years 1 and 2 were heard reading.  A total of 27 responses from parents to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were examined. Additionally, the inspector examined 11 staff questionnaires.  Meetings were held with four representatives of the governing body, including the Chair of the Governing Body, and the governor responsible for safeguarding. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.

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Information about this inspection

 Meetings were held with the headteacher, other staff, and the acting deputy headteacher, who has responsibility for safeguarding.  The inspector evaluated documentation regarding pupils’ current progress and the curriculum, development plans, and procedures and records relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Kathy Hooper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than average-sized school.  Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes.  Almost all of the pupils are White British.  There is a high proportion of boys compared to girls, with a ratio of three to two.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding (pupils known to be entitled to free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority) is lower than average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is average. The proportion who are supported at school action plus is higher than average. No pupil has a statement of special educational needs.  There is very high mobility, with two thirds of the pupils joining the school at times other than the start of the Reception Year. A number of pupils leave and rejoin the school.  The school runs an early morning club for pupils.  There is a privately run child-care group on site. This was not part of this inspection.

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Information about this school

 There were too few pupils in last year’s Year 6 to report on floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics  Since the last inspection, the headteacher resigned and was replaced by an executive headteacher. The current headteacher followed the executive headteacher. She is part-time and started at the school in October 2013. An acting deputy headteacher has been employed to cover the maternity leave of the substantive deputy headteacher.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and raise achievement, particularly in mathematics and in the Early Years Foundation Stage, by ensuring that:  more-able pupils are set challenging work that enables them to reach the highest levels  activities in the Early Years Foundation Stage help children to make the best progress possible in every lesson  all teachers set pupils work that is matched to their different abilities.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  making teachers’ targets more measurable by linking them to pupils’ achievement  ensuring that any gaps in knowledge among pupils who join the school after the Reception Year are quickly identified and the pupils are helped to catch up.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because not all pupils make enough progress, especially in writing and mathematics. Since the previous inspection, when achievement was judged to be good, there have been changes in leadership and staffing which have allowed standards to fall. In a short time, however, the new headteacher has brought about huge improvements in pupils’ achievement particularly reading and writing, but also in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement has been affected by the high number of pupils leaving, joining and sometimes rejoining the school partway through their primary education. Those pupils who come and go have gaps in their understanding.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage has accelerated this year. The most-able children are confident with numbers up to twenty, can count in twenties to 100 and make patterns using four repeating colours. They write sentences using recognisable words. Some have a good level of knowledge, explaining, for example, how a drawbridge works over the moat of a castle. Nevertheless, children in the Early Years Foundation Stage do not make consistently good progress because some of the activities they are set do not enable them to build on what they already know and can do.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to that of others. Their achievement has improved this year because the progress of all pupils is regularly checked and support is given to any who are falling behind.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The number of pupils supported by pupil premium is too small to make meaningful judgements about their achievement compared with that of others. Their progress is similar to that of others, in that it has accelerated this year, because they are given extra support if they fall behind in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most-able pupils are now achieving well in writing. The writing of Year 2 pupils is imaginative, fluent and holds the reader’s interest well. Punctuation is generally accurate, but spelling is sometimes weak. The writing of more-able Year 6 pupils is lively and engaging, showing good understanding, for example, of what it might be like to be an ogre. They use grammatically complex and varied sentences to good effect. Their punctuation is accurate and their writing is neat and joined up.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement in mathematics is more variable. Some pupils have gaps in their understanding because the teaching in the past has not always ensured that they make the progress they should. More-able Year 6 pupils estimate, check using a protractor and accurately name different angles while others need to be reminded how to use a protractor and name different angles.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils are making much better progress in mathematics than previously. Two thirds of Year 6 pupils have achieved the level expected of them at the end of Key Stage 2 within two terms. Nevertheless, their progress is not so rapid as it is in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Across the curriculum, pupils’ writing is generally neat and clear, and staff report an increased willingness among pupils to write things down in topic work and science. Whole school mathematical challenges and quizzes are promoting pupils’ enthusiasm for mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Primary sports funding has enabled a much greater number of pupils to become physically active. An increase in the time available for physical education lessons has resulted in more pupils able to swim 25 metres. There are more pupils attending after-school sports clubs.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Over the previous two terms, pupils have made accelerated progress and all are predicted to make at least two levels of progress from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 in reading and writing. All staff are involved in a common programme of teaching sounds and letters to pupils, who are grouped by ability. Frequent checks on individual pupils’ progress help teachers to identify and promptly support those who are in danger of falling behind.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Before the appointment of the current headteacher, the lack of discussion about how to improve pupils’ progress caused a decline in the quality of teaching. As a result, pupils’ learning did not progress quickly enough. There is now much better agreement among teachers about how to promote learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, teachers do not check carefully enough on children’s progress to ensure they extend their learning, especially where they are engaged in activities they have chosen for themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Since October 2013, there has been an in-depth analysis of each pupil’s attainment and progress. Pupils’ learning, and the reasons for any underperformance, is discussed in weekly meetings. As a result, teachers now use information about the progress of their pupils to plan lessons.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In all lessons, pupils have good levels of concentration and they ask and answer questions confidently.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Leaders’ monitoring shows that teaching has improved this term. Pupils make good progress when teachers set activities for pupils that are matched to their different abilities. Pupils make less progress in those lessons where all are given similar work to do.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is now greater rigour in the teaching of reading and writing. Younger pupils who are struggling with their reading sound out letters and words and use the pictures to help make sense of their books. Because pupils’ learning is checked more carefully in lessons, pupils who have not understood are identified more quickly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants are knowledgeable because they take part in training alongside teachers and work very closely with them. They confidently support and extend the learning of individuals and small groups of pupils, questioning them and extending their understanding very competently.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking is helpful, detailed, and supports learning very well. Older pupils present their work with pride and know how to make it better.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils discuss their work with their classmates and are keen to contribute to lessons. Older pupils were anxious to move on to the extra challenges set by the teacher and did not want to stop work at the end of a mathematics lesson. Pupils enjoy lessons and like their teachers, a view echoed by their parents.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have excellent social skills. They are very cooperative and polite and relish taking responsibility. They have played a big part in helping to improve the quality of equipment in the playground. Older pupils calculate awards ready for achievement assemblies.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school is a strongly inclusive and everyone is known and treated well. Playtimes are harmonious and collaborative. Older pupils play well with younger ones. Equipment is used sensibly and there is no litter.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. Different values, such as ‘happiness’ or ‘unity’, are considered each week in assemblies and within lessons. Music education is strong, with almost half of the pupils learning an instrument. Links with France and Uganda are beginning to extend pupils’ understand of life in other parts of the world.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school is a leading Eco school and has achieved the Green Flag award four times. The school has a wind turbine and solar panel s. The strength of pupils’ efforts to protect the environment is demonstrated in comprehensive action plans for promoting issues such as healthy living, saving energy and water, managing waste, improving the school grounds, biodiversity and global issues.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Through their contributions to various committees, pupils develop a good understanding of how decisions are made fairly. They are considerate, respectful and greatly enjoy the friendships forged by day-to-day activities and the many school events and celebrations.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils make really good contributions to the community; for example, through supporting community events and helping senior citizens. There is a thriving school choir.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe is good. Arrangements for pupils’ safeguarding meet current requirements.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe and they understand how to keep themselves safe, including when on the roads and when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The inspector found no evidence of bullying. Pupils report there is none. A learning mentor is available for those who have worries or concerns.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Great efforts have been put into improving pupils’ attendance and it is now average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new headteacher has rapidly brought about very clear improvements in teaching and in pupils’ progress. Morale is high because everyone understands their role in improving learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The strong and supportive leadership of the headteacher and acting deputy headteacher have brought about a united approach to raising achievement. There is an urgency about governors’ and staff efforts, and a determination to succeed.

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The leadership and management are good

 Achievement and progress for groups of pupils and individuals have been thoroughly scrutinised to identify where improvements are most needed. Where pupils have made slow progress in the past, extra support has been provided. All pupils have individual targets for improvement. Currently, no pupil is now making less than expected progress.  There is a robust system of appraisal to hold everyone to account. Targets have been set for all staff. These are appropriate and matched to the national Teachers’ Standards. They are not always sufficiently quantifiable, however, because they are not linked closely to the information regarding pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers in charge of subjects and areas of the school have action plans that are firmly based on the whole school’s plans for improving achievement. Leaders make frequent checks on how well their plans are working, and these show that they are rapidly improving teachers’ skills of accelerating the progress of pupils. For example, pupils’ growing ability to pick out key words is helping them to solve mathematics problems. Staff regularly examine pupils’ work to confirm the accuracy of each other’s assessments of the levels at which pupils are working.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils who have been absent, for example, through illness, are now helped to catch up when they return. Leaders recognise that not enough has been done to identify the gaps in knowledge and understanding of those pupils who join the school other than at the start of the Reception Year. These pupils’ capabilities are now measured on entry and they are supported to work alongside others of similar ability. As a result, they are making accelerated progress this year.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has supported the school through visits and extra resources to raise achievement as a result of concerns raised by governors. Although the school remains a high- risk school, the local authority is confident that the current leadership and management are having a marked impact on achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents are very supportive. The early morning club is valued by those parents who work. The vast majority responded to Parent View and responses were extremely positive. They have welcomed recent events to show them how to help their children at home with literacy and assessments.

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The leadership and management are good

 The range of subjects taught is broad and balanced. It is enriched by visits, music tuition, whole- school events and activities such as celebrating World Book Day.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body took urgent action to halt the decline of standards last year by appointing a new headteacher in October 2013. The make-up of the governing body has changed over the past year and the collective skill and experience of governors has been strengthened. Recent training of new members has raised the governing body’s ability to ask challenging questions. Governors now have a clear picture of the school’s strengths and areas for development in relation to other schools through regular reports on pupils’ progress and on teachers’ work. Governors have not yet made pay rises dependent on the progress of pupils. They are aware of the impact of additional funds, including that of the pupil premium and the primary sports funding.

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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 116677 Local authority Herefordshire Inspection number 442641

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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 49 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tony Phillips Headteacher Julie Jones Date of previous school inspection 11 March 2010 Telephone number 01600 750273 Fax number 01600 750605 Email address admin@garway.hereford.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 and 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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