Forres Primary School

Forres Primary School Stanstead Road, Hoddesdon, EN11 0RW

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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 make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching is typically good. Teachers plan lessons well so that pupils are interested in their work and are keen to learn.  Excellent help and guidance for pupils who have special educational needs or need other specialised support ensures they progress very well and are able to take a full part in activities with their classmates.  Pupils say they feel very safe. They have positive attitudes and enjoy coming to school. They behave well and are polite and respectful in lessons and around the school.  The school makes good use of its grounds and specialist sports coaches to encourage activities which support a healthy lifestyle.  Leaders have been effective in raising the rates of progress pupils make. The headteacher and the other leaders work closely together to improve the quality of teaching.  Governors are well informed and play an

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

effective role in ensuring that the school continues to improve. In meetings, they ask challenging questions to hold the school’s leaders to account.  Pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural education underpins high standards of personal development. It is supported by close links with families and the local community.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Until recently, progress in mathematics, particularly for the most able pupils, has not been as strong as in reading and writing.  The most able pupils are sometimes given work which is too easy.  Marking does not always give pupils clear guidance about how to improve their work.  Teachers do not always encourage good reading habits effectively in school or at home.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in 17 lessons taught by 12 teachers, of which four were observed jointly with the headteacher or assistant headteacher. In addition, inspectors made a number of other short visits to lessons and other learning activities. Inspectors also watched an assembly, lunchtime and playtimes, as well as watching how pupils arrived at and left school. They visited the Breakfast Club and also looked at the provision for children with special educational needs or in need of pastoral care including the ‘Lilac Room’ and ‘The Den’.  Discussions were held with pupils, parents, teaching and other staff, school leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors observed the school at work and considered a range of documentation. This included data on pupils’ progress and attainment, and future projections based on the school’s analysis of pupils’ progress, school improvement planning and the school’s procedures to enable

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Information about this inspection

it to gain an accurate view of its performance. In addition, the inspectors looked at minutes of governing body meetings and documentation relating to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  The inspectors looked at the work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read.  The inspectors took account of the 36 responses to the online survey Parent View and the 33 responses to the staff questionnaire. Inspectors also obtained the views of more than 20 parents bringing their children in to different classes in the school.

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Inspection team

St.John Burkett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jacqueline Pentlow Additional Inspector Gillian Walley Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils at the school are of White British heritage. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is well above the national average for primary schools, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils who attend the school with high-level or complex needs, including autism, is above that generally found in mainstream primary schools. The school makes additional provision available including the ‘Lilac Room’ and ‘The Den’ and is a lead school for DSPL (Developing Special Provision Locally), for which the headteacher chairs the management group.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, additional funding provided for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are in local authority care, is above

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Information about this school

average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school is a member of HABS (Hoddesdon and Broxbourne Settings) who work together as a group of local schools.  Following the last inspection, the school worked with a local outstanding school, Broxbourne Primary, and its headteacher, who is a National Leader of Education.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching, particularly in mathematics and reading, by:  setting work in lessons that is appropriately difficult and challenging for the most able pupils  ensuring that teachers’ marking and feedback give pupils consistently high-quality advice about how to improve their work  making sure that pupils have understood and acted upon the advice teachers give them when they mark pupils’ work  encouraging pupils to develop good reading habits in school and with their parents at home.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s data show that no matter what their individual starting points, all groups of pupils make good progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children typically start in the Reception class with skills below, and sometimes well below, those expected for their age. Due to good teaching in the attractive and well-resourced classrooms and play area, they make good progress in all areas of learning and by the end of the Reception Year, standards are closer average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1. Although Year 2 attainment was below average in 2013, it is currently in line with the national average, according to the school’s data.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results from the national Year 1 screening check in phonics (letters and the sounds they make) over the last two years show that the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard has been rising. It was below the national average last year, but is on track to be above average at the next check. In lessons seen by inspectors during the inspection, the younger pupils were generally using their phonic skills well in their reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement in Key Stage 2 has improved over the last two years. The Year 6 national test results for 2013 show a significant improvement in the proportion of pupils making expected or better progress in reading and writing, and the school’s own data show achievement in mathematics is now good. Evidence seen during the inspection indicates that a high proportion of pupils are making at least good progress, with some making exceptional progress. More-able pupils also make good progress, although sometimes this could be even faster if their work was adjusted to be more challenging for them more often.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Tests taken by Year 6 pupils in 2013 showed that progress in mathematics was below average because not enough more-able pupils made the progress expected and few attained the higher levels. The school has trained teachers and changed the way they plan and set work to improve the speed with which more-able pupils make progress in mathematics. Current data show that pupils are now making much faster progress, in line with that in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils have good attitudes and want to learn. This contributes well to the good progress they make.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in reading are above average. Pupils of all ages are competent readers and enjoy reading a wide range of books. However, some pupils do not readily use the skills they have been taught in phonics to read difficult words, and some do not have clear enough guidance to develop good reading habits so that they are able to discuss what they have read in more detail. Pupils’ home reading records indicate they do not read frequently at home.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational or complex needs, including autism, are very well supported and make outstanding progress because of the support provided for them. The school takes care to treat every child individually in meeting the needs they have in order to learn well, and has a pride in ensuring that pupils are able to work equally alongside their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupil premium funding has been used carefully to support eligible pupils, who make progress which is similar to or above that of other pupils. Consequently the gap between their attainment and that of their classmates is closing. In 2013 the standards of eligible Year 6 pupils were broadly in line with their peers in reading and writing, but six months behind in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The very good use which is made of the primary schools sports funding enables pupils to take part in activities which are new to them, and to develop skills which complement other areas of the curriculum. As a result, standards in physical education are rising rapidly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because staff create a purposeful learning environment in which pupils are able to progress well in their work. There are good relationships between teachers, teaching assistants and pupils. Adults treat pupils with respect and are interested in what they have to say. As a result, pupils are actively engaged in lessons and know that teachers are keen to hear their views and ideas. They want to learn well and respond readily to tasks with interest and enthusiasm.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Children in the Reception classes thrive in a stimulating environment and pursue a wide choice of activities. They work cooperatively, engaging well in reading and developing language skills. For example, in the attractive outdoor area, four boys were sharing a book on phonics, making the sounds and associated actions without an adult present.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers show good subject knowledge. They are developing their skills in a range of areas. They now teach mathematics with confidence, asking probing questions to check pupils’ understanding and to challenge them to think more deeply about what they are learning. For example, in one Year 5 and Year 6 lesson, the teacher asked, ‘What is the probability of spinning a prime number using a six-sided spinner?’ and carefully questioned the class to draw out the answer and develop their understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is typically good across all subjects and in all year groups. Opportunities are taken to teach key skills through other subjects. For example, at each of the school’s sporting events, a school ‘journalist’ is on hand to write up a report.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils understand clearly what they are learning because teachers explain it well, and they are developing their ability to gauge the quality of their own work. In one Year 1 and Year 2 lesson, the teacher had created a map on the playground with a rope coastline and sand beaches. Pupils then recreated their own maps and keys, and carefully discussed each other’s ideas.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants work well with pupils of all ages. They are particularly effective in making pupils think hard through careful questioning, enabling them to understand the next steps in their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school takes a pride in the way it teaches pupils with special educational and complex needs, including autism, and particularly in the way all pupils cooperate closely and develop the ability to learn without constant adult help. As a result of well-targeted planning, these pupils make good and sometimes exceptional progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ work is marked regularly. Some comments are very effective in helping pupils to understand how they can improve their work. Marking and verbal feedback in the Reception classes are particularly helpful because they are very clear about what children are learning and what they need to do next. Although marking in the older age groups follows the school policy, it does not provide enough clear guidance to pupils on the steps they need to take to improve their work and, consequently, sometimes pupils do not respond to the marking by making changes.  Teachers do not always plan additional or different work to challenge the more-able pupils to do as well as they can in every lesson. As a result, sometimes tasks are too easy for them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They conduct themselves well and in an often exemplary manner in lessons and around the school, for example when going into assembly or leaving a classroom. They like and trust their teachers, and a frequent response was that teachers ‘make learning fun’. Consequently, pupils are polite and respectful to adults and to each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils consistently work hard in lessons, respond quickly to teachers’ instructions, work well with each other and are friendly and helpful. They are enthusiastic to learn, and teachers are becoming increasingly skilful at setting work to challenge pupils’ thinking and develop their learning, further engaging them within their lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that they get on well together. They say that lessons are rarely interrupted by poor behaviour, that behaviour at breaktimes is good, and that the caring attitude of staff contributes strongly to their experience of school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have very good access to play equipment and organised games at playtimes and lunchtimes, and the system of play leaders contributes well to happy playtimes. Adults spoken to said the good behaviour seen by inspectors is typical.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils, parents and governors all remarked positively on the caring and positive nature of the school and the approachability of staff, which enables any issues which arise to be readily sorted out. The large majority of parents who responded to the online questionnaire said that behaviour was good.

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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 feel safe at school and the vast majority of parents responding to the online survey agree. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. This is because the school includes issues about safety in its teaching. Consequently, pupils are aware of the various types of safety.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know of the differing forms bullying might take, such as cyber-bullying, and know that staff will deal with any difficulties they may face.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils develop a strong sense of responsibility, which is reflected in their roles as peer mediators and ‘buddies’ for younger pupils, as well as in the work of the school council. They raise funds for local and national charities.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school works closely with parents to make sure their children attend school regularly and are punctual. As a result, attendance has risen steadily over each of the last four years and is above average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, supported by other leaders and staff, has successfully driven improvement in teaching and achievement since the last inspection. Together, they have created a harmonious and welcoming environment and improved achievement and teaching.  The headteacher and assistant headteacher provide a strong team who are moving the school forward. Subject and other leaders are becoming increasingly effective in ensuring that a rising proportion of pupils are exceeding nationally expected progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 All leaders undertake checks on the quality of teaching and learning, and therefore they have an accurate view about what the school does well. Teachers work closely together to improve the way they teach. For example, following training, mathematics is taught across the school with greater confidence and effectiveness. Consequently, pupils are making improving progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s own assessment information and checks on test results provide accurate information about how well pupils are doing from when they join the school to when they leave. As a result, leaders are able to give immediate support to those falling behind. Regular reviews indicate that pupils’ progress is accelerating across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school provides a broad range of subjects that meet the interest of pupils. Appropriate emphasis has been given to developing pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills across different subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 There is a good range of clubs, visits and visitors, and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. The school’s international focus, including links with Nepal, provides an extra element to interest pupils. The school has achieved the British Council International School Award for outstanding development of the international dimension in the curriculum.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is using the primary sport funding to support a range of initiatives that are designed to increase pupils’ involvement in sport. These include working with specialists to improve pupils’ and teachers’ skills in physical education activities. Pupils enjoy a wide range of after-school sporting activities and their participation rate is high.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority supports the school well, and this has led to improvements in the quality of teaching. At the request of the school, it has provided a range of support to develop the skills of subject leaders and to improve the quality of mathematics across the school. It also arranged a successful link with an outstanding primary school and National Leader of Education, which has enabled the school to try out new ideas and make further improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school shows parents how to help their children’s learning at home by putting on workshops. Leaders take careful account of the times of day these run, so as to allow as many parents as possible to attend. However, pupils’ reading diaries are infrequently used by parents to demonstrate pupils have read at home.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has a good knowledge of the school’s strengths and improvement priorities. It is well informed about the quality of teaching and pupils’ performance through governors’ own monitoring visits and reports from the headteacher and the local authority improvement partner. Governors understand data about pupils’ achievement and know how the school’s results compare with other schools locally and nationally.  The governing body is well trained and has a clear understanding of the system for managing staff performance, which it is seeking to make even more effective. Governors are involved in setting targets for the headteacher and are also fully aware that teachers’ pay awards are securely linked to their performance and the progress that pupils make.  The school administrator keeps the governing body well informed of the state of the school finances, which they carefully check, including the pupil premium and sports funding, how

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The leadership and management are good

these are used to provide additional teaching and resources for pupils and how well pupils’ achievement improves as a result.  Governors ensure that the procedures for safeguarding pupils meet statutory 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 117284 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 442022

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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 301 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Charlotte Marson Headteacher Susan Camp Date of previous school inspection November 2012 Telephone number 01992 467821 Email address admin@forres.herts.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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