Holt Community Primary School

Holt Community Primary School Norwich Road, Holt, NR25 6SG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  The headteacher, staff and governors make good use of pupil performance data to improve teaching and learning therefore achievement is quickly and securely improving.  Achievement in writing has improved considerably. Pupils write creative pieces and use grammar and punctuation accurately.  Phonics (the sounds letters make) is taught well and pupils make good progress when learning to read in Reception and Year 1.  Behaviour is good. Pupils enjoy learning and are often excited in lessons. They feel safe in school and have excellent relationships with each other and their teachers.  Attendance has improved significantly; this has helped improve the progress pupils make.  Interesting topics are taught and pupils experience many varied school trips to extend their learning. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.  Pupils enjoy plentiful opportunities to be

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

involved in competitive sport. A very high number attend an extensive range of after school clubs.  The headteacher actively seeks new partnerships to help improve achievement. Work with local pre-schools has been very successful.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Marking and feedback does not always show pupils how to improve. When targets are given pupils are not usually given time to make their work better.  Pupils in Key Stage 2 do not spell accurately.  Not all teachers insist on high standards of presentation in pupils’ written work.  In mathematics pupils are not always given work to help them reach the higher levels.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all classes. Half of the observations were conducted with the headteacher. Inspectors also observed an assembly.  Inspectors visited all classes as part of a ‘World Cup’ learning together day.  An inspector listened to pupils read in Year 1 and Year 6.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, subject leaders, a group of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and six other governors; a representative of the local authority was spoken to on the telephone.  The 20 responses to the online survey, Parent View, were considered, together with a small number of letters from parents. 20 responses to the staff questionnaire were also considered.  The inspector and the headteacher looked at the work in pupils’ books as well as their work displayed in all classrooms.  A number of documents were examined, including: the school’s evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses; improvement plans; records of meetings of the governing body; safeguarding files;

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Information about this inspection

data on pupils’ current progress and information on the management of teachers’ performance and the monitoring of teaching.

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Inspection team

Emily Simpson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Isobel Randall Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average primary school.  Pupils are taught in single age classes except Year 4 who are taught in two classes.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action or school action plus are broadly average. No pupils currently on roll have a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils’ known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or in local authority care, is above average.  In 2013, the school met the government’s floor standards. (Floor standards are the government’s current minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.)  The headteacher has been in post since September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding in order to improve achievement, especially in mathematics, by:  ensuring teachers’ marking makes it clear to pupils how to improve their work and time is provided for them to make their work better  providing opportunities for pupils to complete harder mathematical investigations  improving the presentation of pupils’ work so it is of a consistently high standard in every class.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ spelling, especially in Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children begin school in Reception with skills well below those typically found for their age, especially in speech and language. In the past pupils have made good progress in Reception but still started Year 1 with skills below those typical for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school is focusing on improving speech and language in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Good partnerships have been formed with local pre-schools to support speech and language development before children begin school. This has helped children make faster progress in Reception. This year the percentage of children who have reached a good level of development is the same as the 2013 national figure. This is a significant improvement for the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress is good in Key Stage 1. Provisional results for 2014 show attainment in reading, writing and mathematics are in line with 2013 national averages. From pupils’ low starting points this represents very good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the past the number of Year 1 pupils who met the expected level in the phonics screening check was low. A systematic system for teaching phonics has been introduced and teachers and teaching assistants have received good training to help them teach this important element of early reading. 2014 data shows a higher percentage than the 2013 national average has met the expected standard.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Key Stage 2 results dipped in 2013, especially in writing. Leaders made very effective use of data to analyse the reasons behind this and made changes to the curriculum and teaching to improve results. Pupils’ writing has improved significantly this year and school data shows all pupils in the current Year 6 have made expected progress and a large number have made more than expected progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils or those with special educational needs make good progress. They receive good support from intervention programmes to help them catch up with gaps in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Basic mathematic skills are taught well in all classes. Progress is slightly slower in mathematics as pupils are not always given hard enough work to push them on to the higher levels.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 School information about how well pupils are doing in each year group, verified by looking at the work in pupils’ books, shows that most pupils make good progress. Progress has been slower in Year 4 but excellent teaching in Year 6 enables pupils to catch up.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils supported by the pupil premium attained low results in 2013 in writing. Their attainment in mathematics and reading was in line with similar groups nationally. Many of these pupils were frequently absent from school and had significant gaps in their learning. Good use has been made of the pupil premium funding this year to include providing a weekly visiting poet to write with pupils and after school and holiday writing clubs. This group of pupils have been inspired to work hard to improve their writing and are now making good progress; they now attain levels in line with their classmates.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are very motivated to learn because teachers plan topics that are interesting and provide many opportunities to develop basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. This has helped pupils make faster progress in developing their basic skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use strategies that make very good use of computing skills and develop enquiring minds in pupils. In a Year 3 topic about the Celts, pupils ‘found’ artefacts in the school grounds and had a conversation via Skype with a Professor at Bristol University to find out what questions they needed to ask to help them find out if the artefacts were authentic. All pupils thoroughly enjoyed this activity whilst developing excellent skills in historical research and computing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good in Reception. Teachers form excellent links with parents and learning at home is frequently recorded in children’s learning journals. Parents frequently attend ‘story cafes’ in Reception; these help develop parents’ skills at asking their children questions when sharing books. Improved partnerships between school and home have helped children make better progress in their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Excellent relationships exist between pupils and their teachers. Teachers ask questions that encourage pupils of all abilities to think carefully about what they are learning and this helps them make good progress in lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Homework is used very well in Year 6 to develop pupils’ research skills, curiosity and knowledge of their local environment. The ongoing nature research project is enjoyed by the pupils and presented to an exceptionally high standard.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants work closely with teachers to support pupils who need extra help with learning. They encourage pupils to work by themselves and provide good support when it is needed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers work very well as a team to plan whole school activities. Each class spent two weeks researching a country playing in the World Cup. Pupils spent half a day visiting all the other classes in the school learning about the cultures, traditions, food and environment of different countries. Pupils enjoyed preparing for this event and explaining what they had learnt to each other. They also enjoyed visiting the other classes acquiring knowledge about a range of countries.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good use of assessment information to adapt their teaching and ensure it helps fill gaps in learning. This has been particularly effective in improving pupils’ writing including their use of grammar and punctuation. It has not led to improvements in the accuracy of pupils’ spelling in Key Stage 2.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school has recently introduced a new marking policy. All teachers identify key strengths in pupils’ work, especially in writing but they do not all show pupils how to make their work better. Pupils say they are not given time in lessons to make their work better.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are eager to learn and keen to discuss their learning. Pupils are proud to share their work with each other, their teachers and visitors. They are proud that their written work is celebrated by being displayed on walls throughout the school. Displays are frequently changed and help pupils see the progress they are making.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils settle quickly to work in lessons because they find it interesting and enjoy finding out new information and developing new skills. In Year 1 pupils worked busily and accurately as they made sushi as part of a study of Japan.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are confident that all adults in school will help them should they fall out with their friends. They are confident that friendship issues are resolved quickly and happily.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All policies are kept up to date and pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe when out and about or when using computers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Last year attendance was very low and a large number of pupils were frequently absent from school. This limited their progress. The school has tackled attendance very successfully. A combination of positive weekly rewards including the class attendance owl and an individual prize draw for full attendance together with emphasizing to parents the critical importance of high attendance linked to pupils’ future prospects have helped. Ultimately, when asked why pupils come to school more now one boy explained ‘we come to school now because it’s fun!’ Attendance is now above the national average and achievement is rapidly improving because pupils are in school to learn.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The presentation of pupils work is variable. In Year 6 books are exemplary, pupils show true pride in their work by completing work in all subjects, including homework, of an exceptionally high standard. In some younger classes books are untidy because teachers do not encourage neat presentation.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has established an effective team approach to school improvement; everybody shares the aim that the school’s curriculum and teaching should inspire high ambition and aspiration in pupils. Responses to the staff questionnaire show morale is high.

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The leadership and management are good

 Successful initiatives to improve attendance together with improvements in achievement show the school has the capacity to secure further improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 School improvement planning is based on an accurate evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders, including governors, contribute to writing and monitoring plans. Plans are linked to targets set as part of teacher’s performance management so there is shared responsibility for improving the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher signed up to join the local authority ‘Norfolk to Good and Great’ scheme. Support has been good in helping subject leaders develop their skills of analysing pupils’ work and writing plans for further improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The special educational needs co-ordinator makes sure that programmes to help pupils catch up are well judged and well evaluated. As a result disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has formed an informal partnership with several local schools to help improve leadership, teaching and achievement. Teachers and governors speak favourably about the impact these partnerships are having. They have particularly helped teachers with assessing pupils’ work more accurately.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good use of the primary sports funding allocated as part of the Olympic legacy. It is used to provide training for teachers so they can teach higher quality physical education (PE). In addition it is used to improve pupils’ access to competitive sporting events. Achievement in PE is good, pupils enjoy sport and a high percentage of pupils now attend additional after school sports clubs.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is a significant strength of the school. Pupils experience a vast range of educational visits to support their learning. The school makes good use of some of its pupil premium funding to pay for transport for these visits. These visits are well integrated into class work, especially in writing, and help pupils make good progress because they have enjoyed the initial activity. This helps contribute to pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are provided with good information by the headteacher and subject leaders about how well different groups of pupils are doing. Governors use this information well to make spending decisions aimed at improving achievement; this includes the allocation of pupil premium and sports funding. They ask searching questions to make sure achievement is improving and come in to school to check the quality of teaching. The pay policy has been reviewed to reflect that teachers’ pay is linked to pupil achievement. They are committed to the ideal that all pupils should have the same opportunity to be successful so ensure that spending and curriculum decisions are improving opportunities for all groups of pupils, this includes checking the impact of educational visits and extra curricular clubs and sports.

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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 120821 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 443846

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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 182 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kate Price Headteacher Simon Walters Date of previous school inspection 9 December 2010 Telephone number 01263 713107 Fax number 01263 711039 Email address office@holt.norfolk.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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