Ewyas Harold Primary School

Ewyas Harold Primary School Ewyas Harold, Hereford, HR2 0EY

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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.  Strong leadership sets high expectation for staff and helps teachers to be at their most effective in the classroom.  Since the last inspection teaching has improved and is now good.  Pupils make good progress and standards are above average in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive the individual support they need to make good progress.  Pupils supported by extra funding make at least as good progress as other pupils in the school so that the attainment gap between these and other pupils is reducing.  Behaviour is good and pupils feel safe in school. The school helps pupils who might otherwise feel insecure or excluded to play a full part in school life.  There is a good variety of extra activities, including competitive sports to cater for a wide range of interests.  Good links with the adjacent pre-school helps

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

children to settle quickly into the Reception class.  Governance has improved significantly and governors now play an effective role in holding the school to account for the quality of education it provides.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils' creative development and investigative skills are not as well developed as their basic literacy and numeracy skills.  The curriculum does not do enough to improve pupils' understanding and appreciation of ethnic and cultural diversity in the wider society.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited all the classrooms and observed all the teachers teaching. He also heard pupils read and looked at the work in their books. Most of these activities were undertaken alongside senior leaders.  Meetings and discussions were held with Ewyas Harold staff, leaders based at Marlbrook school, groups of pupils, governors and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector took into account the 16 responses to the Parent View questionnaires that were available and comments by a number of parents spoken to around the school. The outcomes of the school’s own recent survey of parents’ views were also taken into account as were 28 staff questionnaire returns.  A range of documents were examined, including safeguarding policies and procedures, the school’s view of its own performance, lesson plans and records of the progress of past and current pupils.

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Inspection team

Peter Kerr, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Ewyas Harold is a smaller than the average sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. A very small proportion of pupils come from minority ethnic groups and very few speak English as an additional language.  The school currently supports a below-average proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs through school action. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average. In this school, this additional funding is allocated for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets current government floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school is part of a collaboration with Marlbrook Primary School but has its own governing body. The headteacher of Marlbrook is the executive headteacher of this school and another

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Information about this school

local school. The senior leadership team of Marlbrook provides the day-to-day management of this school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve support for pupils' creative development and investigation skills by:  making sure that lessons are planned to develop pupils' creative skills in every year group so that they become more accomplished in techniques as they progress through the school  encouraging pupils to express themselves creatively and explore and investigate as opportunities arise in different subjects, including mathematics and science.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen pupils' knowledge and appreciation of the makeup of the wider society in their country by:  linking together what pupils learn in subjects such as religion and history so that they gain an appreciation of how the diverse ethnic and religious groups that make up the wider British society came to be living in this country.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter Reception with broadly typical skills, knowledge and understanding for their age. They develop good personal and social skills and show high levels of independence. These aspects of their development help them to learn well in all other areas. This was illustrated during the inspection when every Reception children confidently presented their work on dinosaurs to the whole school and their parents during an assembly

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s results in the phonics (linking letters and sounds) screening check in 2013 showed that a lower than average proportion had high scores. The school has remedied this weakness by introducing a reading scheme to complement the regular phonics lessons. As a result, pupils' phonics skills have improved and pupils use these well when tackling new words in their reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment at the end of Year 2 (Key Stage 1) was above average in 2013 in reading, writing and mathematics. Attainment is above average for current Year 2 pupils and progress is good over Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress from Year 2 to Year 6 was broadly average overall in 2013, but slower in reading than in writing and mathematics. The school therefore introduced a new reading scheme that systematically develops reading skills. Current school data shows that this has had the intended effect of accelerating progress. Pupils have made more than expected progress from 2013 t0 2014 in most year group, and considerably more in some.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment is above average at the end of Year 6 (Key Stage 2). The most able pupils make good progress in English and mathematics and some achieve the higher level of attainment (Level 6). Pupils enjoy reading and read widely, and apply their literacy and numeracy skills well in other subjects. Progress is more rapid in Years 5 and 6 than in years 3 and 4.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in writing. The work in their books steadily improves over time. Their grammar, punctuation and spelling are good and they use increasingly adventurous words and sentences in their writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils learn well in mathematics because lessons build on what they already know and take their learning forward in clear achievable steps. The work in pupils' books shows that sometimes they move on too quickly from one aspect of mathematics to another when ideas have arisen that could usefully be investigated further.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils use their literacy and numeracy skills well in other subjects. They have good computer skills and use these confidently to support their learning. Pupils’ investigative skills are less well developed because they are not confident at exploring patterns in numbers and shapes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils produce attractive pieces of art work, but their skills in creative subjects are not developed as well as their literacy and numeracy skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because their tasks are set at the right level. Effective individualised support for the few pupils with the most significant needs, including behaviour, emotional and social difficulties, enables them to make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school uses its additional pupil premium funding well to provide wide-ranging support for those for whom it is intended. The school’s tracking shows that in most year groups, these pupils make the same or quicker progress than other pupils and at least the nationally expected progress each year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils whose first language is not English achieve well. They quickly settle in and learn the core skills of English because of appropriate support and soon begin to make good progress in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The specialised coaching and extended games activities purchased with the primary sports funding allocated to the school have led to increased enthusiasm among pupils for physical education and sport and improving skills. Pupils say they enjoy taking part in inter-school competitions and show pride in the trophies won by the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now good. This reflects senior leaders’ success in eradicating inadequate teaching and supporting all teachers to improve. Teaching is particularly good in Reception and in Years 5 and 6.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The Reception class is very well organised to stimulate the children’s interest and engage them in purposeful play. Teachers and teaching assistants work very effectively together to teach basic knowledge and skills and to support the children’s learning. Close links with the adjacent pre-school facilitate a smooth transition into Reception.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs has improved since the last inspection and is good. Input from specialists, such as the speech and language therapist employed by the school, helps to accurately identify pupils' specific needs. All staff supporting these pupils in school are well briefed on individual needs and targets and keep close track of their progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils consistently learn well in English and mathematics. Teachers have high expectations and plan lessons that systematically build on the pupils’ previous learning. The marking of pupils' work gives them clear guidance on exactly how they can improve their work. Particularly effective marking in Years 5 and 6 makes a strong contribution to pupils' increasingly good results in national tests in English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking and feedback to pupils, although very effective in some classes, lacks consistency across the school. Not all teachers provide clear enough advice for pupils about how to further improve their work In mathematics, this sometimes limits the time for pupils’ creative investigation, for example of the angles in the shapes they have drawn or made.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers encourage pupils to read as often as possible and to write as well as they can. Good teaching of phonics improves pupils' reading and spelling. Numeracy skills are taught systematically and pupils supported to use mathematics whenever possible in other subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Imaginative teaching brings learning alive in some history lessons. For example pupils in Years 5 and 6 learned about the impact of rationing in the Second World War when they baked using war-time recipes, and Year 2 pupils used different forms of evidence, such as photographs, newspapers and personal stories to build their own family histories after being inspired by the teacher’s example.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Links between history and what is taught in other lessons are not well developed. Pupils are taught about different religions in religious education lessons, for example but older pupils are not well informed about how different ethnic and religious groups came to be established in their country over time. This limits their understanding and appreciation of diversity in the wider society.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Art lessons enable pupils to use a range of media to produce two and three dimensional pieces of work, but key creative skills have not been taught systematically in the past so their achievements in this area are not as good as in their academic work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are friendly and well-mannered, enjoy good relationships with each other and the staff and are well prepared to move on to the secondary stage of their education.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons because they enjoy them. Their willingness to work hard helps them to achieve well. Lunch and play times are relaxed and friendly

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that behaviour in school is generally good. They say that when some children occasionally behave inappropriately in class, the teachers deal with it so that it does not slow their learning.

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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 and well cared for in school. They know about the dangers and risks that face them in their daily lives and how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Some parents and pupils expressed concerns to the inspector about bullying, but when these were discussed further it transpired that the events giving rise to them occurred before the appointment of the current management team. All the pupils and parents spoken to agreed that since the present headteacher was appointed, bullying has been dealt with effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils said they felt safe from bullying in school and confidently described different kinds of bullying, including on-line bullying. They knew the difference between this and falling out with friends.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils take on a range of responsibilities around the school, including representing their class on the school council. They are mature and responsible in the way they set about these tasks.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides very strong leadership which is appreciated by governors, staff and most parents. She leads an effective team that has brought stability and structure to the work of the school. The collaboration arrangements with Marlbrook allow the school to benefit from a wide range of expertise that would not otherwise be available.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior leadership team sets high expectations for the quality of teaching and provides appropriate support for teachers to meet them. Exchanges of staff between the collaborating schools help to spread expertise and provides extended professional development opportunities for all staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 A very small minority of parents expressed concerns about the fact that the headteacher was not on site all the time. This was not found to present any problems as the headteacher, like other leaders, is readily available if necessary. The delegation of responsibility for the on-site management of the school to the assistant headteacher is very effective.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good leadership of English and mathematics by subject specialists from the partner school has helped to raise the quality of teaching and the standards achieved by pupils through more thorough checking of pupils' progress and much more effective marking to show pupils exactly how to improve

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The leadership and management are good

 Good systems are in place to ensure that pupil premium funding is having the intended effect of accelerating progress for the targeted pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Equality of opportunity is strongly promoted. Good leadership and management of provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs ensures that they make good progress. Specialist support from the partner school also helps pupils with behaviour, emotional and social difficulties to cope better with school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The additional sport funding (provided to all primary schools) has been used well to improve health and wellbeing for all pupils. Pupils particularly like the superstars club which gives them opportunities to try a range of sporting activities.

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The leadership and management are good

 Arrangements for keeping pupils safe meet all current statutory requirements. School staff work very effectively with outside agencies to ensure that pupils who are most vulnerable receive a high level of support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided support to the school since the last inspection to re-organise the leadership and management structure in collaboration with its partner schools. It is of the view that school now has a stable and effective leadership and a good capacity to sustain improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance has improved markedly since the last inspection and is now good. Governors organise their work well to give optimum support to the school while at the same time challenging leaders to continue raising standards.  Governors are well informed about the progress pupils make in each class and how well the school is doing compared with others nationally. They make sure that the contribution of staff to raising pupils' achievements and improving the management of the school is linked to the pay they receive.  The budget is managed effectively and governors are aware of how the pupil premium is being spent to support eligible pupils’ progress and raise their attainment.  Governors keep themselves abreast of developments in the school through regular visits, increasingly using these to check the impact of school improvement initiatives.

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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 116674 Local authority Herefordshire Inspection number 442515

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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 113 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Diana Palmer Headteacher Tracey Kneale Date of previous school inspection 6 June 2013 Telephone number 01981 240432 Fax number 01981 240432 Email address admin@ewyas-harold.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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