Hulland CofE Primary School

Hulland CofE Primary School Firs Avenue, Hulland, Ashbourne, DE6 3FS

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 As a result of consistently good teaching, very few pupils make less than the nationally expected rate of progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Around a third make better than expected progress.  The proportion of pupils who go to secondary school with the standards expected for their age is better than in most schools.  Teachers and teaching assistants work very well together to ensure that learning activities are well matched to the wide range of needs in mixed-age classes.  Teachers’ thorough marking and feedback help pupils to make good progress.  Children in the Reception age group make good progress because they receive a well-planned curriculum within their mixed-age class.  Pupils in every class enjoy coming to school and they have exceptionally positive attitudes to work. Their behaviour is excellent and their attendance is above average.  Staff are rigorous in keeping pupils safe.  Pupils receive a carefully planned curriculum that

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

prepares them for life in modern Britain.  The curriculum makes a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school communicates very effectively with parents and encourages them to be partners in their children’s education. Parents are exceptionally supportive of the school.  The headteacher provides very strong leadership. Her high expectations for the quality of teaching are evident in her own classroom practice.  All teachers share responsibility for devising new ways of raising pupils’ achievement. The success of the improvements they have introduced in recent years shows that the school has a strong capacity to increase standards further.  The governors are very well organised and skilled in monitoring the performance of the school. They help staff to improve pupils’ achievement by providing appropriate support and challenge when it is required.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough pupils make progress at a better than expected rate in reading, writing and mathematics.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspector carried out 12 observations in lessons. One of these was made jointly with the headteacher.  During lesson observations, the inspector talked to pupils about their progress and their work in exercise books.  The inspector held a discussion with five members of the teaching staff while they analysed pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to the reading of pupils in Year 2.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher, the Chair of the Governing Body and two governors, a representative from the local authority and a group of pupils.  The inspector read documents relating to school self-evaluation, pupils’ progress, the monitoring of teaching, the performance management of staff, improvement planning and pupils’ behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  The inspector took account of the 30 responses to the online survey, Parent View, which is a return from two-thirds of the families with children at the school. He also spoke to seven parents while they were

p.2

Information about this inspection

bringing their children to school and took account of the 11 inspection questionnaires completed by members of staff.

p.2

Inspection team

John Rutherford, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This school is smaller than most primary schools nationally.  Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes, with up to four year groups in a class.  The school has an Early Years Foundation Stage which consists of one Reception group of children aged four to five years working in a mixed Reception and Year 1 class.  Almost all pupils are White British.  The number of pupils supported by the pupil premium is low. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in local authority care.  A smaller than average proportion of pupils require support from the school and external services because they are disabled or have special educational needs. The same is true for the number of pupils supported with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 The headteacher, staff and governing body should increase the number of pupils making progress at a better than expected rate in reading, writing and mathematics by:  setting targets for every class to accelerate pupils’ progress beyond the nationally expected rate  monitoring records of pupils’ progress on a regular basis and taking swift action to accelerate it for any pupils beginning to fall behind the target rate  focusing the school improvement plan more sharply on accelerating pupils’ progress and evaluating it by the extent to which it succeeds in this.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s leadership promotes excellent teamwork by the staff and a climate of very good relationships amongst all members of the school community. The staff who completed the inspection questionnaire are fully supportive of the headteacher and they are all proud to be members of the team.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides clear direction and guidance for securing high-quality teaching. She fully involves all teachers in improving teaching, which leads to consistency of effective practice across the school.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher sets challenging targets for staff to raise pupils’ attainment. She supports teachers well by observing their teaching and giving them constructive feedback on how they can improve further.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and governors have an accurate view of strengths and weaknesses in the school. In their school improvement plan, they identify appropriate actions for raising standards, but they do not sufficiently check the impact of these on accelerating pupils’ progress beyond the expected level.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 A broad and rich curriculum enables pupils to achieve well in a wide range of subjects, including art, singing, sports and dance.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Curriculum plans are sent to parents and they are encouraged to support their children’s learning. Parents who spoke to the inspector say how much they appreciate the good communication from the school and how easy they find it to talk to the headteacher and staff about any concerns.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The local authority regularly reviews the school’s performance and provides reports that are helpful to governors and staff when they are making their own judgements of their work.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is well organised to gather evidence about the school’s performance and to help the headteacher raise standards. When they see dips in pupils’ attainment, they check that these are tackled robustly. If a shortage of resources, such as modern computer equipment, is a barrier to learning, they support the school in putting this right. They are assisted by regular and full information from the headteacher.  The governing body ensures that performance management is used effectively to reward teaching or leadership that strongly improves pupils’ achievement.

p.4

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All parents and staff who completed inspection questionnaires agree that pupils’ behaviour and safety are exemplary. This is confirmed by inspection evidence and the school’s behaviour records.

p.4

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour at all times is exceptionally good. In lessons, pupils work very hard and persevere with challenging tasks. They always pay attention and are keen to contribute to class discussions. They work very well when not directly supervised by an adult. These attitudes contribute significantly to their good progress.

p.4

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. All required safeguarding arrangements are in place. Case studies show that the headteacher and staff are very quick to identify and report any signs of concern about childrens’ welfare. The headteacher is tenacious in ensuring that, where necessary, these concerns are investigated and acted upon without delay by the appropriate external services.

p.4

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 As a result of clear teaching, pupils know how to stay safe when using the internet or a mobile phone. They know not to keep it to themselves if they encounter anything that worries them.

p.4

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say they feel very safe from bullying and they understand how important it is to prevent physical and verbal abuse based on race, religion or disability.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is well organised to ensure that every pupil, regardless of their age or ability, is working on suitably challenging tasks for most of the time. Teachers and well-trained teaching assistants work with every group in turn to maintain a good pace of learning and to ensure that pupils are well prepared to tackle problems on their own.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers capture pupils’ interest and enthusiasm with exciting activities and lively, stimulating teaching; for example, using ‘play-dough disco’ to improve hand-eye coordination or using a ‘karate-chop’ method to find lines of symmetry.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers also motivate pupils to learn by planning a curriculum that includes rich first-hand experiences. These include visits to the places of worship of different religions in a nearby city and video links with a school in India. Pupils talk about how these experiences help them to understand the different cultures in modern British society and the importance of tolerance. Pupils also learn about their own religion and can discuss the meaning of phrases in the Bible, such as ‘Light of the World’. The curriculum, therefore, makes a strong contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are very thorough in the way they assess and record pupils’ work in English and mathematics. They ensure the accuracy of their assessments by checking them with teachers in other schools. This enables them to give pupils clear guidance on the standard they have reached and how to raise it further.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 While teachers are very clear about the standard at which pupils are working, they do not always systematically monitor pupils’ rates of progress to see whether some could move on to higher standards more quickly, particularly those who are more able.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Most parents who returned a school questionnaire and who spoke to the inspector agree that teaching is good, which is in line with the inspection evidence.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils start school with skills and knowledge broadly typical for their age. They make good progress in all classes and leave with standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are, overall, above average.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement in writing has not been as strong as that in other subjects. However, after introducing new teaching methods, writing is rapidly becoming one of the school’s strengths.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils improve their reading, writing and mathematical skills through work in many subjects; for example, when carrying out scientific investigations into the harmful effects of sweet drinks or when writing directions to travel around the ‘Fairyland’ they have created.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils with a statement of special educational needs make good progress because of the skilful way in which teachers and teaching assistants adapt their classrooms, resources and teaching in order to meet their needs.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 Less-able pupils accelerate their progress and attain similar standards to other pupils because teachers and teaching assistants give them well-planned additional support.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 A significant number of more-able pupils make progress at the nationally expected rate and achieve the standards predicted for them at the end of Key Stage 1. They are not being stretched sufficiently to accelerate their progress beyond the expected rate and achieve even higher standards. The number who do accelerate their progress beyond the expected rate is broadly in line with the national average, which is not sufficient for the school to meet its aspiration to be outstanding.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils supported by pupil premium funding make good progress and achieve standards that range from being in line with all pupils nationally to a year above. This is because the funding is used to provide them with support that improves their confidence and achievement.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ enthusiasm and skills in a wide range of sports is improving rapidly. This is because the government’s sports funding is used well to increase the use of specialist coaches, facilities and equipment and to give pupils many more opportunities to take part in inter-school competitions.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 All parents who completed the inspection questionnaire are happy with the progress their children are making . Their confidence in the school is supported by the inspection evidence.

p.6

The early years provision is good

 Reception children make good progress in their learning and development. They make particularly rapid progress in talking, using number, learning letters and sounds and writing. This is because teachers and teaching assistants work very well together to ensure that the learning needs of the Reception children are being met in a class that also contains Year 1 pupils.

p.6

The early years provision is good

 Staff make detailed records of children’s achievement based on their daily observations. They use these to plan activities that stretch the children’s learning and increase their progress.

p.6

The early years provision is good

 The staff have adapted the mixed-age classroom to ensure appropriately stimulating indoor and outdoor learning areas for the Reception children. These children, therefore, have the same opportunities as those in other Early Years settings, to learn by playing imaginatively, by choosing their own activities and by using large apparatus for construction, climbing and travelling.

p.6

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 failing

p.7

Grade Judgement Description

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 112831 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 448664

p.8

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.8

School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 58 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kath Brown Select Wendy Underwood Date of previous school inspection 6 May 2010 Telephone number 01335 370243 Fax number 01335 370243 Email address info@hulland.derbyshire.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9