Red Hill Field Primary School

Red Hill Field Primary School Copt Oak Road, Narborough, Leicester, LE19 3EF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Good 2

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 There has been insufficient drive from senior leaders and governors to effect crucial improvements in teaching and achievement. The pace of improvement has been very slow.  Teaching has failed to challenge pupils sufficiently. Staff have lacked access to crucial data relating to pupils’ progress and attainment.  Opportunities for the professional development of staff are too limited at all levels. The teaching of reading requires improvement.  Pupils’ progress in Years 1 to 6 is not yet good enough to raise their standards.  There is insufficient priority given to supporting the learning of the most-able pupils.  Provision for disadvantaged pupils is not fully effective and its impact is not monitored closely enough.

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The school has the following strengths

 The acting headteacher is taking rapid action to address weaknesses. She is beginning the drive to ensure improvement.  Following review, governors are better informed about pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching and are having more impact on improvement.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning, feel very safe and behave well.  Provision and progress of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have improved and are good.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in 21 lessons, four of which were seen jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors looked closely at pupils’ written work for both the current and the last school year, and they listened to pupils reading.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, and with the school’s senior and subject leaders.  Inspectors took account of the 20 responses to the staff questionnaire and the 44 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of school documents, including action plans and records of the school’s checks on the quality of teaching. They also considered minutes of governing body meetings and records relating to behaviour, attendance, safeguarding and the tracking of pupils’ progress.

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Inspection team

George Logan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Red Hill Field is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage attend full time.  Other than in Reception, all pupils are taught in mixed-age classes of pupils from two different year groups.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is about one in 12 of the pupils – slightly below the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is about one in every 40 pupils, and is well-below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible to free school meals and those who are looked after) is about one in every

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Information about this school

10 pupils and is well-below the national average.  Red Hill Field Primary School converted to become an academy on 1 March 2013. When its predecessor school of the same name was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  Although the school does not belong to any formal grouping of schools, it is a member of the Symphony Partnership. These are schools which work together on matters including curriculum and assessment.  The substantive headteacher resigned in April 2014. A new headteacher is due to take up post in January 2015. The current deputy headteacher is acting headteacher for the current term.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching by ensuring that:  teachers have higher expectations of what pupils can achieve and use the information available to set work that is consistently challenging, particularly for the most able  more opportunities are planned and provided for the professional development of all staff  teachers have the skills necessary to ensure better teaching of reading.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build upon pupils’ achievement across the school, so that standards are raised by ensuring that:  pupils make more rapid progress in Years 1 to 6  more effective provision is made to support the learning of the most-able pupils  the progress of disadvantaged pupils is effectively supported and closely monitored.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership, management and governance by ensuring that:  senior leaders have the skills to support teachers in improving the level of challenge demanded of pupils  all staff build greater confidence and understanding in using the recently implemented system showing data on pupils’ progress and attainment  school leaders and governors monitor and evaluate the impact of funds specifically designated to support the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The pace of school improvement has been slow. However, senior and subject leaders have a clear view of what they need to do to raise standards and are becoming increasingly empowered and effective in driving for improvement. Although many changes have been implemented recently, there has not yet been time for these to impact significantly on teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Little attention has been given to the monitoring and improving of teaching, or to ensuring that senior staff and subject leaders acquire the skills to help teachers to improve their practice. Consequently, teaching has not ensured pupils’ consistently good progress, particularly that of the most able.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Systems to manage teachers’ performance have not given staff sufficient opportunity to update their skills. Teachers’ targets have not linked closely enough to what pupils should achieve. Currently, leaders’ monitoring and evaluation of teaching are beginning to improve the professional practice of staff.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Staff have lacked sufficient information about pupils’ attainment and progress to enable them to make work challenging for all pupils. An informative data system, accessible to teaching staff to provide information on pupils’ performance, has been introduced. Staff are beginning to use this information effectively when planning learning activities. By contrast, effective use of data in the Early Years Foundation Stage has contributed to better teaching and achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The deployment of funding to accelerate the progress of disadvantaged pupils has not had the impact intended to improve these pupils’ attainment and progress. Close evaluation of the additional spending is lacking. Procedures are currently changing, and leaders understand how to ensure full equality of opportunity for all pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s most recent self-evaluation is broadly accurate. The improvement plan is firmly focused on appropriate priorities – especially to improve teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders are effective in promoting pupils’ personal and social development. They ensure that pupils are kept safe and behave well. Safeguarding requirements are met.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are being well prepared for the diversity of life and responsibility in modern British democratic society.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 There is a strong culture of teamwork across the school. Staff are committed to working with leaders to improve pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have reviewed the structure and content of the new curriculum. However, limited evidence was available of pupils’ work in subjects other than literacy and numeracy. The school has established clear direction for the introduction of a modified assessment system to replace National Curriculum levels as these are phased out.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Activities funded through the primary sport funding have increased pupils’ participation in swimming and sports clubs. Targeted staff training is ensuring that these initiatives are sustainable. The range of other clubs and activities is not extensive.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Although there is no formal connection to a wider support network, the school works in partnership with other local primary schools on aspects of assessment and curriculum development and has close links with the neighbouring secondary school. There are good links with parents and carers.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a strong commitment to the school. Following extensive review, retraining, and with skilled new members, they are better challenging leaders to account for the school’s performance. They are contributing more directly to improving the school. Governors know how the school’s performance compares with that of schools nationally because they understand the data on pupils’ attainment and progress and, currently, analyse and interpret it accurately. They successfully promote good relationships across the school and require staff to ensure pupils’ good behaviour. They understand teaching has weaknesses and are driving for improvement. They ensure that pay and promotion broadly reflect individual teachers’ effectiveness and systems for managing teachers’ performance are working better. Governors are fully committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and to tackling discrimination.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

However, their evaluation of the impact of additional funding to close gaps in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and that of others has lacked the detailed information necessary to make accurate judgements. They have taken steps to make themselves better informed on this issue. They ensure, along with senior leaders, that statutory duties are met, including those for the safeguarding of pupils.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are unfailingly courteous and display positive attitudes to learning, even when the teaching fails to offer much challenge. When the teaching is more inspiring, they engage enthusiastically.

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Behaviour

 Pupils responsibly undertake duties around the school. They contribute well to the smooth running of the school community.

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Behaviour

 Inappropriate behaviour is rare. There have been no recent exclusions. Behaviour is effectively managed and positive relationships underpin good behaviour.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ attendance is above the national average. Pupils appreciate that frequent attendance is important.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Leaders make sure that access to the school is secure and staff are closely checked prior to appointment. Safeguarding arrangements meet national requirements.

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Safety

 Pupils feel very safe in school. They are certain that adults will deal with any personal difficulties that arise.

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Safety

 Pupils recognise that risks exist. Older pupils, for example, recognise the potential dangers of cyber bullying and how they could protect themselves.

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Safety

 Parents and carers have few concerns about the school’s response to bullying. Pupils are aware that bullying may take various forms, but say that these are not issues in their school. ‘Friends against bullying’, organised by the pupils, provides a listening ear for anyone who feels threatened.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers’ expectations and the learning challenge presented to pupils vary too much across the school. Consequently, the impact of teaching on learning and achievement are not good, including in reading, literacy and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers often direct pupils of different ages and abilities to the same task at the same point. Teachers have not, until recently, had sufficiently detailed knowledge of data relating to pupils’ progress and attainment to support their planning of learning. Consequently, tasks are not consistently effective in maintaining a good challenge to all pupils so their learning moves on.  A lack of focus on the improvement of teaching and limited professional development opportunities have together contributed to teachers’ underperformance. The consequence has been that pupils have not made consistently good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is limited provision for most-able pupils and they are rarely identified in what teachers do in lessons. The lack of challenge in teaching has a particular impact on this group. Currently, they are supported best in Year 6, where they have the opportunity to attempt Level 6 work in mathematics. However, even this provision is not consistently good.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff support for the achievement of disadvantaged pupils has not been sufficiently well organised. These pupils are not a focus in teachers’ planning of learning or what is done in lessons. Consequently, they have not made consistently good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although there is some focus on reading, there are missed opportunities to develop pupils’ reading skills, their understanding of vocabulary and their comprehension. Consequently, pupils do not all read accurately, fluently and with good understanding. There is insufficient monitoring of reading books and records to ensure that pupils have access to sufficiently challenging texts.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in Key Stage 1 is not building effectively upon the well-developed literacy skills children gain in Reception. Achievement in literacy slows in Key Stage 1 and is not strong in Key Stage 2. There is similar limited challenge in mathematics for all abilities, including the most able, so progress is not good in the subject.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Systems for checking and improving pupils’ progress are improving. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly. Specific points for improvement are identified and both staff and pupils follow these up, as pupils increasingly respond better to teachers’ guidance in marked work. Guidance to pupils in how to assess their own work is helping them to achieve more. There is a greater focus on improving pupils’ written work, which is having positive effect on standards.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Learning support staff are mostly helpful in supporting small groups and individuals, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some teaching is providing greater challenge. For example, in a Year 3/4 mathematics lesson, pupils were developing skills in tackling problems presented in words. The activities took some account of pupils’ ages and prior learning. Staff were deployed appropriately to accelerate learning. There was effective questioning to establish pupils’ understanding and extend their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The school has a consistent approach to the setting of homework and both parents and pupils feel that this provides some challenge.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress is not good in Key Stages 1 and 2. In 2014, the majority of pupils left both Year 2 and Year 6 with attainment in reading, writing and mathematics broadly in line with the latest national averages.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Year 2 pupils made the nationally expected rate of progress across Key Stage 1. Year 6 pupils made slightly better progress in Key Stage 2 than their peers in Year 2, but it was still only marginally better than what is expected nationally. Standards in writing dipped in both key stages in 2014. Progress is more rapid in Year 6 than elsewhere.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The proportion of pupils reaching the nationally expected level in the Year 1 screening check of phonics (the linking of sounds and letters) was very slightly above the latest national average in 2014. This result reflects recent improvements in the teaching of phonics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most-able pupils do not consistently attain the higher levels that they should in both key stages. They do not maintain the good rate of progress they make in Reception in literacy and number. Although examples of good practice were observed during the inspection which better engaged and challenged the abilities of the most able, such practice is not consistent across the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, there were deficits between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others in the school in both Years 2 and 6. The gap between the attainment in English and mathematics of disadvantaged Year 6 pupils and others in the school was approximately four terms. A similar gap applied between disadvantaged pupils and all pupils nationally. School data show that these disadvantaged pupils made better progress than others because of low starting points. In Years 3 and 5, disadvantaged pupils attained at higher levels than others, as shown in school performance data. However, there are weaknesses in the targeting of provision for these pupils and in monitoring its impact.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are accurately identified. They mostly receive appropriate support. In general, they make broadly similar progress to that of other pupils.

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The early years provision is good

 Early years provision has improved because of effective leadership. The coordinator ensures that Reception children are helped to make good progress and achieve well. More rigorous assessment and careful targeting of the most-able children in particular ensure that standards have risen to exceed those in the main school.

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The early years provision is good

 Most children enter Reception with skills close to those typical for their age. Good teaching has ensured that children’s attainment on leaving Reception has risen steadily. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development in 2014 was above the latest national average. Consequently, children are well prepared for entry to Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 The school constantly reviews the curriculum to ensure that children are challenged to achieve well, including those who have special educational needs. Improvements in outdoor learning provide richer learning opportunities.

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The early years provision is good

 Children are self-sufficient when selecting resources and settling down to activities. They are cooperative and gain positive attitudes to learning which they take forward into Year 1 and beyond.

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The early years provision is good

 Staff work very closely to ensure that Reception children are safe and well looked after. Good links are established with parents and carers, who have a positive involvement with the school and regularly attend presentations and meetings with staff.

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The early years provision is good

 Assessment procedures have greatly improved. The staff know individual children well. Current assessment data provide accurate information about children’s developmental needs.

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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 failing

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 139344 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 449257

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 296 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anne Senior Headteacher Kate Stead (Acting Headteacher) Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0116 2841500 Fax number 0116 2841500 Email address office@redhill.leics.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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