Homefield VC CofE Primary School

Homefield VC CofE Primary School Homefield Avenue, Bradwell, Great Yarmouth, NR31 8NS

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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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school is good and rapidly improving because of the outstanding leadership of the headteacher and the very positive culture he has created. This is reflected in the pupils’ excellent attitudes towards learning.  The headteacher has excellent relationships with parents, who talk very positively about how much they appreciate the way the school looks after their children and helps them learn.  The school ensures pupils’ safety exceptionally well and also promotes outstanding behaviour and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Attainment is rising steadily at the end of both key stages. The school’s data show that pupils who left Year 6 last year made good progress in reading and mathematics from their levels at the end of Year 2. Work in books supports this picture and the current pupils are also making better than expected progress.  The school’s provision for pupils who need extra emotional or social support is very strong. The

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

‘nurture’ staff have a very positive impact on some of the most vulnerable pupils’ lives.  Teaching is consistently good. Leaders and governors have improved the quality of teaching through the robust use of appraisal systems and training. This has had a positive impact on pupils’ achievement.  Staff with leadership roles play a full part in promoting the school’s values and in spreading good practice. All adults at the school are proud of their involvement and support the direction the school is taking.  The governing body has improved rapidly as a result of changes made to the way it is constituted. Governors are very knowledgeable and rigorously hold leaders to account. Their skills are used well in supporting and challenging the work of the school.  The Nursery and Reception classes currently provide children with a good start to their school lives. The range of activities provided for them, with a focus on their social and emotional development,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

prepare them well for their future schooling.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils throughout the school do not have enough opportunities to write at length for different purposes using different styles, at age appropriate levels.  Teachers do not always plan sufficiently challenging tasks for the most able pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in 12 lessons or parts of lessons. A number of lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings and discussions took place with the headteacher, a representative from the local authority, members of the governing body, staff, pupils and parents.  Samples of pupils’ work were examined, some with the headteacher present, and pupils read to the inspectors.  Inspectors took into account the 41 responses to the online parent survey, Parent View. The inspectors also talked to parents outside school and took account of the 26 questionnaires completed by staff.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents produced by the school, including data on pupils’ progress and attainment, procedures for safeguarding, the school’s own evaluations of its work, reports to the governing body and minutes of their meetings, and the action plans for raising attainment.

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Inspection team

Geof Timms, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Homefield CE VC Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British. There are very few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported by school action and school action plus is above average at around 12% of the pupils. The proportion with a statement of special educational needs is slightly below average at around 4%.  A below-average proportion of pupils, around 10%, are supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The headteacher was appointed in January 2012. There have been a number of other staffing changes

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Information about this school

recently including some senior leaders.  The school has a Nursery class, which most children attend on a part-time basis.  The school runs a breakfast and after school club for pupils whose parents are working.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide more opportunities for pupils to write for different purposes and in different styles to improve the content of their writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all lessons provide appropriately challenging activities for the most-able pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership and management are good because all leaders are having a positive impact on improving the quality of teaching and raising attainment. They are careful to do this without damaging the school’s excellent strengths in the way it cares for pupils and nurtures those who are more vulnerable. The headteacher has provided outstanding leadership and because of this the school has made very rapid improvements. One senior leader described his leadership as ‘inspirational’. This reflects how successfully he has created a very positive team approach, maintaining the culture of aspiration and challenge for all aspects of the school’s work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The monitoring of teaching and learning, taking action where necessary, are good. Although a number of senior leaders are new to the school, their induction has been effective and they all have a role in checking the success of the teaching in the areas for which they are responsible. Leaders' skills are developing through appropriate training. The headteacher devolves leadership responsibilities appropriately and staff praise the confidence and status that this trust in their skills provides.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s self-evaluation is accurate and identifies what remains to be done to improve the school further. Leaders produce detailed improvement planning which contains appropriate priorities to build on the current strengths so there is clearly a strong capacity to improve further. All staff share the headteacher’s ambition for the school’s continued improvement. Staff have improved their knowledge of how well individual pupils are making progress. Information about pupils’ achievement is analysed very well by senior leaders.

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The leadership and management are good

 Training to develop teachers’ professional skills has been used effectively. For example, training, including visits to other schools, has rapidly improved the teaching and provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Training undertaken at the National Gallery has improved teachers’ skills in teaching art and design.

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The leadership and management are good

 Data on pupils’ progress and attainment are regularly checked and discussed with teachers as part of the leaders’ monitoring programme. Internal and external checks on data are carried out to confirm the accuracy of teachers’ assessments of pupils’ work. The school is preparing well for the full implementation of its approach to assessment following the change to remove National Curriculum levels. This is being carried out with other local schools to ensure clarity of assessments when pupils transfer to the secondary school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has had a positive impact through training, support and challenge. This has helped the school raise standards and address weaker aspects of its work robustly.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupil premium funding is used to help disadvantaged pupils play a full part in school life, and benefit, where appropriate, from additional help from adults. The impact of this is evident in the significant narrowing of the gaps in attainment between these pupils and others, and the more rapid progress now made by disadvantaged pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good use is made of the extra funding available to promote physical education and sporting opportunities. There is increased participation in a wide range of clubs and sporting activities, such as tag-rugby and gymnastics. Staff training, from specialist coaches, is promoting improvements in teaching a variety of activities such as dance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is broad and balanced and has been appropriately updated following recent changes to national expectations in different subjects. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. This ensures complete equality of opportunity. Pupils are very effectively prepared for life in modern Britain by, for example, an exceptional range of opportunities to take on responsibilities such as the ‘Caring Crusaders’ group which supports the excellent nurture provision. Pupils learn about democracy through the school council and a variety of pupil-led committees. They particularly enjoy being ‘headteacher for a day’. The school provides a good range of clubs and extra-curricular activities which enhance pupils’ learning.  Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. This enables children to make good progress. Effective use is made of resources. The outdoor areas are used well to promote learning to the full.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has greatly improved the way it carries out its statutory duties and now provides excellent support and challenge for the school’s leaders. Governors manage their work very efficiently. They have carried out an assessment of their skills and this has led to training which has helped to improve their understanding of how to hold the school to account. For example, one governor recently attended training on the new Code of Practice for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs as part of her responsibilities.  Governors check the school’s work through a range of visits, such as to observe and monitor pupils’ behaviour and attitudes. Members of the governing body check how well school leaders improve the quality of teaching. Decisions about teachers’ pay are appropriately linked to their performance and responsibilities. The methods used when appointing new staff are very rigorous and effective.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors track finances well and lead the school in deciding how to spend additional money, such as that to support disadvantaged pupils.  The governing body ensures that all safeguarding requirements are fully met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. The exceptionally high standard of pupils’ behaviour has a very positive impact on their learning and progress. In all lessons observed, and in other settings such as the assembly, the dining room and at playtimes, and for activities such as work with a visiting historian, dressed and acting as a Roman soldier, pupils were well behaved and fully engaged in their learning. This was supported by what pupils told inspectors about how much they enjoyed school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils talk enthusiastically about lessons and other aspects of school life. They clearly like school a lot and say that teachers ‘don’t make lessons boring’ and ‘they are always nice and positive and encouraging’. Pupils show great respect for the learning environment. They do not drop litter and they impressed inspectors with the pride they show in their work, in books and on wall displays.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ response to the school’s expectations of their behaviour and social development is consistently excellent. Their horizons are widened through the good opportunities they are given to take responsibility, such as on the school council, through the wide range of pupil-led committees or as playground leaders. They take their responsibilities very seriously and are developing very mature attitudes towards others.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are extremely polite and interested in other people. They work together well when solving problems, demonstrating strong negotiation and co-operative skills. Pupils show a very caring and accepting nature and are very supportive of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Leaders and governors give the highest possible priority to the safeguarding of pupils in their care.

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Safety

 Pupils say they feel safe in school, and all parents confirm this view. The school provides a good range of activities to help pupils learn to stay safe, and they are taught how to safely use computers and the internet. The pupils say there is little bullying but that they are all working to eliminate it and that, if it occurred, they are confident it would be dealt with effectively. Pupils demonstrate a clear understanding of different types of bullying.

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Safety

 The breakfast club provides pupils with a calm and productive start to the day, as well as a healthy snack, and good opportunities to develop social skills. This is extended into the after-school club and specific activities such as breakfast for Year 6 during the week they sit national tests. In addition, the excellent nurture provision is providing outstanding support for some of the most vulnerable pupils.

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Safety

 Attendance is above the national average. Where persistent absence has increased, this has been due to unavoidable medical reasons. Parents appreciate the importance of their children’s full attendance. Pupils are punctual, both to school and to lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ work, the school’s assessment data and evaluations of teaching, together with inspectors’ direct observations of pupils’ learning, all provide evidence that teaching is consistently good and occasionally outstanding. The school has built a strong and mutually supportive team of teachers and teaching assistants. Leaders and the governing body have recruited well to address particular needs such as in mathematics. The good teaching has resulted in pupils’ current good progress and the consistently rising standards especially in reading and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The learning environment throughout the school is very tidy, with materials and resources easily accessible. The accommodation for the Reception class has been much improved and children benefit from a bright and colourful learning environment. Displays of pupils’ work create good opportunities for teachers to support pupils’ learning and develop their vocabulary, as well as to celebrate their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The marking of pupils’ work has strengthened recently as a result of being a focus for improvement. It provides pupils with clear and constructive suggestions for improvement. Pupils respond to the marking and this has a positive impact on their progress. They understand what their targets are and what they need to do to achieve them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils throughout the school talk positively about how they enjoy lessons, especially mathematics, topics and French. They describe the progress they have made and talk with pride about their work. Books are tidy and work is well-presented.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers ensure that pupils’ attitudes to learning, and their interest and engagement in their work, are outstanding. Pupils are often encouraged to learn through imaginative tasks, such as those in Year 2 using sweets as a resource for real-life problem solving. Other adults often provide good support for pupils; especially disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. This enables them to take a full and active part in lessons and school life, and most of them make good progress from their different starting points.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use assessment information to group pupils accurately by ability and to provide work that is usually appropriately targeted for their different capabilities. Teachers are aware of how well different groups are learning in lessons, and, in some lessons, adjust their practice to make sure that everyone does well. In a number of lessons, however, some pupils were set work that was too easy for them or they had to complete unnecessary work before reaching activities that would extend their learning appropriately.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have responded well to recent national changes to the curriculum. For example, in computing, training has helped to ensure that the curriculum covers all new aspects. The recently introduced thematic approach ensures the pupils are able to see the links between subjects, and activities are often based on pupils’ own questions.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When they start school in the Nursery class or in the Reception class, most children have knowledge and understanding which are typical for their age. Many have good communication skills and develop quickly into articulate and interested learners. Children make good progress in all areas of learning. Last year, an above-average proportion of the children reached or exceeded the expected good level of development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in the national tests at the end of Year 2 have risen. This represents good progress from pupils’ different starting points. Reading is the strongest subject but recent work to improve standards in mathematics has had a positive impact on the progress pupils are making.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment at the end of Year 6 has risen steadily since the headteacher took up his post and focused on raising achievement. Pupils made progress in reading and mathematics that was close to or above average. This is evident in the school’s data showing progress throughout Key Stage 2 and also in pupils’ books. However, the school is aware that progress in writing remains weaker. The attainment in punctuation, spelling and grammar is significantly above average because the school has worked to improve pupils’ technical writing skills. However, the content of much of the written work remains immature and lacks imagination. Too few pupils have reached the higher levels in recent years and the school has recognised this as a priority for improvement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The results of the Year 1 check on pupils’ skills in linking letters and sounds (phonics) were above average in 2013 and 2014 due to the good teaching of basic reading skills. This represents good progress given pupils’ starting points. Pupils develop into good readers with an interest in a range of books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in reading, writing and mathematics is good throughout the school. There is evidence of good achievement in other subjects, such as religious education, art and design, history and geography. The effective use of the sports funding money has improved teachers’ expertise and so raised standards in physical education.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is too small to comment on their attainment without risk of identifying individual pupils. Their progress recently has often been better than that of their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Throughout the school, the most-able pupils make good progress although too few pupils attain higher levels in writing. Their progress in some lessons is not good enough because teachers give them tasks that do not challenge them sufficiently.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress overall because of the extra help they receive. In Year 2, for example, these pupils made above-average progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The early years provision is good

 Children make at least good progress from their different starting points. Nursery children settle in well and have quickly become used to the school’s routines. They start the day happily and productively, and enjoy sharing their learning with adults. For example, they talked very enthusiastically about their use of torches to light up stars in a darkened room. In the Reception class children work cooperatively and talking to them shows how much they enjoy school and the range of activities provided for them, especially role play such as in the ‘post office’.

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The early years provision is good

 The accommodation is used well by staff and enables children to learn well in all areas of learning. The outdoor area is used effectively to extend children’s learning through a range of adult-led activities and those that the children choose for themselves. All children develop good skills in co-operating and sharing.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good. Assessment is detailed and used very effectively to plan the next steps which children need to take to move their learning on. All adults are involved in observing and recording children’s progress. Parents are regularly informed about children’s progress and they are invited to record their comments in the children’s records of learning or on displays. Parents are also kept aware of what their children are learning so they can support them at home.

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The early years provision is good

 The most-able children are particularly well challenged through activities that extend their learning. For example, these children are encouraged to carry out their own research into questions they have raised.

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The early years provision is good

 The progress children make, including disabled children and those who have special educational needs, is good. Staff are very aware of each child’s prior knowledge and skills. Children’s good progress helps prepare them well for the next stage in their education. They are clearly happy at school and are kept safe. Their behaviour is exemplary.

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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 121097 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 448526

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 236 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jonathan Earle Headteacher Ryan Freeman Date of previous school inspection 15–16 October 2009 Telephone number 01493 661691 Fax number 01493 444686 Email address office@homefield.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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