Clover Hill VA Infant and Nursery School

Clover Hill VA Infant and Nursery School Rawley Road, Bowthorpe, Norwich, NR5 9AP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Although pupils’ attainment is in line with national averages, they make good, and sometimes outstanding, progress in all key stages and especially in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They work very well with each other and adults.  Pupils’ understanding of the sounds that letters make (phonics) develops well over time.  Teaching is always good and sometimes outstanding. Pupils are supported well in lessons.  Behaviour is outstanding in and out of lessons. Pupils work productively with each other.  Pupils feel very safe in school. Parents feel that safety is very effectively promoted.  Attendance has improved and is now above average.  The headteacher has worked very effectively with staff and governors to ensure that behaviour and safety are outstanding, achievement is rising and the quality of teaching improving.  Subject leaders monitor and promote their subjects

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

extremely well and work together to develop whole- school aspects like creativity.  Governors have an accurate understanding of the school. The high expectations, challenge and support they show is helping to drive standards upwards.  The curriculum is highly effective in engaging pupils.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, pupils are not fully challenged by the activities on offer in lessons.  Most-able pupils do not always have regular opportunities to extend their writing skills.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors collected evidence about teaching and learning by observing 14 lessons, looking at pupils’ work and talking about it with them to assess their understanding and attitudes to learning. The team carried out a scrutiny of pupils’ work and four joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. The inspectors also observed a range of activities to support individuals and small groups of pupils. An inspector listened to pupils reading.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior and subject leaders, governors, staff and two groups of pupils. The lead inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority by telephone.  In planning and carrying out the inspection, inspectors took account of the 20 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and responses to an inspection questionnaire from 23 staff. They also considered the school’s own surveys of parents’ views. Inspectors spoke to parents in the playground.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors looked at the school’s development and improvement plan, data on pupils’ attainment and progress, records of the monitoring and evaluation of teaching, a wide range of policies and procedures, and the arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils.  An inspector attended an assembly.

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Inspection team

Michael Sutherland-Harper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized infant and nursery school. The early years provision consists of two part-time Nursery classes and two full-time Reception classes.  Since the last inspection, the school has assumed voluntary aided status.  The school is part of a local cluster of twelve primary, junior and infant schools and a high school which share good practice and some training opportunities. The school is in a federation with St. Michael’s Junior School. The two schools share a headteacher and governing body. The headteacher has been used by the diocese and local authority to support other schools.  A significant number of pupils join or leave the school at times other than the normal starting points.  The large majority of the pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, at almost one fifth, is above the national average.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium, at over a third, is well above the national average. This is additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement to the highest levels and improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that pupils, particularly the most able, are regularly challenged by the activities on offer, especially in writing.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher’s determined and very effective leadership has ensured that behaviour and safety are of the highest standard, achievement is rising over time and teaching is consistently good or better.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Working very closely and productively with governors and staff, the headteacher and her senior leadership team have ensured that their understanding and analysis of data is thorough and that progress and attainment are constantly monitored and evaluated. All adults are vigilant that pupils have equal opportunities to learn and that there is no discrimination of any kind. The close attention to detail by all involved gives the school a very good capacity for sustained improvement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Subject leaders have clearly defined responsibilities within their subject areas. They also work closely together in teams to look at and implement activities in aspects like creativity which straddle all subjects. Subject leaders carry out their work thoroughly and effectively by observing lessons, looking at books, writing and monitoring action plans and reporting to governors.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school makes very good use of pupil premium funding to ensure that no pupil is left behind. Additional support on a one-to-one basis and through work in small groups is helping to close any remaining gaps between disadvantaged and other pupils. Performance is regularly reviewed each half term.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The curriculum is outstanding. The range of subjects encourages very positive attitudes to learning, for example, through engaging themes like dragons. Trips and visitors enhance the subjects on offer. Special weeks, for example on art, dance and music, encourage creativity. The school is especially proud of its enterprise curriculum which prepares pupils for life in modern Britain beyond the school gates.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The primary physical education and sport premium is used well to increase pupils’ access to more and varied sports and to make sure that all staff are skilled in different sports. Links with the Norfolk Schools Sports Partnership and other schools are complemented by pupils’ own keen awareness of how to stay fit and healthy.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Safeguarding meets all current requirements. Child protection procedures are rigorous and continually reviewed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength and promoted extremely well. Pupils benefit from close links with local churches. ‘Forest schools’ activities provide many opportunities for reflection. The school promotes a different value, such as truthfulness, each half term. This reinforces the behaviour code and ensures pupils consider the consequences of their actions. Links with other cultures and countries are well developed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority provides support and guidance whenever the school seeks it. The local authority uses the school as a model of good practice. The headteacher works with the authority and diocese to support other schools.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school works closely and productively with parents to keep them informed about their children’s progress. Parents are frequently in school helping with classes or with activities like the school’s toy library.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governance is outstanding. Governors know the school very well. They are keenly aware of their goal for the school to improve continually. They use the wide range of skills they bring and their very strong awareness of the data to ask searching questions at governors’ meetings and during regular visits. Governors are well trained in safeguarding and safer recruitment.  Governors monitor the quality of teaching and learning through their visits and in discussion with pupils, teachers and managers. They encourage good teaching by praise for what they have seen and by staff progress up the pay scales after rigorous management of staff performance. Any underperformance is addressed through coaching from other staff, additional training and ongoing monitoring of performance. Governors analyse how the pupil premium funding is spent and its impact on results and teaching. Their searching questions and follow up ensure that no pupil is disadvantaged.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils move very calmly around the school and play cooperatively together in the playground. They are punctual to school and lessons where their attitudes to learning are of the highest quality. A number of children told the inspectors that they ‘love school and lessons’ and this is reflected in pride in their uniform.

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Behaviour

 Systems for the management of behaviour are consistently applied across the school and reinforced by assemblies. The school keeps a close track of how behaviour over time has improved for specific pupils. Pupils are very clear about the rewards and sanctions in place.

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Behaviour

 Pupils respect each other’s right to learn, settling very quickly and with minimum fuss in lessons and working productively with others in paired and group work. No low-level disruption was observed during the inspection.

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Behaviour

 The school has developed very good links with parents and offers a range of pastoral services, particularly to help with the management of behaviour in the home setting.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are particularly eco-conscious. They have great pride in their school and its environment. They are especially keen on recycling. Litter is picked up straight away.

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Behaviour

 Attendance rates are improving and are now above national. There have been no incidents of temporary or fixed-term exclusions.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. All systems for vetting and checking staff, visitors and volunteers are robust and highly effective. Children say that they feel very safe in school and know who to talk to if they have any problems. The vast majority of parents agree that children are safe.

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Safety

 Pupils said that ‘there is no bullying in our school’ and if there was any, the ‘teachers would sort it out right away’. Pupils understand the different forms that bullying may take. The school has alerted pupils about safety on the internet through presentations about e-safety.

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Safety

 Any concerns about safety are discussed, and action taken, following regular review meetings. Records show timely and appropriate referrals to children’s services. All staff are fully trained in safeguarding. Training is refreshed at regular intervals.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good in both key stages and sometimes outstanding. Teachers plan effectively. Their teaching engages pupils so that they respond very positively in lessons. Teachers check carefully on pupils’ understanding through the questions they ask and by providing opportunities for pupils to show their understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and support staff know the pupils well. Teaching builds on pupils’ prior knowledge and ensures, through a wide range of practical activities related to everyday life, that they are well prepared for the next stages of their education. The school grounds, including the ‘forest school’, are well used to stimulate pupils’ interest in the wider world.  Visits and visitors help pupils to understand contemporary British society and the principles behind it.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading is taught effectively. Pupils have many opportunities to read, benefit from excellent library resources and are keen to talk about the books they have read. Reading leads into writing activities, which are a whole-school focus as part of the development of communication and language skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils have regular opportunities to write but the school has identified that some pupils, especially the most able, do not do enough extended writing. In mathematics, pupils’ understanding benefits from their use of practical resources related to what they might encounter in everyday life.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, as well as those who join the school part- way through their education, are supported very well. They benefit from additional work on a one-to-one basis or in small groups. The level of provision and the quality of the work produced is constantly reviewed and adjusted whenever necessary.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most-able pupils make good progress. Stimulating themes under discussion make them want to follow up and explore ideas, for example, about dragons. However, the level of challenge, especially in writing, is occasionally not high enough.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use detailed assessment systems to track pupils’ progress. Work in books is marked regularly and consistently. Pupils act upon the marking, which also provides guidance about next steps in learning, and are able to talk about the progress they have made in their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Nursery with skills and understanding below those typical for their age. Skills in communication and language are weaker than other areas so that the development of speech and language is an ongoing focus. Children make good, and often outstanding, progress from these different starting points as they proceed through Nursery and Reception.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils reach average standards by the end of Year 2. All year groups are affected by high numbers of pupils leaving and joining the school outside of normal times, which means that only a minority of those who start in Nursery or Reception finish in Year 2. Attainment in reading and mathematics is better than in writing. The school has been active in providing appropriate support for the development of pupils’ writing skills. Current data indicate that standards in all subjects are rising and more rapidly than previously.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results in the end of Year 1 phonics screening check in 2014 were just below average but above average in the Year 2 phonics re-check. The school has grouped pupils carefully for phonics. These groupings are reviewed and adjusted regularly to ensure that they are matched appropriately to the needs of individual children.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who join the school at times other than the normal starting points make similar progress to their classmates. They are promptly assessed and support is put in place at the appropriate level. Home-school links contribute to their continued progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils read regularly in and out of school. The well-resourced library is an attractive reading space. Reading is a regular part of homework. All pupils have precise reading targets at the appropriate level.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils have good skills in mathematics and increasing proficiency in writing. Achievement in mathematics is reinforced by practical activities related to everyday situations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils achieved average standards in 2014 in most subjects but below average in writing. Current data show an improving picture with higher levels of attainment in lessons and more opportunities to develop and apply thinking skills to the tasks before them.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to others from their relative starting points. In some cases, especially in reading, they make better progress than others. They are supported well in lessons and the level of support is reviewed frequently. Good systems are in place to identify pupils’ needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is good. They are above others in the school in reading by two terms and above national averages by half a term. In writing, they are just above others but below national by a term and in mathematics below others by half a term and below national by just over a term. Gaps are closing at a faster rate than previously.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children make outstanding progress. Development of language and other skills is supported extremely well so that the majority enter Year 1 and do so with a good level of development.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Teaching is always good and often outstanding. Staff are highly skilled, know the children and their needs well and work closely with parents to ensure continued progress and attainment. Children have access to an exciting and highly stimulating learning environment indoors and outdoors. The area is very well resourced. Colourful displays engage the children with new ideas and reinforce skills.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children are very keen to learn, well-motivated and demonstrate consistently high levels of curiosity and concentration. They have many opportunities to use their imagination. During a story session about ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, they practised speaking and reading skills constantly and were totally involved in working with adults to tell the story through additional use of gesture and movement.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Behaviour is managed extremely well. Children feel safe. They work closely with each other, take turns, share resources and are always considerate of the children around them.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 The early years is led and managed extremely well. Adults plan together, review the effectiveness of their work continually and adjust provision so that all groups of children make rapid progress and want to learn. Children’s ‘Learning Journey’ books provide strong evidence of thorough assessment at all points.

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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 140033 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 447814

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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 Infant and Nursery School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 204 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rosemary Games Headteacher Helen Newell Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01603 745559 Fax number 01603 744432 Email address office@cloverhill.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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