Hatherden Church of England Primary School

School report Hatherden C of E Primary School

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Inadequate 4 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

This is a school that requires special measures.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher and governors have not ensured that the statutory policies and procedures for keeping pupils safe are effectively carried out.  The safety of pupils is inadequate because pupils are not always confident that concerns they raise will be dealt with quickly and effectively. The school does not involve other agencies quickly enough when needed.  The headteacher has not ensured that records of pupils’ current achievement acurately reflect the standards of work in their books. In some instances, judgements are over-generous.  Governors have not held the headteacher to account for the accuracy of information about how well pupils are achieving. They have too readily accepted what has been presented to them, without following up concerns expressed by parents or staff.  Monitoring of teaching has not given teachers a clear enough picture of what they need to improve.  Occasionally, a few of the most able pupils lose

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

time waiting for others to catch up because some of the work is too easy for them, particularly in writing.  Too many parents find that communication with the school is difficult. They do not feel well informed, and concerns they have are not always addressed quickly.  Communication between the headteacher and other leaders has not been effective. In some instances this has hindered their ability to bring about improvements.  The school’s improvement plans are not developed well enough. The headteacher and governors have not evaluated the school’s progress effectively.

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The school has the following strengths

 Teaching is good. Class teachers know their pupils well and make sure that they have suitable work to do.  Most pupils readily get on with their work and focus on what they have been asked to do. They respond well to marking to improve their work.  Pupils make good progress and reach standards which are above average, particularly in reading and mathematics.  Pupils like being at school. Their attendance is above average because the topics they study are interesting.  The early years provision is a strength of the school. The well-organised routines, engaging environment and interesting activities mean that children settle in quickly and greatly enjoy learning.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector spent the majority of his time observing lessons, looking at the work pupils were doing and discussing their learning with them. Two of these observations were conducted together with the headteacher. The inspector also looked at some work pupils did in the previous year.  The inspector looked at school documents, particularly those about keeping pupils safe, records about the achievement of pupils, and the teachers’ records for pupils in their classes. He also looked at the plans to bring about improvements, minutes of meetings of the governing body and the headteacher’s records of the monitoring of the quality of teaching.  During the inspection, the inspector met with groups of pupils and staff, and spoke to parents informally at the start and end of the school day. He also considered the 59 responses to the online survey, Parent View, as well as the responses to a survey for staff working at the school. The inspector spoke to a group

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Information about this inspection

of governors and with a representative from the local authority.

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Inspection team

Andrew Saunders, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than average, with four mixed-age classes for Reception and Year 1, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6.  Almost all pupils are White British, with a very few pupils from other ethnic backgrounds. There are no pupils who are known to speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those supported through a statement of special educational needs is below average. The same is the case with those supported at school action and school action plus.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is below average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after.  There have been some difficulties recruiting a teacher for one class this term.  In 2013, the school met the floor standards set by the government. These are the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for the attainment and progress of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Concerns raised by some staff during the inspection are being examined by the appropriate bodies.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve safeguarding arrangements as a matter of urgency by ensuring that:  the procedures for keeping pupils safe are clearly understood and effective, so that any actions required can be taken quickly  pupils have confidence that their concerns have been dealt with  staff, parents and pupils understand how to raise concerns and what will happen as a result  parents are fully informed about the actions the school has taken following any incidents.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management quickly by ensuring that:  senior leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of pupils’ progress and plan and implement actions based on this  leaders develop plans to bring about improvements more quickly and that these improvements are tracked more closely by the headteacher, governors and middle leaders  all leaders play an effective part in improving teaching and learning, and that middle leaders are given sufficient time and support to do so  the school involves outside agencies more quickly when they have concerns about pupils’ behaviour, learning or safety  there is better communication within the school, and between the school and parents.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved .

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Leadership and management are inadequate because the leaders and governors have not done enough to make sure that all pupils are safe and feel safe.  While teachers understand what they have to do to report any concerns they may have about children’s learning, safety or personal development, they do not always feel that such concerns have been addressed appropriately or quickly enough. The systems to record incidents of poor behaviour and pupils’ concerns are not well organised and this has led to delays and miscommunication about incidents.  The headteacher has not ensured that assessment records of how well well pupils are currently doing are accurate. The work in pupils’ books does not support the school’s assessments of pupils’ attainment. The headteacher’s judgements of pupils’ achievement have been too generous.  Communication with parents is not always timely or detailed enough to inspire parental confidence in what

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The leadership and management are inadequate

the school is doing to tackle concerns. Too many parents say that lines of communication are unclear. Several indicated that they were dissatisfied with how specific issues raised had been dealt with.  Middle leaders have only a limited impact on moving the school forward. This is because teachers who take on responsibilities are not given the time or support to identify the key issues and bring about improvements. Feedback from the headteacher is not sufficiently clear about how middle leaders need to improve, and it is not followed up effectively enough.  The records and plans to identify and support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well organised. Support is discussed with parents and frequently reviewed to check that it is having the necessary impact in helping these pupils make up ground.  The headteacher and staff have undertaken an appropriate review of the curriculum so that they are

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The leadership and management are inadequate

aware of the new National Curriculum requirements this year. The school’s systems for recording assessments are being adapted to take these requirements into account.  The curriculum provides good opportunities for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils. Pupils are encouraged to reflect about the world around them and are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Sometimes however, they could think more carefully about their relationships within school and how they get along with one another.  The local authority has provided ‘light-touch’ support for this school because its performance has not previously given cause for concern. The school has an annual visit which is used to review achievement information and observe some teaching.  The school should not appoint newly qualified teachers.  The governance of the school:  Governors are not sufficiently involved in evaluating the school’s performance. They rely too heavily on

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The leadership and management are inadequate

reports from the headteacher and have not done enough to verify the information provided is accurate. Concerns, particularly those reported by parents, have not always been investigated thoroughly. Governors have not done enough to check that parents know how to raise concerns, that these are recorded, and that these will be addressed quickly. Governors have not done enough to make sure that teachers’ concerns are resolved quickly.  Governors work with senior leaders to make sure that the school has policies and procedures to keep pupils safe. However, they have not monitored how well these are working and as a consequence, some of the systems are not effective.  Governors check that the finances of the school are spent carefully. In particular, they review the way that additional funding is used to support disadvantaged pupils. They have also reviewed the use of the sports funding to promote healthy lifestyles and participation in sports by the pupils. This funding is

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The leadership and management are inadequate

giving pupils improved experiences of a range of sports. However, it is not effective in developing the confidence of staff in delivering high-quality physical education because their opportunities to observe and teach alongside the specialist coach are limited.  Governors work with the headteacher to check that information about the quality of teaching informs their decisions about pay rises. However, the lack of effective communication between the headteacher and staff means that this does not always lead to improvements in teaching.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. This is because there is occasionally some low-level disruption when a few pupils are silly during lessons and become distracted. However, most pupils get on with their work and are keen to improve what they are doing.  Pupils say that although bullying is relatively rare, it does happen very occasionally. They say that teachers do attempt to deal with it.  When pupils occasionally fall out with one another, they know that teachers will help them sort it out. However, a minority are too reliant on this support without thinking about how they can resolve the issues themselves.  A very few pupils whose behaviour is challenging get helpful support from adults who understand their needs well. However, the school has not always made the effective use of outside agencies. As a result, leaders have not made sure that these pupils have received the expert help they need to manage their

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Behaviour

behaviour quickly enough.  Around the school, pupils are almost always polite and courteous to adults. Most pupils respond very quickly to reminders about what adults expect from their behaviour.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy being at school; their attendance is above average. They enjoy the clubs and activities that are available and particularly look forward to competing against other schools in sports.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is inadequate. This is because the systems to deal with concerns are not effective and communication is poor. As a result, adults are not always aware of whether pupils’ concerns have been dealt with. Although the school has ensured that pupils have an adult to talk to if they are worried, pupils are also unsure whether their concerns have been addressed.  Pupils understand how they can help to keep themselves safe, for example when using the internet or when riding their bicycles. However, pupils do not feel that the school’s approaches to dealing with bullying or with very challenging behaviour are always successful. Sometimes, pupils’ concerns are not dealt with quickly or effectively enough.  While most parents who responded to the online survey indicated that their children feel safe at school, some feel that the very few incidents of bullying are not dealt with effectively and that the school does

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Safety

not respond appropriately to their concerns.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers know how well the pupils in their class are doing and use this information to plan tasks which help pupils develop the knowledge and skills they need. Pupils work hard to complete tasks to a good standard.  Interesting topics engage pupils well and provide them with good opportunities to practise their skills. Pupils thoroughly enjoy the work they are given to do. Teachers establish what pupils already know and use this to plan what they need to learn next. As a result, the teaching of literacy and mathematics is effective.  Work in pupils’ books shows that they typically make good progress and that most teaching is good. Where teaching is sometimes less effective, the progress of the most able pupils is slowed because they have to wait for others in the class to catch up with them. Occasionally, they are given extra work when they complete a task, but this does not always extend their thinking or strengthen their skills, especially in

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The quality of teaching is good

writing.  Teachers and other adults make sure that pupils are given helpful feedback during lessons and through marking. Pupils respond to these comments and like making sure that they have improved their work. Pupils are given homework that usually helps them reinforce their learning.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well supported. The actions taken by the school are carefully considered and teachers measure the impact such support has, to check that it is effective.  The well-resourced library is frequently used to support learning in lessons, encouraging pupils to develop great enjoyment of reading. Pupils enjoy opportunities to read independently and to listen to teachers reading some of their favourite stories in the library.

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is good

 Most pupils reach standards which are above average. While some of the school’s data has been inaccurate, the work in pupils’ books shows that most pupils are working at levels which are consistent with above-average attainment.  Teachers’ records show that all groups of pupils make good progress from their starting points. Most children join the school in Reception with knowledge and skills which are typical for their age, although some children already have skills which are more advanced. They settle into the routines very quickly and the older pupils in their class set a good example, so they develop very good attitudes towards learning.  Good progress continues in Year 1 and 2 so that almost all pupils reach the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics, and an above-average proportion reach higher standards. Books show that pupils in Year 3 and 4 have also made good progress in the past. Issues with recruiting a teacher mean

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is good

that pupils currently in Year 3 and 4 have not progressed as rapidly as previously, since the start of this term.  In Year 5 and 6, pupils also make good progress. Most pupils reach standards which are above average, particularly in reading and mathematics. Standards in writing are not quite as high.  Achievement is not outstanding because the most able pupils do not always reach the highest standards they are capable of. They do work at levels which are above average, but do not always get enough opportunities to write at the highest level in a range of different ways.  As a result of the effective support they receive, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. Some pupils overcome the difficulties they face and no longer need additional support.  Pupils who are supported through additional funding make similar progress to their peers across the school and reach similar standards. By the time that they leave in Year 6, there is no significant gap in

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is good

their attainment in English or mathematics compared to other pupils in the school or all pupils nationally.

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is good

 Children settle very quickly into the Reception class because the environment is very welcoming. Routines are clear and well established, and adults make sure that each child has interesting things to do. Parents say that their children are very keen to come into school each day.  Adults manage very well the combination of ages in this class, making sure that each group of children get support when they need it. Resources are well organised and children make good use of these to help them develop their learning or use their imaginations.  Leadership of this aspect of the school is good; other adults are well informed about the needs of the children. The adults work together well to assess the children’s learning, probing what children understand through their questions. This is collated and used well to develop plans for the next day’s learning.  There are ample opportunities to write, use numbers, to communicate and to develop physical skills.

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is good

Opportunities for learning are just as rich outdoors as they are indoors. Any children with additional needs are quickly identified and support is provided.  Almost all the children reach a good level of development by the time they start Year 1, and many are already developing skills and knowledge which are beyond those expected. A well-structured approach to teaching phonics (letters and the sounds they make) means they quickly become enthusiastic about books and stories, and they use these skills to help them try writing new words.

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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 116359 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 448795

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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 aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 106 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Stewart Headteacher Stephen Biggs Date of previous school inspection 21–22 June 2010 Telephone number 01264 735260 Fax number 01264 735449 Email address headteacher@hatherden.hants.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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