Hollesley Primary School

Hollesley Primary School School Lane, Hollesley, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3RE

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The acting headteacher and school leaders receive good support from the governing body. Together, they have improved the school since the previous inspection. The quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved significantly.  Leaders promote an ethos where pupils are known and respected as individuals and staff celebrate the success of all pupils.  The quality of teaching is now consistently good. Teachers use their good subject knowledge and probing questions to deepen pupils’ thinking. They make good use of resources and plan interesting activities to motivate pupils to learn.  Strong teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants ensures that all pupils benefit from good support for learning.  Pupils behave well in lessons and across the school. Their attendance is above average and they arrive well prepared for lessons.  The promotion of pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils feel safe and develop

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This is a good school

confidence as learners.  Pupils make good and occasionally outstanding progress across the school in English and mathematics. Pupils’ work shows they also do well in a range of other subjects.  The early years leader has established strong links with parents and is providing effective leadership in sustaining good teaching and learning. Children make good progress from their starting points and many make outstanding progress in phonics and literacy.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers are not consistent in setting high expectations for learning. Consequently, some pupils do not consistently make good progress.  On too many occasions, pupils do not respond to their teachers’ good advice on how to improve their work.  Sometimes, subject leaders are not rigorous to identify improvements required to teaching when they examine pupils’ work.  Leaders have not developed accurate systems for assessing pupils’ progress in subjects other than English, mathematics and science.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen teaching and assessment so that pupils make outstanding progress by making sure: – teachers consistently set high expectations for pupils’ learning – teachers encourage pupils to respond to the guidance they receive on how to improve their work, in line with the school’s marking and feedback policy – subject leaders rigorously check pupils’ work to identify areas of teaching which could be improved – leaders develop and implement reliable systems to assess pupils’ progress in subjects other than mathematics, English and science.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The acting headteacher and school leaders have made good improvements to all aspects of the school’s work since the previous inspection. They have a strong ambition to move the school towards becoming an outstanding school. Leaders receive good support from the governing body in improving the school and, as a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved significantly.  Leaders are successfully promoting a strong ethos of achievement and good behaviour, where pupils are known and respected as individuals and staff celebrate the success of all pupils. Leaders have taken effective action to maintain high levels of attendance.  School self-evaluation is accurate, convincing and based on rigorous monitoring of all aspects of the school’s work. Leaders use the information well to establish clear priorities for improvement in the termly plan for raising achievement and in the long-term school development and improvement plan.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders are successfully improving teaching and learning by setting ambitious targets for raising achievement for all pupils and reflecting their high expectations for pupils and staff. They rigorously monitor the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning through regular visits to lessons, by holding half-termly progress meetings with staff and by checking pupils’ books. However, when subject leaders look at pupils’ books, they are not rigorous enough in identifying areas where things could be improved.  Good systems for managing the performance of staff are in place with targets for improving performance clearly linked to whole-school priorities for development and raising pupils’ achievement. Where weaknesses are identified, these are supported through training.  The early years leader provides good leadership in establishing strong links with parents and in strengthening the teaching of literacy and phonics to ensure children are well prepared for Year 1.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The curriculum is broad and balanced and it is relevant to the needs of all pupils. The curriculum is enriched with a wide range of after-school and lunchtime activities, such as sport, the computing club, and recorder and trumpet clubs. Pupils benefit from a wide range of visits with good opportunities to perform at the theatre in Ipswich and at Snape Maltings.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Assemblies and pupils’ work in religious education and topic work show that pupils have many opportunities to learn about the world around them. There is a strong emphasis on preparing pupils for life in modern Britain by celebrating different cultures and traditions and developing feelings of respect and appreciation of differences. Pupils learn about the rule of law and democracy. Older pupils have good opportunities to participate in outdoor adventurous activities as part of a residential visit.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders have developed good assessment systems for recording attainment and tracking pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science. They are ensuring that teachers use the school’s marking policy consistently well, although they are not checking that teachers are encouraging pupils to respond to the advice teachers give them to improve their work. Furthermore, leaders have not fully developed or implemented reliable systems for tracking pupils’ progress across a range of subjects.  Leaders make good use of the pupil premium funding to provide additional one-to-one or small-group support for disadvantaged pupils. As a result, they make equally good progress as their peers across all subjects. The number of disadvantaged pupils is very small and so it is inappropriate to compare their attainment with other pupils nationally.  Leaders make good use of the primary sports funding. For example, the school employs two professional

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

coaches to provide a range of lunchtime and after-school sports activities for children, and to teach all groups of pupils for one day per week. As a result, pupils are exercising more vigorously, staying fit and healthy and developing their physical skills. Staff sometimes work alongside the coaches, which is having a good impact on developing their skills for teaching of physical education.  Leaders promote equality of opportunity well as seen in the good progress made by all groups of pupils. They tackle discrimination and any form of harassment well by the promotion of good relationships between pupils.  The local authority is providing good support and challenge for the school through regular training and support and by undertaking reviews of the school’s work.  The governance of the school – Governors are providing good support for staff and are challenging the work of the school through regular visits. They have an appropriate knowledge of school assessment information and use this well

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

to influence clear priorities for improvement. Governors ensure that all policies are up to date and that the school meets safeguarding requirements. – Governors have a realistic view of teaching and how this influences pupils’ learning and progress. They are ensuring that the systems for managing staff performance are effective so good teaching is reared and any weaknesses are dealt with effectively. – Governors hold school leaders to account for the spending of pupil premium and primary sports funding to ensure good value for money. – They ensure that leaders successfully promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, including British values.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders thoroughly check the suitability of staff and visitors to work with children. They ensure that all records, policies and training for safeguarding are up to date. They work closely with parents and outside agencies to establish a safe culture for pupils.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching has improved strongly since the previous inspection from requiring improvement to good. This is reflected in pupils’ work, in the school’s tracking information of pupils’ progress and through records of leaders’ regular visits to classrooms over time.  Strong teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants ensures that all pupils benefit from good support for learning.  Basic skills are taught well. In Reception and in Year 1, phonics is taught very effectively. As a result, children of Reception age and pupils in Year 1 are making outstanding progress in literacy and phonics. Pupils throughout the school make at least good and sometimes outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers use their good subject knowledge and probing questions to deepen pupils’ thinking. In mathematics, for example, teachers ask younger pupils to interpret data from a graph and challenge

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

older pupils to explain how they solved calculation problems involving decimals and fractions. In English, teachers ask pupils to explain the meaning of new words and to provide examples of noun phrases or subordinate clauses, and challenge pupils to use a variety of persuasive language in their writing.  Teachers usually set high expectations for pupils’ learning, especially for the most able pupils, especially in mathematics and computing where the teaching of these pupils is excellent. However, pupils’ books and the school’s tracking information show that sometimes expectations are not high enough for other groups of pupils who are not challenged to make higher levels of progress.  Teachers make good use of resources and plan interesting activities to motivate pupils’ learning. For example, teachers ensure that pupils use laptop computers well to research topics and develop their literacy skills, such as when publishing stories. In one class, the teacher provided younger pupils with a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

well-chosen activity, using a variety of coins to calculate the change given when buying a few items in a shop, which they did with enthusiasm. Older pupils used protractors accurately to measure angles.  Teachers provide wide-ranging opportunities for extended writing in history, geography, religious education and science. They encourage pupils to apply their mathematical skills in science and physical education, for example in recording data and by using a metre stick to read the distance jumped in athletics.  Teachers provide regular homework for pupils to consolidate their learning and this has a positive impact on their progress.  Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils who have special educational needs or disability, the few who speak English as an additional language and disadvantaged pupils. They effectively clarify any misunderstandings and prompt pupils towards the correct solutions without providing the answers for

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

them.  Pupils’ books show that teachers provide detailed feedback to pupils on their learning, consistent with the school’s marking policy. However, pupils do not respond often enough to the good advice teachers are giving, in order to develop their learning, and teachers do not always follow this up.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are confident and know that to be successful in learning it is important to listen to staff, follow instructions and do their best in lessons. Pupils are happy in school and say that teachers make learning fun.  Good pastoral care ensures that pupils develop confidence and have positive attitudes to school. Pupils understand the importance of learning and say that teachers help them to make good progress.  Pupils stay healthy. They exercise vigorously at lunchtimes and take part in a wide range of sporting events such as rounders, cricket, netball, cross-country running and running the golden mile circuit in school.  Pupils show a good understanding of British values, as seen in their responses during an assembly on diversity, freedom to be yourself and respect for others. Teachers promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social

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Personal development and welfare

and cultural development well. During the inspection, pupils composed and reflected on their own prayers, they worked well together in activities and followed the school rules. Older pupils take responsibility as ‘Golden Mile’ representatives, encouraging pupils to run the golden mile circuit at lunchtimes. They also act as computer helpers, showing others how to use the computers safely.  The school works closely with families to ensure that pupils are safe. Pupils and their parents say that pupils feel safe in school. Pupils know how to use the internet safely and are always reminded to do so whenever they use computers in school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils usually behave well in lessons, in the playground and around the school. Pupils, parents and staff agree that behaviour is usually good. Pupils usually respond well to the system of rewards and sanctions. Pupils have good attitudes to learning and take pride in their work.  Incidents of minor disruption in lessons have decreased by half since the last inspection. Behaviour is not outstanding because school records show that sometimes these incidents still occur.  Pupils form good relationships and show respect for others. They settle into school routines well and make good progress.  The school tackles persistent absence well. As a result, pupils’ attendance has risen steadily since the previous inspection and their attendance is above average. Pupils are punctual and they arrive well prepared for lessons.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Leaders and teachers are raising standards effectively and ensuring that all pupils make good progress. This is seen in the assessment information, work in pupils’ books, visits to lessons and in the school’s records about pupils’ progress over time.  Many children enter the school with skills, knowledge and understanding below the expectations for their ages, particularly in communication, language and literacy. Because of good teaching, they make strong progress and, in 2015, most children in the Reception Year achieved a good level of development. They made at least the progress expected of them in all areas of learning. A large proportion of children are on course to reach a good level of development this year. Children make outstanding progress in literacy, especially in using phonics for reading and spelling. As a result, they are well prepared for Year 1.  In 2015, all pupils in Year 1 reached the expected standard in the phonics screening check. The school’s

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Outcomes for pupils are good

data shows that current pupils in Year 1 are continuing to make outstanding progress in phonics. Nearly all are on course to reach the required standard in phonics this year.  Pupils in Year 2 reached broadly average standards in 2015. From their low starting points, the school’s tracking information shows that they made good progress, especially in reading. Currently, pupils are on track to reach the expectations for their ages in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2.  In 2015, pupils in Year 6, reached above-average standards in English and mathematics and in English grammar, punctuation and spelling. They made good progress in all subjects from their different starting points. Current pupils in key stage 2 are working within the expectations for their ages across all subjects, including English and mathematics. The school’s tracking information shows that a significant number of

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Outcomes for pupils are good

pupils are currently working above these expectations.  Effective additional support is enabling disadvantaged pupils to make good progress. In 2015, the few disadvantaged pupils made equally good progress as their peers. There were too few in this group to compare their attainment and progress with other pupils nationally.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress from their starting points because they benefit from good support for their learning.  The school’s tracking information and work in pupils’ books show that the most able pupils are making good progress and sometimes outstanding progress from their higher starting points, especially in mathematics.  Pupils are making good and occasionally outstanding progress across the school in a range of other subjects. They make good progress in computing, with higher attainers making outstanding progress and competing successfully with other schools in the British Telecom ‘Co-space’ competition in programming.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

They make good and sometimes outstanding progress in dance, performing at the Ipswich theatre, and equally strong progress in playing the trumpet, performing at Snape Maltings. Pupils produce effective pieces of work in their topic work on the Victorians, Brazil and Roman Britain.  Pupils do well in physical education as a result of good use of primary sports funding. In one lesson, pupils performed impressively in athletics as they rapidly moved from a standing jump to a triple jump.

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Early years provision is good

 The early years leader has established effective links with parents and liaises closely with the pre-school to ensure that children settle into their routines quickly. Parents have confidence in the work of the school and work closely with staff to determine their child’s stage of development in each area of learning when their child enters the Reception class. Staff ensure children’s safety and welfare at all times so children feel safe and secure in school.  The early years leader has sustained good-quality teaching and learning since the previous inspection. She has ensured a year-on-year increase in the proportion of children reaching a good level of development since the previous inspection. The early years leader has also strengthened the teaching of phonics and literacy to enable children to make rapid progress in their communication, reading and writing skills. This has led to good progression in phonics from Reception to Year 1, enabling children to

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Early years provision is good

build on and consolidate their knowledge of the use of sounds for reading and writing across these year groups.  Staff have developed accurate assessments of children’s learning. Although they involve parents from the start of the year, some parents are not contributing regularly enough to the assessments of their child’s learning. The early years leader plans to involve all parents more fully in contributing to the continual assessment of their child’s progress in each area of learning. Staff assess children’s skills in all areas of learning within the first few weeks of their arrival in school and make good use of an online programme to record children’s progress.  The school’s assessment information shows that children are making good progress in all areas of learning. All adults work effectively with children to develop their language, communication and social interaction skills. Staff develop children’s literacy and phonics exceptionally well so they make rapid

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Early years provision is good

progress. Adults set very high expectations of children’s language development. Children’s books show they are making good progress in writing.  Staff provide stimulating learning experiences in the indoor and outdoor learning environments to stimulate children’s curiosity and imagination. The well-resourced learning areas include high-quality displays of children’s work, such as their drawing of the Great Fire of London. Children make good use of the outdoor area. They enjoy playing with water, exploring the sand tray and building in the construction areas. In all areas, children take turns and enjoy learning together.  Staff promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, for example through sharing the story of ‘The Sweetest Song’, the African-American version of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’.

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School details

Unique reference number 124589 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 10011797 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 84 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Jesty Acting Headteacher Rebecca Brotherton Telephone number 01394 411616 Website www.hollesley.suffolk.uk Email address admin@hollesley.suffolk.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 11 March 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than most other primary schools.  Most pupils are White British and very few speak English as an additional language.  Pupils are taught in mixed-aged classes. The 15 children of Reception age are taught alongside pupils in Year 1.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below that found in most schools. The pupil premium is the additional funding provided by the government to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is broadly average and none has a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 Following the retirement of the headteacher, a new headteacher has been appointed for September 2016. Until then, the special educational needs coordinator is assuming the role of acting headteacher. A new chair of governors and vice-chair are in post.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited a wide variety of lessons and activities, nearly all of them jointly with the acting headteacher.  He looked at samples of pupils’ work in different subjects across the school, including ‘learning journeys’ in the early years, and heard a few pupils read.  The inspector looked at assessment information and the school’s tracking information to check the progress pupils are making across the school, including the progress of children in the early years.  He considered 33 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, including free text comments, and held informal discussions with parents who accompanied their children to school.  The inspector held meetings with five members of the governing body, school leaders, a representative of the local authority and two groups of pupils. He also held informal discussions with pupils at breaktime and lunchtime.  The inspector examined a range of documentation, including safeguarding policies and procedures,

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Information about this inspection

records of behaviour and attendance, records of visits by members of the governing body, the school’s evaluation of its own work, the raising achievement plan and the school development and improvement plan.

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Inspection team

Declan McCarthy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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