Garway Primary School

Garway Primary School Garway, Hereford HR2 8RQ

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Garway’s ethos, based on promoting enjoyment in learning and respect for all, permeates the life of the school. Parents and carers have exceptionally positive views of the school’s work.  The headteacher’s vision for a school that strongly develops pupils’ basic skills within a broad and rich curriculum is widely and successfully promoted by governors, leaders and staff.  Outstanding provision in the Reception class prepares children exceptionally well with the personal, social and learning skills they need to start Year 1.  Pupils make particularly strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics in Years 1 to 4.  Teachers plan lessons skilfully to develop pupils’ basic reading, writing and mathematical skills and to enable them to apply these confidently in a range of contexts.  Assessment information is mostly used successfully by leaders and teachers to identify strengths and weaknesses of pupils’ performance

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This is a good school

and to help them improve.  From the earliest age, children learn to work and play together constructively, responsibly and supportively. Pupils develop great self-confidence in articulating their views on a range of current topical issues, for example in assemblies or to visitors.  Pupils’ conduct is exceptionally polite and courteous. They feel safe and secure in a school many describe as ‘one big family’.  The governing body has shown much determination and skill in ensuring the success of the new leadership structures it set in place just prior to the last inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress in Years 5 and 6 is constrained by some remaining gaps in their basic understanding and skills, especially in mathematics.  The monitoring of teaching and provision in mathematics does not yet focus enough on its impact on outcomes for pupils.  The school’s detailed assessment system is not yet being used to its full potential to ensure that the remaining gaps in the understanding and skills of older pupils are fully addressed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ achievement by the end of key stage 2, especially in mathematics, by ensuring that: teaching staff use assessment information to its fullest extent to identify and fill gaps in the basic understanding and skills of pupils leaders consistently focus on the impact of teaching on outcomes for pupils when evaluating the success of provision.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The school community is highly cohesive. Governors, leaders, staff, parents and pupils share strongly in the school’s ethos and values. These centre on promoting achievement through enjoyment of learning, and on respect for oneself and for others. Parents made it clear to the inspector that they were fully involved in the life of the school and that staff went to great lengths to involve them in their children’s learning.  A high proportion of parents responded to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire, and many wrote additional comments. These unanimously demonstrated the high regard that parents have for the school, as did the inspector’s discussions with parents at the school gate. Staff also expressed similarly favourable views about the school’s direction.  The headteacher has been firmly focused on improving pupils’ achievement since the last inspection. New approaches to teaching and learning have been very successful in developing pupils’ skills and confidence

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

in reading, writing and mathematics from Reception age onwards. As a result, standards have risen sharply in assessments at the end of the early years and end of key stage 1, and in the national phonics (letters and their sounds) screening checks in Year 1. Standards by the end of key stage 2 have, however, been slower to improve, partly because a legacy of weaker provision prior to the last inspection left some gaps in the skills and knowledge of some older pupils.  The emphasis on improving pupils’ achievement in core subjects has not, however, deflected the school from providing a broad and balanced curriculum enriched by visits and visitors, and by making full use of the school’s extensive grounds. This enables, for example, pupils’ achievement in science to be a real strength. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development flourishes through extensive activities and well-planned programmes of religious education, music, art, history and geography. Pupils have a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

well-developed understanding of environmental challenges facing the world.  The school’s ‘values’ programme is highly successful in ensuring that pupils place a high value on respect for the individual and on the toleration of difference. This actively promotes equality and counters discrimination. One pupil said: ‘They don’t exactly tell you what to believe, but we are taught to have respect.’ Pupils have a very well-developed knowledge and understanding of the customs and practices of the world’s major religions.  Leadership capacity has been strengthened through the development of middle leadership roles for teachers across the school. This has successfully facilitated a collaborative and reflective approach to school improvement. Leaders understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses well. Self-evaluation is clear and precise, and informs sharply focused improvement plans that are regularly evaluated. In

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

mathematics, though, monitoring and evaluation are not yet focused sharply enough on the impact of teaching and improvement actions on outcomes for pupils.  The system of performance management, which includes targets for pupils’ progress, has supported the professional development of teachers well.  Teachers and leaders have benefited from the school’s involvement in professional partnerships with networks of local schools. These have helped them see and share best practice, as well as moderate and check teacher assessments and pupils’ performance. The local authority has further provided the school with valuable support, including in developing its early years provision and safeguarding arrangements.  The school’s new assessment system is very effective in measuring pupils’ attainment and progress in relation to age-related expectations. It is linked coherently to pupils’ individual objectives, set out in their

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

books.  Spending of the additional funding of the pupil premium and sports premium is well tracked and evaluated. There are very few gaps in achievement between those eligible for pupil premium and others, as the school uses funding directly to support intervention, run homework clubs, and ensure access to school trips. The sports premium has led to a proliferation of sporting activity and clubs and wide participation, as well as staff development for the teaching of physical education.  Provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability is based on an increasingly precise assessment of need from external agencies; additional provision is clearly mapped and key elements are evaluated to check on effectiveness. Provision for children who are looked after is well planned and regularly evaluated.  The governance of the school Governance is well led, and the governing body has shown much skill and determination in bringing

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

about strategic changes to leadership and teaching in the school to secure demonstrable improvements in outcomes for pupils. Governance benefits from the range of key professional skills and expertise and the close involvement in the local community that governors bring to their work. Governors knows the school well, through governors’ good understanding of the school’s performance and assessment information, and through reports compiled from governors’ regular and well-focused visits to the school and lessons. Governors understand well the school’s performance management arrangements. The governing body manages the school’s finances carefully, accounting transparently, for example, for the spending and impact of the additional funding of the pupil premium and sports premium.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school’s safeguarding policies and procedures are clear and up to date, and give precise guidance to staff on how to be alert to and act upon threats to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

pupils’ safety and well-being. This is supported through regular training and updates. As a result, teaching and non-teaching staff have a well-developed understanding of actions to take if they recognise that a child is in danger. Staff and leaders engage well with parents in sharing strategies to keep pupils safe. A number of teachers and supervisory staff are well trained in first aid. Risks associated with the school site and educational activities are regularly checked. Safety and safeguarding updates are given an appropriately high profile as a standing item in governing body meetings.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Pupils and their parents have a high regard for teachers. They appreciate the extent to which teachers set out to make learning interesting and enjoyable, so that pupils are keen to come to school. They value the way teachers involve parents in their children’s learning, through regular communications and meetings at school. Relationships between teachers and pupils are strong and firmly based on mutual respect.  Teachers’ high expectations for pupils’ progress and behaviour do much to promote pupils’ strong development as independent learners. From the Reception Year onwards, teachers design activities well and brief pupils clearly to enable them to work with real purpose in individual or small-group activities. Pupils relish the challenge, enjoy the enquiry and take real pride in the successful accomplishment of tasks.  Teachers’ questioning of pupils is a key strength. It is particularly effective for the youngest children,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

where questions are precisely adapted to match each child’s understanding. As a result, they develop confidence in responding and are keen to ‘have a go’ in thinking more deeply to answer more challenging questions. Such confidence stays with pupils as they move through the school.  Teachers manage their mixed-age classes well, in spite of the wide variations in pupils’ knowledge and skills. Tasks are designed well to deepen the understanding and apply the skills of the most able pupils as well as securing the basic skills of younger or less able pupils in the class. Pupils show great resilience in applying themselves to challenging tasks, and support each other well in their learning. Pupils make good progress as result. Just occasionally, the most able are not moved on quickly enough when they have completed a task or demonstrated secure understanding.  Teachers use assessment information well to adapt the challenge for pupils of different ages and abilities

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

in their classes. However, assessment information has not always been used to full effect to address the remaining gaps in the basic skills and understanding of older pupils in key stage 2. These include some who have special educational needs or disability and those who have arrived later in their school careers. Nonetheless, teachers and teaching assistants plan activities closely together to ensure that pupils are supported and challenged well in lessons.  The school’s new assessment system links closely to the clear objectives to which pupils work in all aspects of their learning in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers use this structure well to give pupils very helpful feedback through marking on how to improve their work. Pupils respond systematically to this feedback, and it has a significantly positive effect on pupils’ progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. From the time they enter the Reception class, children develop self-confidence and pride in their learning. Throughout the school, pupils’ attitudes to learning are excellent.  Pupils develop strong values of respect for each other, for the wider community, and for the world at large. They have a well-developed understanding of world affairs. For example, one group of pupils from Years 3 to 6 in this mainly White British, mono-ethnic school were able to talk with the inspector clearly about Black history, key figures in the civil rights movement and the struggle against apartheid. Pupils thrive as they take on a wide range of responsibilities, including as junior librarians or road safety officers, or in their election to the eco-council. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development equips them strongly with the skills needed to be caring and active citizens.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils and their parents say that children feel safe and that staff take very good care of them. For those who arrive at the school having been educated elsewhere, the warmth and safety offered by the staff at Garway are outstanding strengths. Pupils said that everyone gets along very well, but when there are occasional fall-outs, they are resolved quickly by the staff.  The curriculum enables pupils to recognise and guard against all kinds of bullying, and strongly promotes e-safety. Pupils told the inspector that bullying did not occur in the school, but that if it did, they would know what to do and whom to report it to. The ‘buddy’ system enables older pupils to offer sensitive support to younger ones.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils’ conduct in lessons and around the school is exceptionally polite, courteous, respectful and helpful, to each other and to staff. Expectations of positive behaviour are high among staff and pupils. Pupils are very punctual when moving between classes, so that activities get under way promptly.  Pupils greatly enjoy making full use of the school’s extensive and well-equipped grounds for vigorous and healthy play at break and lunchtimes. They mix together happily and play creatively.  Staff and leaders log thoroughly the very few incidents of poor behaviour or falling out, and the actions taken in response. Leaders look out for any patterns or trends and take action where necessary. There have been no exclusions. Staff work very closely and successfully with parents to resolve any behavioural difficulties that might show themselves when pupils first join the school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ attendance and rate of persistent absence are broadly in line with the national average. The attendance of those pupils eligible for the pupil premium has been proportionally lower than that for others in recent years. However, this picture is affected by small numbers, where illness to individuals can and does make a substantial difference to data.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The school’s new approaches for the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics are successfully improving achievement and raising standards. By thoroughly securing their basic knowledge and skills, teachers equip pupils with the confidence to apply these skills successfully to tasks in a wide range of contexts and challenges. Pupils are therefore well prepared for the next stage of their education.  The impact of these new approaches is sharply evident in national test and assessment results in the early years and key stage 1. The proportion of children in the early years reaching a good level of development has exceeded the national average for three years. Phonics reading scores in Year 1 have moved from no passes prior to the last inspection to consistently above average every following year. Key stage 1 assessments in reading, writing and mathematics improved very sharply to above average in

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Outcomes for pupils are good

2015.  The factors that underpin such improving assessment scores are evident in pupils’ books and their work in lessons. In reading they confidently apply a range of strategies to help them tackle increasingly challenging books; for example, using their phonics skills to break up and ‘sound out’ tricky words, or looking for other clues as prompts to help them. Pupils are helped by access to a wide range of books in the school library and individual classrooms: a culture of reading is now well established.  In writing, teachers reinforce technical accuracy in spelling and punctuation and encourage pupils to write very effectively in a wide range of different forms. For example, in a class of pupils from Years 2 to 4, pupils used bullet points correctly to summarise the main points of chapters they had read, and well- formed extended prose for their own stories and reports. In mathematics, pupils of all abilities use a

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Outcomes for pupils are good

substantial stock of practical resources and equipment to help them develop a strong understanding of number bonds and mathematical relationships, and concepts such as shape and measure.  Older pupils in Years 5 and 6 are also benefiting from these new approaches, and working with resilience and determination on challenging tasks. However, attainment has not improved as rapidly by the end of key stage 2. Year 6 cohort sizes have been small at six pupils per year since the last inspection, so it is difficult to read too much into national test information. However, while pupils overall by Year 6 make progress from their starting points at least in line with the national average, this progress is constrained by some gaps in pupils’ skills and understanding. This is especially so in mathematics, where, for example, some pupils’ lack of ready recall of basic number facts slows their efforts to solve problems.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

Similarly, reading is less confident and fluent for some because they have not had the secure grounding in the school’s phonics programme earlier in their school career.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress as a result of a careful assessment of their needs and clear identification of strategies to help them. Teachers and teaching assistants work closely together to meet the needs of individuals in the classroom.  Numbers of pupils eligible for the pupil premium are too low to make meaningful comparisons with the national averages by the end of Year 6, but across the school, gaps between their outcomes and those of others are narrow.  The school is increasingly very successful in promoting high attainment and strong progress for most-able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. In class, most-able pupils relish the challenges that are shaped to deepen their understanding. The school very successfully develops most-able pupils’

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Outcomes for pupils are good

enthusiasm for learning and enquiry, both in class and through many activities out of class.  Pupils apply their reading, writing and mathematical skills to enhance their learning across a broad range of subjects. They develop a very well-rounded understanding of the world around them, and their understanding of scientific method and scientific enquiry is very strong.

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Early years provision is outstanding

 The early years provision has a higher grade than the school overall because the progress made by children is consistently very strong, while there are some variations further up the school.  Children join the Reception Year with skills that are broadly in line with those expected for their age, although this year’s class had generally weaker number skills. At the end of the Reception Year, the proportion reaching a good level of development is above average. This has been so for the last three years.  Children make excellent progress overall, and especially so in their reading, writing and mathematics, and in their personal and social skills. Children are therefore fully equipped with all the skills they need for Year 1, as they mix and work readily with Year 1 pupils.  There are too few children eligible for support to allow this report to evaluate the impact of additional funding of the early years premium on the progress of disadvantaged children.

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Early years provision is outstanding

 Routines and expectations for children’s conduct and behaviour are very quickly established, so that from an early age, children learn to listen carefully to their teachers and cooperate very effectively when working independently. This exceptionally purposeful learning behaviour means that not a moment is lost.  As a result of a strong focus on learning, children demonstrate much evidence of their progress. Their learning journeys capture the broad range of activities in which they are involved. They also work in exercise books which show the rapid development of letter formation and early writing skills, and a confident command of number. Children confidently add and subtract in different units, including money, including using two-digit numbers.  Children develop very strong phonics skills, which enable them to become confident and regular readers.  Staff use assessment information very well to design activities that help children build on their previous

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Early years provision is outstanding

skills and learning. The classroom and outdoor area are exceptionally well designed and equipped; they are used flexibly to allow staff to teach small, focused groups while other children apply their skills independently to a range of engaging activities indoors and out.  Children are taught very well. Staff are sensitive to children’s needs, but have very high expectations and are firmly focused on ensuring that children advance in their learning and in their personal and social skills.  Parents have highly positive views of the provision for their children, and greatly value the regular opportunities to discuss progress and the ways their children learn. One parent spoke about the excellent early liaison with her to modify and improve the behaviour of her child at the start of the year to enable the child to make strong progress.  The early years provision is managed very effectively. Leaders liaise closely with the on-site pre-school

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Early years provision is outstanding

provision to ensure that children are well prepared to join Reception. Provision is thoroughly and regularly evaluated to inform improvement, and has benefited from external advice and support from the local authority and partner schools.

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School details

Unique reference number 116677 Local authority Herefordshire Inspection number 10012397

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School details

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 50 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tony Phillips Headteacher Julie Jones Telephone number 01600 750273 Website www.garwayprimaryschool.co.uk Email address admin@garway.hereford.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 8–9 May 2014

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Information about this school

 Garway Primary School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  There are three mixed-age classes. One class incorporates the Reception Year and Year 1, another Years 2 to 4, and another Years 5 and 6.  Most pupils are White British.  A broadly average proportion of pupils are disadvantaged and eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional government funding for pupils 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 above average, and is particularly high in Years 5 and 6.  Mobility into and out of the school is relatively high. This is related to the impact of small numbers. However, a high proportion join after the usual time of admission in Reception. Some have been home educated or attended other schools locally.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information links to the Department for Education performance tables on its website.  The school shares its site with a pre-school group, which is separately managed and inspected.  The school operates breakfast club provision before school each day.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in all classes, including joint observations with the headteacher. He looked at pupils’ books, and heard pupils from key stages 1 and 2 read. The inspector also attended a whole-school assembly.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils and governors, as well as school staff and leaders. Informal discussions also took place with staff and pupils, including in the playground during lunchtime and breaktime.  The inspector took account of 37 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire to provide evidence for the inspection, along with many free-text comments. Discussions were also held with parents before the start of the school day. Account was also taken of the six responses from staff to the staff questionnaire.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including assessment records, the school’s self- evaluation and development plan, and its safeguarding policies and records.

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Inspection team

Ian Hodgkinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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