Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School

Inspection of Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School School Lane, Fenstanton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 9JR

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 13–14 February 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are experiencing the benefits of some improvements since the previous inspection. The early years provision is of a higher quality and now includes the on- site preschool. Most pupils now have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils told us that they enjoy learning in a range of subjects. A new curriculum is in place. However, pupils are not yet achieving as well as they could, because teaching does not yet build well enough on what pupils have learned before.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and well cared for. Pupils understand the school’s new behaviour strategies and say they are used well. As a result, pupils now behave well most of the time. Occasionally, pupils drift off task. Bullying is rare. Pupils are confident that adults would normally deal with any behavioural incidents well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and attend well. They talk confidently about their learning. They work and play well together. They enjoy clubs including those for British Sign Language and bird watching. Pupils are proud to be school councillors and play leaders.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide a varied curriculum. Parents and carers learn about this during the well-attended family cafés. Year 6 pupils told us they get helpful information about secondary school.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised improving pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical skills. At the same time, they have identified what pupils need to learn in other subjects, including geography and music. The reviewed curriculum contains a well-thought- out sequence of skills and knowledge that pupils should learn. However, teaching does not always build on pupils’ prior learning effectively.

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better?

Leaders and teachers have taken on board guidance from the school’s recent training in how to teach English and mathematics. New, enthusiastic subject leaders are developing their skills well. Some correctly recognise that they require additional training to further improve their leadership skills. Where weaknesses in leadership have been identified, the headteacher and governors are beginning to take appropriate action.

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better?

Teachers do not use what they know about pupils’ previous learning as well as they could to plan and adapt their teaching. As a result, they do not match activities well enough to pupils’ needs and abilities. Leaders are improving the provision for pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most receive the appropriate support they need, so that they can access the full curriculum.

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better?

Reading and phonics are taught well. Pupils’ attainment is beginning to reflect this. Pupils who fall behind receive effective support to catch up. Older pupils talk 13–14 February 2020

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enthusiastically about the books they read by different authors. They use the skills they have learned to help them tackle challenging books. Younger pupils use their knowledge of phonics to read and spell accurately.

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Over time, achievement in writing has been too low in key stages 1 and 2. A well- sequenced writing plan is ensuring that pupils build on their previous learning successfully. This is improving pupils’ skills when writing traditional tales, diary extracts and newspaper reports. Pupils apply their writing skills well in other subjects.

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The new mathematics leaders have an accurate view of the quality of education in their subject. They ensure that teachers plan from a coherent curriculum plan. Pupils in key stage 2 learn and remember key mathematical knowledge. However, too many teachers do not use assessment effectively to identify gaps in pupils’ learning.

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Some parents have concerns about behaviour. The revised procedures for managing pupils’ behaviour have led to a more settled atmosphere in class and on the playground. Leaders provide regular newsletters and family cafés to improve communication, but a small minority of parents have concerns about pupils’ behaviour and the school’s communication with parents.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal development is effective. Staff provide a range of interesting experiences, including visits, musical performances and sporting activities. Through music and geography, pupils learn to respect different cultures.

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Leaders in early years organise the curriculum well. Adults carefully plan and skilfully adapt activities to meet children’s individual needs. Adults show children how to behave well and have good manners. Children respond admirably. They settle into their learning quickly and are keen to learn. Children make a good start to learning and leave well prepared for Year 1.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders take pupils’ safety and well-being seriously. Staff understand the safeguarding procedures. Any concerns are appropriately logged and carefully followed up. Leaders ensure that vulnerable pupils receive appropriate help from staff and external agencies.

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Safeguarding

Leaders complete the required checks on all adults who work in the school. Governors oversee the safeguarding checks and ensure that all legal requirements are in place.

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Safeguarding

Staff and governors take part in regular safeguarding training to keep up to date. Staff have been trained in the risks of extremism and criminal exploitation.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including how to stay safe online. 13–14 February 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not implement the curriculum well enough in some subjects because they do not use assessment effectively. Leaders need to ensure that all teachers use their knowledge of what pupils know and understand to inform their teaching.  The curriculum is not delivered well in every subject. Leaders have not checked this well enough. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum is effectively implemented in all subjects.  Some parents have concerns about pupils’ behaviour and lack of communication. Leaders and governors need to improve communication with all parents to address these concerns.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 13–14 February 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121350 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.fenstanton-hilton.eschools.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1–2 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 In September 2019, the school took over the governance of the on-site preschool. This includes provision for two- and three-year-olds. There are 25 children on roll.  Leaders and governors work with the local authority to develop school improvement.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 As part of this inspection, we held meetings with the headteacher, the leader of special educational needs, the early years leaders and subject leaders. We also met with groups of teachers and pupils. I met a group of governors and two representatives from the local authority.  We did deep dives in reading, writing, mathematics, geography and music. We spoke with subject leaders, visited lessons, evaluated work in pupils’ books and met with teachers and pupils to determine the quality of education. 13–14 February 2020

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 We scrutinised a wide range of documents, including curriculum planning and development, records of behaviour and exclusions, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, its development plan and documents provided by the local authority.  We took account of the 24 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff.  An inspector spoke to parents at the end of the day and we considered the 71 responses and 54 free-texts responses submitted to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey.  We spoke to pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning. We also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during breaktime and lunchtime. We also considered the 87 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  We reviewed the school’s safeguarding policy, procedures and records, including recruitment checks of adults working at the school. We spoke with pupils, staff and the designated safeguarding leader.

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Inspection team

Julie Harrison, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Wilson Her Majesty’s Inspector 13–14 February 2020

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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