Queen's Hill Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Queen’s Hill Primary School Kestrel Avenue, Queen’s Hills, Costessey, Norwich, Norfolk NR8 5FT

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Outcome

Queen’s Hill Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. Pupils feel safe, and are helped to develop academically and personally in a nurturing environment. Expectations are high for everybody. Staff create interesting lessons. They treat pupils with respect and kindness. Pupils appreciate this, so always do their best work and behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ knowledge of most of the subjects they study builds well over time. They achieve well, overall. Pupils are well prepared for their future lives. They develop a lively curiosity about the world around them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a peaceful, well-organised school. Bullying is very rare. If it does happen, pupils know staff will resolve it quickly and well. Pupils learn how to make safe choices. This includes knowing how to use the internet safely.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking part in a wide range of creative and sports activities. These include taking part in ‘Nature Club’ or as part of the technology modelling club. They enjoy the residential trips, where they practise their teamwork skills in problem-solving challenges. Pupils enjoy being part of the wider community, such as when they planted trees and built bird boxes for the local park. Parents appreciate the work of the school staff both in regard to the care they provide and the curriculum on offer.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have constructed a curriculum that provides pupils with the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to develop into well-rounded individuals. Pupils are well prepared for the next stages in their education. Leaders plan the curriculum so that pupils build knowledge of the important aspects of the subjects they study. It is designed to capture pupils’ interests. This helps pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to be motivated to learn. 28 and 29 March 2023

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Teachers break down learning into manageable chunks, so that pupils build towards learning more complex ideas in a logical order. Teachers check regularly on how well pupils understand new content and knowledge. However, in a few subjects, teachers do not plan lessons that teach the key content and knowledge leaders have intended. This means that pupils do not learn all the knowledge they need, so find it difficult to recall and use this knowledge. This means that pupils do not learn as well in these subjects as they do in others.

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Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading. Leaders have adopted a well-constructed phonics programme. This is taught from the beginning of the Reception Year. Staff are well trained, and teach phonics and reading confidently and well. The books that pupils read match the sounds that they know. This helps them practise using their phonic knowledge. This helps most pupils become confident and fluent readers. In all years, staff provide extra practice for pupils who have fallen behind with their reading so that they can catch up. Teachers introduce pupils to a wide range of classic and modern fiction. Pupils can choose from a rich stock of books to support their reading at school and home. Pupils become avid readers. They enjoy visiting the school’s libraries and visiting the mobile library.

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Leaders are ambitious for pupils with SEND. Staff quickly identify pupils’ needs. They secure early support and expert help for pupils with SEND when needed. Leaders provide teachers with helpful information. They support teachers in adapting the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND. This ensures that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers and achieve well.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Pupils can get on with their work in lessons without any distractions. Leaders establish effective routines right from the start of the early years. Pupils treat each other with respect. They show consideration for others through their thoughtful actions and behaviour. If any conflict arises, leaders support pupils to talk to each other and restore positive relationships. Leaders have constructed a curriculum that helps pupils develop empathy towards each other. Leaders provide a harmonious environment where diversity is valued. Everybody values each other for the contributions they make to school life.

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Staff have deliberately planned and extended pupils’ opportunities to develop themselves beyond the academic curriculum. For example, pupils learn about the importance of managing their finances as they grow up, and the link between debt and poor mental health. They also learn about the importance of supportive, loving relationships, and how these can take many different forms.

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Staff feel valued. They appreciate the consideration that leaders give to their well-being. Staff appreciate the time and support they receive so they can carry out their roles effectively. Governors provide effective support and challenge for leaders. 28 and 29 March 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

A strong culture of safeguarding underpins leaders’ intentions to ensure pupils are safe. Leaders complete all the required checks when recruiting staff to the school.

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Safeguarding

Staff are adept at recognising pupils who may need help or who are at risk of abuse. Staff know the potential risks that pupils may face and report all concerns, which are followed up quickly. Leaders act to keep pupils safe. They work with a range of external agencies, when necessary, to protect pupils at risk of harm.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to recognise unsafe situations. They learn how to protect themselves when working online at home and school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, teachers plan lessons where the content does not match leaders’ curriculum intent. This means that pupils do not learn and cannot recall important content and subject knowledge. Leaders must ensure that, in all subjects, teachers plan lessons that help pupils learn the important subject knowledge and content leaders have identified in their plans, so that they learn equally well across the curriculum.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2017. 28 and 29 March 2023

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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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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. 28 and 29 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 and 28 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  As part of this inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, who is also the designated safeguarding lead. He also met with the three assistant headteachers and the two special educational needs coordinators. The inspector also held meetings with teachers from the school.  The inspector held a conversation with six members of the governing body. They also held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some

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Information about this inspection

pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 28 and 29 March 2023

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 The inspector also looked at work in science, geography and religious education.  The inspector listened to pupils read and spoke with pupils at lunchtimes.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector considered information and records, including the school’s single central record of vetting checks on adults working at the school. The inspector also held discussions with the designated safeguarding lead, staff and governors to discuss their work to keep pupils safe.  The inspector took account of 155 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the 109 comments made to the free-text facility. He also took account of the 59 responses to the staff survey and gathered the views of pupils.

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Inspection team

Tim McLoughlin, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 March 2023

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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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