Ashfield Park Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Ashfield Park Primary School Redhill Road, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 5AU

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Outcome

Ashfield Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They speak enthusiastically about the wide range of subjects fitted into a busy week of lessons. This is topped up by further experiences, such as rehearsals for a church concert with the Ross ‘Penyard Singers’ or engaging with their member of parliament about the future of the local skateboard park.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders promote a highly inclusive school, where they want all pupils to do well. New arrivals, whether from overseas or other local schools, appreciate how welcomed and involved they are in school life. This is also true for those who struggle with their learning or emotions. Consequently, pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are a strength of the school. They are respectful to each other. Pupils take on many responsibilities, such as sports and digital leaders. They know how to keep themselves safe, including when online. Those spoken to said they would always report any concerns they had.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have learned about the wider world through their partnership links with Namutumba in Uganda, and diversity closer to home with a trip to the local mosque.

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

The school has put in place a highly ambitious curriculum, where every subject is taught throughout the year. This is enhanced in subjects where the school offers specialist teaching, for example in French and music. The school has strengthened the role of subject leaders. They are well trained to oversee and make checks on their subject. In addition, they have dedicated management time to carry this out. In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is not as well developed as others, particularly where there has been a recent turnover of leadership. 11 and 12 June 2024

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Children get off to a flying start with reading in Reception, with most having gained valuable experience in the school’s nursery. Teachers and additional adults are well trained to teach the phonics programme consistently well. This includes children with additional needs based in the nurture hub. Pupils in Year 1 and beyond can decode unfamiliar words using the phonics skills they have learned. As a result, all pupils, including those who find reading difficult, are new to English, or are at an early stage of reading, are gaining the knowledge and skills they need to become fluent readers.

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In many subjects, including in mathematics and history, the curriculum has been carefully designed to build pupils’ knowledge sequentially with key concepts and vocabulary identified. Pupils spoken to were able to recall their learning well, including themes studied in previous years. Pupils remembered learning about the life of ancient Egyptians. They recalled the practical experience of using tools and equipment used at the time to construct the pyramids to evaluate how well their school was built. In numeracy, children in Reception have been learning about the composition of numbers up to seven.

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In each subject, the school has made adaptations to the curriculum for pupils whose special educational needs and disabilities have been identified well, and those who speak English as an additional language. This enables pupils to access learning and demonstrate what they have learned, for example, through electronic devices.

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The school has put systems in place to identify what pupils have learned and where there are gaps that need to be addressed. Teachers’ effective use of mini quizzes and ‘live’ marking ensures that feedback to pupils is immediate and relevant.

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Attendance rates have continued to improve and the school is successfully reducing the rate of persistent absence. Effective communication and strong relationships with parents have led to a reduction in term-time holidays. A large majority of parents would recommend the school to another parent.

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Pupils take part in a range of activities, including breakfast club, athletics, construction and fencing. However, they would like even more. Pupils have experienced voting by electing members to the school council. They respect other faiths through celebrations for Eid and Diwali. Pupils are highly supportive towards those who find learning difficult or have different backgrounds to their own. Relationships between pupils are harmonious. They welcome the increasing level of diversity within the school community.

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Staff appreciate leaders’ consideration of their workload and well-being. They value the revision of the marking policy. Governance has been strengthened through the appointment of new members with a wide range of professional experiences. They are highly focused on evaluating the curriculum through visits to school and meeting subject leaders to support the school in making further improvements

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 11 and 12 June 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the curriculum is not as well embedded as in others. In these instances, pupils are not as secure in their knowledge and understanding. The school should ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is well established to enable pupils to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to achieve well.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2015.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 11 and 12 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The chair of the governing body and a large number of other governors were appointed after the last inspection.  There are three combined Year 1 and Year 2 classes at present. Next year, the school intends to revert to a one-form entry in each year group.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 his evaluation of the school. 11 and 12 June 2024

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, teachers and other staff.  The inspector spoke to groups of pupils.  The inspector met five members of the governing body, including the chair.  The inspector took account of responses to the Ofsted Parent View free-text service, the online questionnaire, the staff survey and the pupil survey. The inspector also spoke with a parent on the telephone.  The inspector considered information on pupils’ behaviour, attendance and personal development.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, he held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also listened to pupils read and discussed the curriculum in some other subjects, including in the early years foundation stage.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Mark Sims, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 June 2024

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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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