Heathfield Infant School

HEATHFIELD INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 2 nd – 3 rd July 2001

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HEATHFIELD INFANT SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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HEATHFIELD INFANT SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Heathfield Infant School - 3 - July 2001

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Councillor M Jones

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: April 1997 Heathfield Infant School - 4 - July 2001

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Team members

2535 G Hitchcock Registered inspector 9275 C Kalms Lay inspector 13122 S Matthews Team inspector 23009 A G Hogbin Team inspector

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Team members

Strathblane House Ashfield Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 1BB

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Heathfield Infant School - 5 - July 2001

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 17

Heathfield Infant School - 6 - July 2001

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Heathfield Infant School is a larger than average infant school for children aged three to seven, situated in Twickenham, London. It is close to the flight path of aircraft taking off from Heathrow. The school has grown since the last inspection in 1997 when there were 265 pupils. There are now 341 pupils, including 102 part-time pupils in the nursery and 115 boys and 124 girls in the main school. They are taught in nine classes by 16 teachers, seven of whom are part-time. There are also two visiting teachers who provide support for pupils who speak English as an additional language and one who provides support for Traveller children. The average class size is 26. Thirty six per cent of pupils have special educational needs, which is above average and 2.5 per cent of pupils have statements of special educational need, which is also above average. The main areas of special educational need are learning difficulties, speech and language difficulties and emotional and behavioural

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

difficulties. There is a language unit attended by nine pupils with statements of special educational need, which provides special help for pupils with speech and language difficulties. Twenty five per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is above average. Thirty three per cent of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, which is very high and 33 per cent speak English as an additional language, with 15 per cent at an early stage in learning English, which is also a very high proportion. There is a high proportion of pupils (nine per cent) who are refugees seeking asylum and a total of eighteen different languages are spoken by pupils in the school. Pupils come from a wide range of social and financial backgrounds; the majority come from the local housing estate. Pupils have a wide range of attainments, but overall they start school with below average attainments.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an extremely effective school that promotes high standards and quality. A special feature of the school is the way in which children with a wide range of ethnic minority backgrounds and abilities and children from Traveller families are fully included in all of the school’s activities. This leads to a harmonious, industrious atmosphere. Pupils achieve exceptionally well and have excellent attitudes to school. The leadership of the headteacher is excellent and she is supported strongly by staff and governors. The school makes very good provision for pupils through the very good teaching and range of learning opportunities. This is achieved with an income that is broadly average. Consequently the school offers excellent value for money.

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What the school does well

• The standards pupils achieve and the excellent progress they make. • The headteacher provides excellent leadership, which is moving the school forward rapidly. • The wide variety of race, languages and ability within the school is celebrated and each child is valued and included in all the school has to offer. • Teaching is very good and sometimes excellent because teachers work hard to involve children actively in their learning and have very high expectations that children will succeed. • The rich and exciting curriculum which is reflected in eye-catching displays which celebrate pupils’ work.

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What could be improved

Heathfield Infant School is a highly effective school with no significant area of weakness. Neverthless the governing body and headteacher may wish to include the following points in their action plan.

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What could be improved

• The level of attendance of a minority of pupils. • The involvement of the community in the life of the school and the facilities the school has to offer. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Heathfield Infant School - 7 - July 2001

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made good improvements since the last inspection in 1997, when it was judged to be a good school. All of the key issues for improvement identified in the last report have been tackled successfully. In the last year the effective programme of staff training and the comparatively new system of classroom observation by senior staff, followed by feedback to teachers, has had a major impact on improving the quality of teaching. Leadership and management have improved and the school is on course to exceed its targets for 2001.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 7 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

Reading B C B A Well above average Above average A B

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Key

Writing A B A A* Average Below average C D Mathematics C C B A Well below average E

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Key

Children start school in the nursery class at the age of three with a wide range of attainments, but overall standards are below average. Pupils make excellent progress during their time in school, with standards moving from below average when they start to well above average by the time they leave at the age of seven. They get off to a flying start in the nursery, due to the very good teaching which, as well as providing a wide range of interesting activities, places a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ speech and language. This is consolidated in the reception classes so that by the time they leave the Foundation Stage at the age of six, pupils have made good progress and their standards are broadly average. They make excellent progress and achieve exceptionally well in Years 1 and 2, partly due to teachers’ very high expectations that every child will succeed and, as one teacher put it, ‘Children know that we will not accept anything sub-standard’. Another reason for the rapid progress

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Key

is the fact that teachers recognise that children learn in different ways and use a variety of strategies to give children the opportunity to learn in the way that suits them best.

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Key

Since the last inspection in 1997 when standards were judged to be average, with above average standards in English and mathematics and below average standards in design technology, standards have improved. The improvement is broadly in line with the national trend. There are particular strengths in mathematics and English, especially writing which is well above average compared with all schools nationally and in the top 5 per cent of similar schools. This is a notable achievement given the number of pupils who start school with limited understanding of English or with special educational needs. The school exceeded its targets for 2000 and the unconfirmed results for 2001 indicate that it has met the very challenging targets it set for this year, despite that fact that 49 per cent of pupils in the year group taking the tests had some special educational need. Heathfield Infant School - 8 - July 2001

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Excellent. The pupils love learning and enjoy school.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils respond well to the way teachers deal with behaviour and are polite and helpful.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Excellent. As they move through the school pupils grow in maturity and take responsibility willingly; they become increasingly independent in their work.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Below average. The school is taking active steps to improve the levels of attendance.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years Aged 5-7 years Aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen overall Very good Very good N/A Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years Aged 5-7 years Aged 7-11 years

The teaching was at least good in 95 per cent of lessons. It was satisfactory in a further 5 per cent and there was no unsatisfactory teaching. It was very good in 50 per cent of lessons and excellent in a further 10 per cent. Teaching was particularly strong in the nursery and Key Stage 1. The teaching has a direct impact on the standards pupils achieve and the outstandingly good progress they make as they move through the school. A key feature of the teaching is the way that teachers make full use of the training they have received about how children learn, and plan their lessons to help each child learn at the best pace and most effective method. Included in this is the constant encouragement for pupils to have the courage to work independently, which has a major impact on standards. Another factor is the excellent system of monitoring classroom teaching introduced this year, where teachers receive feedback on the strengths and areas for development of their teaching.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years Aged 5-7 years Aged 7-11 years

Teachers have very high expectation of pupils’ behaviour and the effort they put into their work. Pupils respond very well and as a result do their very best, which has a direct influence on the excellent progress they make. Teachers know their pupils well and meet the needs of all pupils very well so that by the time they leave school many pupils with special educational needs reach the national average and those who speak English as an additional language do better than the national average. The more able pupils are given extra challenging work by the teachers, which they love. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is particularly effective and is reflected in the results in national tests. Teachers are particularly skilful at dealing with pupils who have emotional and behavioural difficulties, so that disruption to both their own learning and that of the rest of the class is reduced to a minimum. The respect teachers show to pupils has a positive impact on the way pupils

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years Aged 5-7 years Aged 7-11 years

feel safe to ‘have a go’ and not fear failing. Teachers make sure that pupils from all minority ethnic backgrounds are fully included in all lessons, which has a positive impact on the way these pupils learn and on their relationships with one another. As one pupil put it ‘We are really a community – that means we work together as a team’. Heathfield Infant School - 9 - July 2001

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The school places a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy but ensures that there is also a wide range of other learning experiences.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Teachers and support assistants work together very well to provide effective support, which ensures that pupils make excellent progress.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. The comparatively high proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language receive highly effective support from visiting specialists and from the teachers. This enables them to make excellent progress in their schoolwork.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Excellent. There are many opportunities for pupils’ spiritual development in assemblies and lessons. They are taught the difference between right and wrong and learn to work and play together harmoniously. The wide variety of different cultures in our society is celebrated.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well. There are very good procedures for ensuring pupils’ welfare within a caring atmosphere, where teachers still expect pupils to work hard and do their best.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The school is very well led and managed. In particular the headteacher provides excellent leadership, which is moving the school forward rapidly. She is supported very well by staff and governors, which creates a positive atmosphere where children are expected to strive for excellence. The school applies the principles of best value extremely well.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are committed and supportive and fulfil their responsibilities well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Excellent. There are very good procedures for checking teaching which, although only introduced comparatively recently, are already having a positive effect on the quality of the teaching, especially in the way teachers understand how to improve pupils’ learning.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good. The headteacher and governors make good use of the money available for special educational needs and staff training. They are also imaginative in how they use accommodation to the best advantage, for example in the development of a new information and communication technology suite. Heathfield Infant School - 10 - July 2001

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school. • Children are expected to work hard. • The school helps children to become mature. • They feel comfortable approaching the school. • Their children make good progress. • The school works closely with parents. • The range of out of school activities. • The amount of homework (some thought there was too little and some thought there was too much).

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Several parents thought that the school uniform code was not enforced sufficiently.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with the parents’ positive views. The amount of homework is within national guidelines and inspectors judged that it is used effectively. The range of out of school activities is broadly average. During the inspection pupils were dressed appropriately in school uniform. Heathfield Infant School - 11 - July 2001

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

The standards pupils achieve and the excellent progress they make.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1 The pupils’ performance in the 2000 tests for seven-year-olds reached standards that were above average in reading and mathematics and well above average in writing when compared to all school nationally. When compared to similar schools, standards in reading and mathematics were well above average and in writing they were in the top 5 per cent. The key feature to consider when looking at these results is the excellent progress pupils make from the time they start school with below average attainments, to when they leave at the age of seven. It is also important to notice the very high standards in writing, which nationally tend to be below those of reading, but in this school are higher than in reading. Given the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and of pupils who speak English as an additional language, this is a notable achievement. The unconfirmed results from the 2001 tests and the standards of work seen during the inspection were

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2 A number of factors affect the outstanding progress pupils make in the school. The very high expectations of the headteacher and staff is a key factor. All children are expected to do their best and adults assume that everyone can succeed to the best of their ability. Pupils are helped to achieve this by the atmosphere of respect for each individual, so that pupils know they are valued and are encouraged to value each other. They feel safe to ‘have a go’ and risk getting it wrong, which partly explains the growing independence pupils show in their learning. Consequently there is no laughter when a pupil makes a wrong answer – rather pupils help each other to find the right one.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3 Another important element contributing to this independence is the recently introduced training that teachers have received in understanding how pupils learn. They consciously adopt a range of different styles that suit different ways of learning, so that each pupil is helped to learn in the way and at the pace that suits them best. This is particularly noticeable in Key Stage 1 and the nursery, where pupils make rapid progress. Pupils are encouraged to take an active part in their own learning, rather than having a few people answering questions while the rest sit waiting. One example was in a literacy lesson in Year 1 where pupils looking at a letter with an exclamation mark were asked to discuss with each other what it was used for and what expression they would use to read a passage ending with an exclamation mark. Every pupil was involved in discussing with a neighbour and they enjoyed coming up with suggestions. In an information and communication

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

technology (ICT) lesson in Year 2, on a simple point of remembering the target for the lesson, when it seemed that some were unsure, the teacher said ‘Just chat to your neighbour and decide what you want to tell me’. Within one minute when she asked again, the whole class answered correctly and in unison.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4 The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been implemented very effectively and the school has adapted them appropriately to the needs of Heathfield pupils. As a result pupils love mathematics and are improving steadily. This is illustrated by the fact that the proportion of children reaching the higher than expected Level 3 in national tests was well above average for all schools nationally, which shows that the school is doing well for the more able pupils as well as for Heathfield Infant School - 12 - July 2001 those with special educational needs. Pupils’ excellent attitudes to learning play a big part in their success. They respond very well to their teachers’ expectations and love to learn. For example in one Year 2 mathematics lesson pupils were working in groups to solve a challenge on sequencing numbers. The whole class was busy, active and absorbed, when one group working on sequences using the number 9

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

suddenly explained it to others saying ‘We tried to help each other but we couldn’t so we got a number square and discovered that our numbers made a diagonal pattern on the number square’.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5 The standard of writing testifies to the success of the work on literacy, but in addition, the school places constant emphasis on developing speaking and listening. This starts in the nursery, where a significant proportion of pupils start school with limited language skills, either because of speech difficulties or because they speak another language at home and know little English. The school’s constant focus on adults modelling the correct way to speak has a major impact on the progress pupils make. The partnership between the external specialists supporting pupils who speak English as an additional language and Traveller children is very effective in ensuring that pupils are able to succeed and achieve. For example, pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds achieved higher scores overall in national tests than children who had always spoken English.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6 The school exceeded its targets for 2000 and the unconfirmed results for 2001 indicate that it has met the very challenging targets it set for this year, despite that fact that 49 per cent of pupils in the year group taking the tests had some special educational need. Standards in science and ICT are also above average and from the evidence of pupils’ work and the lively displays, pupils make very good progress in all other subjects, especially art.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

7 The very good teaching, which sets challenges to which pupils are eager to respond, and the leadership which establishes an ethos where every child is expected and helped to succeed, have a direct impact on the standards pupils achieve and the excellent progress they make as they move through the school. Pupils get off to a flying start in the nursery. This is consolidated in the reception classes, so that by the time they leave the Foundation Stage standards are broadly average, and they take off in Key Stage 1 where they make excellent progress due to teachers’ very high expectations and the skilful teaching they receive.

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rapidly

8 The new headteacher has an outstandingly clear vision of what the school should be and what should be done to achieve it. She moved swiftly when she took up her post in September 2000. One of the first actions was to establish a comprehensive evaluation of the school, which identified strengths and a number of key areas needing development. This formed the basis of what some staff described as ‘a whirlwind’ of change, including: - raising standards further, especially those reached by lower ability pupils; - monitoring, evaluating and improving teaching; - upgrading the provision for ICT; - improving the quality of the environment in which pupils learn.

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rapidly

9 All of these areas have been addressed very effectively. A new senior management team made up of key staff from within the school was appointed and this is having a Heathfield Infant School - 13 - July 2001 positive impact on the quality of leadership and the standards in the school. Members of the new management team described the rapid change as ‘challenging at first, but now we know where we are going, what we are doing and it has helped to give us confidence in our ability to improve further’. This is mirrored in the full support of the staff and governors, and helps to create the positive, dynamic atmosphere of the school.

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rapidly

10 The headteacher makes challenging demands on staff, for example in improving the quality of the environment in which pupils learn. Teachers have responded very positively, resulting in the quality of displays of pupils’ work now being one of the strengths. A new ICT suite has been created, with the help of parents, who decorated the room themselves. The pupils love this room and talk enthusiastically about what they learn here. The fact that standards in ICT are now above average is a tribute to both the management decision to make this a priority and the enthusiastic response of teachers, who have become skilled at teaching the subject.

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rapidly

11 The headteacher’s introduction of a rigorous system of checking classroom teaching, which is carried out by her, senior staff and visiting consultants has had a major impact on improving the quality of teaching. One element that was identified as needing improvement was an understanding of how children learn, so that they could be helped to make progress faster. Staff received training in the importance of actively involving children in their learning and organising teaching strategies that used all their senses. This ensures that pupils are interested, eager to learn and make excellent progress.

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rapidly

12 The last inspection judged the leadership to be good, but with a number of weaknesses such as the need to introduce classroom observations and to improve the role of co-ordinators. It has improved to very good overall, with the headteacher providing excellent leadership. A key factor is the fact that the headteacher values all members of the school community and provides purposeful opportunities for them to develop their skills and abilities. This excellent leadership sets a caring yet challenging tone for the school, which is reflected in the teachers’ dealings with pupils and in the harmonious, industrious atmosphere. Teamwork is a strength of the school and obviously permeates to the children, for example when a Year 2 pupil said ‘We are really a community – that means we work as team’. Another pupil took it further by saying ‘The whole school works as a team’.

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The wide variety of race, languages and ability within the school is celebrated and

each child is valued and included in all the school has to offer.

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The wide variety of race, languages and ability within the school is celebrated and

13 There is a very special atmosphere in Heathfield Infant School, where every child, whatever their colour, race, gender or ability is valued. This rubs off on the children who consequently value each other, and results in an atmosphere of racial harmony, where pupils of different race and gender play together happily. This was reported as a strength in the last report, but the new headteacher has made the principle of including all children in all that the school has to offer a central part of what the school provides. This extends to pupils who have behavioural difficulties; teachers work tirelessly to help these pupils behave in a way that is acceptable to the rest of the school community and are largely successful in their efforts. Where a pupil behaves in a completely unacceptable way, such as striking a teacher, this is not tolerated and parents are asked to collect the child at once. However it is a

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The wide variety of race, languages and ability within the school is celebrated and

tribute to the success of the school’s approach to valuing pupils while setting Heathfield Infant School - 14 - July 2001 boundaries for their behaviour, that during the inspection no incident of bad behaviour was observed.

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The wide variety of race, languages and ability within the school is celebrated and

14 The school sets an example for pupils in the way that they approach pupils. There was an excellent example of the inclusion of a pupil whose sight is impaired when the headteacher involved him in all aspects of the assembly. This is clearly routine, as the pupils collaborated in letting him feel their sheep masks, wolf masks and shepherd’s crook in the story of ‘The boy who cried wolf’ quite naturally. They carry this approach on into the playground where they play with and help pupils with disabilities.

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The wide variety of race, languages and ability within the school is celebrated and

15 The school makes very good use of the home backgrounds of pupils to promote the understanding of the values and customs of other cultures. All teachers have information about the country of origin of pupils in their class as well as about specific religious beliefs that may affect the pupil in school. Every teacher has an ‘inclusion sheet’ where they track the progress of pupils of different abilities and backgrounds. It is a reflection of this atmosphere that the group of children who spoke of the school as a community was made up of black African, Pakistani, white European and white English.

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involve children actively in their learning and have very high expectations that

16 The teaching is very good overall. It was at least good in 95 per cent of lessons. It was satisfactory in a further 5 per cent and there was no unsatisfactory teaching. It was very good in 50 per cent of lessons and excellent in a further 10 per cent. Teaching was particularly strong in the nursery and Key Stage 1.

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involve children actively in their learning and have very high expectations that

17 An important feature of the lessons observed was that in almost all of them the teachers had very high expectations of success. As a result the pupils respond and meet the challenges set them. One Year 2 pupil said ‘It’s hard but I love it’. The high expectations are balanced with a care for each child, so that teachers are aware of the problems and difficulties a child may be facing, both personally and in their work, and gear what they say to take account of this. However, this does not mean lowering expectations of what pupils can achieve, simply that there is a good balance between care and challenge.

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involve children actively in their learning and have very high expectations that

18 A significant development in the last year has been the headteacher’s introduction of training on the different ways children learn. Staff have responded very positively to this and it is noticeable that within lessons there is a variety of different techniques designed to engage children, drawing on all their senses, especially sight, sound and touch. This is very successful and in almost all lessons pupils are actively involved throughout. An example of the way this is used as a natural part of learning occurred in one lesson where the teacher played music at the start of the lesson. One of the pupils explained ‘This is to help us to settle down so that we can concentrate and work well’. Heathfield Infant School - 15 - July 2001 19 Teachers provide interesting and stimulating activities, to which pupils respond with enthusiasm. As a result their excellent attitudes to learning make a significant

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involve children actively in their learning and have very high expectations that

contribution to the progress they make. This is particularly noticeable in Key Stage 1 and the nursery. The active involvement of pupils in their own learning has another advantage in the increasing independence pupils take for their own learning. They enjoy the challenges they receive and the rewards of ‘thinking stars’ for pupils who have worked especially hard. For example in a Year 2 mathematics lesson three pupils were awarded thinking stars for their homework and a group of five working on sequencing numbers were given a thinking star for solving problems.

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involve children actively in their learning and have very high expectations that

20 The basic skills of reading, writing and number are taught very effectively as shown in the test results for seven-year-olds and the high standard of writing achieved by the end of Year 2. For example in a Year 1 class all the pupils were enthralled to receive a letter from the headteacher telling them about her weekend and inviting them to write to her. They were all excited about identifying where there should be a full stop and capital letter and why some sentences had question marks. The teachers’ skilful recapitulation of the main punctuation rules helped them to achieve good standards in their replies, as well as generating great enthusiasm for the task. The progress pupils make in Year 1 and 2 is a tribute to this very good teaching of basic skills.

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involve children actively in their learning and have very high expectations that

21 Pupils with special educational needs are supported very well. Class teachers, with support from the special educational needs co-ordinator, identify the next steps each child needs to take and work very effectively with classroom assistants to achieve this. The classroom assistants make a valuable contribution to helping these pupils make progress. Those in the speech and language unit are also supported well in their learning. The excellent progress made by pupils who speak English as an additional language is due to the skilful support of teachers and classroom assistants and to the partnership of teachers and visiting specialists from the ethnic minority and Traveller support service.

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involve children actively in their learning and have very high expectations that

22 Teachers use praise positively to raise pupils’ self esteem. This sometimes involves the whole class. When one class identified the effect of the final ‘e’ on words such as ‘code’ and pine’ the teacher said ‘You are the very best I’ve ever had on magic e’. In other cases it is targeted to a group, as when a teacher said ‘Brilliant, I wondered whether anyone would spot that’.

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involve children actively in their learning and have very high expectations that

23 The whole school’s emphasis on speaking and listening, which starts in the nursery and continues until pupils leave school, has a major impact on the progress pupils make and their confidence in speaking in class or to larger groups such as whole school assemblies.

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The rich and exciting curriculum which is reflected in eye-catching displays that

24 The school places great emphasis on the teaching of literacy and numeracy and is successful in enabling pupils to reach high standards of reading, writing and number. However, it still makes time for pupils to enjoy a wide range of other experiences. In the nursery class pupils enjoy and learn from activities such as a table-top island with a sandy beach, sea and small toys to represent sea creatures. They make full use of the sand, water, painting, and the very wide range of outdoor activities available. The whole school has an art week, and during the inspection parents were shown a large tapestry made up of the pictures pupils had made. Heathfield Infant School - 16 - July 2001 There are also book weeks with visiting authors and visits to places such as Birdworld and Legoland, which help to enrich pupils’ experience. They love ICT and are always eager to talk about what they can do on the computers.

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The rich and exciting curriculum which is reflected in eye-catching displays that

25 The learning experiences of pupils are very well reflected in the eye-catching displays, which celebrate pupils’ work and help to reinforce pupils’ learning.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

26 The level of attendance is below average. This is partly because parents take pupils on extended visits to relatives in other countries and partly because a minority of pupils have poor attendance rates.

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The involvement of the community in the life of the school and the facilities the school

27 The school has good relationships with parents and many are actively involved in the school; for example parents decorated the new ICT suite themselves. However it tends to be the same parents who are involved in every activity. There is scope for extending adult involvement in the school to include not only parents but also members of the wider community.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

28 Heathfield Infant School is a highly effective school with no significant area of weakness. Neverthless the governing body and headteacher may wish to include the following points in their action plan.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The level of attendance of a minority of pupils.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• improve the overall level of attendance by discouraging long term absence for visits to relatives in other countries; • focussing on those pupils whose attendance is less than 90 per cent.

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The involvement of the community in the life of the school and the facilities the school

• explore every option for involving the community more actively in the life of the school and the facilities the school has to offer. Heathfield Infant School - 17 - July 2001

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 17

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

10 50 35 5 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 51 239

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals n/a 59 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 4 90

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 78

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 32

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 16

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Heathfield Infant School - 18 - July 2001

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 46 47 93

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 39 41 40 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 42 45 43

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 87 (89) 92 (87) 89 (89) At NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 39 38 42 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 43 39 43

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 88 (90) 83 (90) 91 (94) At NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Heathfield Infant School - 19 - July 2001

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 2 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 4 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 10 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.12 Financial year 2000/01

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.4

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y2 Total expenditure 735,705

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8.0 Expenditure per pupil 2,469

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 236 Balance brought forward from previous year 31,225

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 8,322

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 51.0

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 3.0

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 12.8 FTE means full-time equivalent. Heathfield Infant School - 20 - July 2001

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Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 69 28 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 41 50 4 1 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 47 34 9 1 9

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 41 51 3 1 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 65 31 1 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 67 32 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 48 46 3 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 51 39 5 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 57 39 1 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 25 38 12 5 20

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