Other · Ofsted report

Hatfeild Primary School

Inspected — · published 14 Jan 2003 · URN 102632

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Full report text

HATFEILD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7-10 th October 2002

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HATFEILD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Full 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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HATFEILD PRIMARY 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. Hatfeild Primary School- 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Lower Morden Lane Morden Surrey Postcode: SM4 4SJ

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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: Cllr Debbie Shears

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 3 rd March 1997 Hatfeild Primary School- 4

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responsibilities

15477 John Messer Registered inspector Mathematics Art and design The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? 8991 Pamela Goldsack Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school work in partnership with parents? How well does the school care for its pupils? 1710 Thelma Edwards Team inspector English History Religious education Special educational needs How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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responsibilities

23475 Karen Tomkins Team inspector Foundation Stage Science Design and technology 15023 Ali Haouas Team inspector Information and communication technology Geography Music Physical education Educational inclusion Hatfeild Primary School- 5 The inspection contractor was:

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responsibilities

Serco QAA Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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responsibilities

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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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Hatfeild Primary School- 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This primary school has 397 boys and girls on roll and is bigger than most primary schools. It is in a state of transition; until a year ago it was a first school catering for pupils from 3 to 8 years old and is now in the process of becoming a primary school that has pupils from 3 to 11 years old. The transition has begun with the addition of Year 4 and 5 classes; Year 6 classes will commence in September 2003. Around a fifth of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds and a significant proportion, around ten per cent, speak English as an additional language. An average proportion of pupils, around 15 per cent, are entered on the school’s register of special educational needs because they need some extra help with their learning. Ten pupils, an above average number, have statements of special educational need because they require much more assistance; several of these have diagnoses of Down’s syndrome and

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

autism. Children’s attainment on entry to the school is broadly average but there is a wide spread of ability in each year group; particularly able pupils are well represented.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school that provides an effective education for its pupils. As a result of the predominantly good teaching, pupils achieve well and attain standards that are above average in speaking and listening, reading, writing, mathematics, science and art and design. The leadership and management of the school are good. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The standards that pupils attain in speaking and listening , reading, writing, mathematics, science and art and design are above average. • Teaching; most is good, a significant proportion is very good and occasionally it is excellent. • Relationships throughout the school are very good and promote good attitudes and an enthusiasm for learning. • Parents, governors, teachers and support staff work well together to improve the quality of education that the school provides. • It encourages pupils to co-operate and support each other in their learning. • Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and their achievement is good.

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What could be improved

• The use of computers to improve the quality of teaching and learning in each of the subjects that pupils study. • Systems that show all pupils, including the most able pupils and those with English as an additional language, how well they are doing and how to improve. • The sharing of good practice so that all teaching reaches the high standards of the best. • The quality of learning opportunities for children in the nursery and reception classes so that all activities are purposeful, stimulating and challenging. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. They have already been identified by the school as areas for improvement and feature in the school’s development planning.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the school was last inspected in March 1997, the quality of teaching and learning has improved. The above average standards pupils attain in reading, writing, and art and design have been maintained. Standards in mathematics and science have improved. There has been a steadily increasing trend in the school’s performance in mathematics over the past four years. The trend in reading and writing has not been so consistent and the school’s performance in this year’s tests dipped a little in both reading and writing but remain above national averages. The average standards in most of the other subjects have been maintained. More pupils now attain higher standards in speaking and listening. However, there is still scope to improve the attainment of the most able pupils. Provision for children in the nursery, now part of the new Foundation Stage, is not as well developed as it was judged to be in 1997. The issue of

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

communicating with parents about how they can help with reading and about appropriate kit for physical Hatfeild Primary School- 8 education have been resolved. Governors visit the school regularly and now have a greater understanding of the work of the school. The use of computers to support teaching and learning has not advanced as much as in most schools. However, a new computer suite has just been built and equipped so the school is now poised to make significant advances on this front. The leadership and management of the school and the value for money provided by the school are better than at the time of the last inspection. Overall there has been a good degree of improvement since 1997.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on National Curriculum test results.

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Key

reading D C B C well above average above average A B writing D C A B average below average C D mathematics C C B C well below average E

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Key

Children’s achievement in the nursery and reception classes is satisfactory and most children are on course to meet the early learning goals in all the areas of learning specified in national guidance by the end of the reception year.

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Key

Pupils’ achievement in Years 1 and 2 is good. By the end of Year 2 pupils attain standards that are above average in speaking and listening, reading, writing, mathematics, science and art and design. These findings concur with national test and assessment results, which show that in 2001 the school’s performance was above average in reading, mathematics and science and was well above average in writing. Pupils are well on course to attain average standards in all other subjects by the end of Year 2 except that in music there was insufficient evidence available to make judgements about the standards that pupils in Year 2 attain. Pupils achieve well in Years 3, 4 and 5 and most pupils are on course to attain standards that are above average in English, mathematics, science and art and design by the end of Year 5. They are on course to attain average standards in all the other subjects.

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Key

Across the school pupils’ achievement in religious education is satisfactory and by the ends of Years 2 and 5 most pupils are likely to attain standards that are in line with the expectations described in the locally agreed syllabus.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils are keen to learn and are eager to succeed.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils are courteous, attentive and show respect in lessons and outdoors. The school is an orderly community with a good atmosphere for learning. Hatfeild Primary School- 9 Personal development and relationships Good overall. Pupils are sensitive to the feelings of others. They work and play happily together. Relationships throughout the school are very good.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory but the rate of attendance is adversely affected by parents who take their children out of school for holidays during term time.

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Aspect Comment

One particular strength is the ‘buddy’ system that has been developed to encourage pupils to work together. Pupils work well with their partners and this promotes good achievement.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 5

Quality of teaching satisfactory good good 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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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 5

The quality of teaching is predominantly good; a significant proportion is very good, occasionally it is excellent and occasionally unsatisfactory. Teachers work hard and there are examples of meticulous planning and thorough preparation of lessons. The teaching of English, mathematics, science and art and design is good. The skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well but there are too few opportunities for pupils to use their number skills purposefully in practical activities. The very good relationships between teachers and pupils promote learning well. A strong feature of the good teaching is how well pupils are paired to support one another in their learning. Teaching is less effective where there is a lack of clarity about precisely what pupils are supposed to be learning during the course of a lesson. In such lessons, expectations of what pupils are capable of learning are too low. The teaching of

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 5

pupils with special educational needs is good and pupils make good progress. The school has not yet ensured that the learning needs of all pupils are fully met. The school’s policy for gifted and talented pupils is not due to be developed until next March and the particular learning needs of pupils with English as an additional language are not always identified clearly. Although most achieve satisfactorily, they do not always achieve as well as they might. Overall, however, the good teaching promotes effective learning and helps most pupils to achieve well.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory but computers are not used enough to extend learning opportunities, and activities for children in the Foundation Stage are not always sufficiently stimulating, purposeful or challenging.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. These pupils are supported well and this support helps them to make good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory but the instructor’s illness has caused a lack of continuity in the consistency of provision and teachers’ plans do not always indicate how work will be modified to meet the needs of these pupils. Hatfeild Primary School- 10 Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for social development is very good. Systems to encourage collaborative work are very well developed. Provision for spiritual, moral and cultural development is good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. The school provides a supportive learning environment where pupils feel valued as individuals and are able to flourish.

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Aspect Comment

This is a caring school. From their earliest days in school children are well cared for and this helps them to feel secure in their learning. A strong partnership with parents has been forged and parents hold the school in high esteem. A good range of visits to places of interest enhance learning opportunities. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language is not sufficiently focused on their particular learning needs. The school is, however, especially good at fostering the development of pupils who require considerable support with their learning; the school ensures that they are fully included in all classroom activities. Assessments of pupils’ attainment are unsatisfactory because they are inconsistent and are not always used well to plan the next steps in learning.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher has promoted a clear vision for improving the school and staff work hard to maintain and improve standards. The roles of subject leaders in terms of monitoring and evaluating standards in their areas of responsibility are not yet fully developed.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. Governors are closely involved in school activities and have a good understanding of the issues that the school faces.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The school analyses pupils’ performance closely but there is scope for improving the evaluation of teaching and learning.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Mostly satisfactory but computers are not used sufficiently to support teaching and learning.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s transition from a first to a primary school is being managed exceptionally well. The headteacher and governors have been influential in ensuring that the school’s accommodation has been improved and the new buildings provide a good learning environment. The governing body has ensured that there are adequate resources to support teaching and learning. Good levels of teaching and support staff are maintained. The governing body considers spending decisions carefully and ensures that the principles of best value are applied well. Governors have conserved finances prudently to ensure that they can fund the staffing requirements and the learning resources needed at a time when the school is growing rapidly. The deputy headteacher provides good support.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children like school, behaviour is good and they make good progress. • Teaching is good. • They are kept well informed about how their children are getting on. • Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school with a question or a problem. • The school expects children to work hard and • The amount of homework pupils receive. Hatfeild Primary School- 11 achieve their best. • The school works closely with parents. • The school is well led and managed. • The school helps children to become mature and responsible.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with parents’ positive views. Inspection findings show that there is a reasonable amount of homework set. Hatfeild Primary School- 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

‘Standards’, the judgement of how well pupils are doing compared to others of the same age nationally, may be judged from national test results, or against the levels defined in the National Curriculum or the Early Learning Goals as ‘expected’ at certain ages. The other judgement, ‘achievement’, is a judgement made against pupils’ starting points. The achievement judgement shows whether, in the longer term, enough progress is being made.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children enter the school with standards of attainment that are broadly average but there is an exceptionally wide range of attainment in each year group. The inspection took place early in the school year when a significant proportion of pupils in the nursery were new to the school. Children’s achievement is satisfactory in the nursery and reception classes so that most are on course to attain the early learning goals in each of the areas of learning, specified in national guidance, by the time they enter Year 1. Provision for children’s personal, social and emotional development is good and children achieve especially well in this area of learning so that most are on course to exceed the expected standards by the end of the reception year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. As a result of the good teaching they receive, pupils learn effectively in Years 1 to 5 and their achievement is good. Most pupils are well on course to attain standards that are above average in speaking and listening, reading, writing, mathematics, science and art and design by the end of Year 2 and again by the end of Year 5. The standards they attain in the other subjects is satisfactory but there was insufficient evidence available to form judgements about the standards that pupils are likely to attain by the end of Year 2 in music. The standards pupils attain in religious education are in line with the expectations described in the locally agreed syllabus. Since the time of the last inspection standards have improved in speaking and listening, mathematics and science and have been maintained in the other subjects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and their achievement is good. Good achievement is the result of effective learning in lessons and is confirmed by the reviews that are conducted of pupils’ achievements against the targets of individual educational plans. Most pupils who have statements of special educational needs are also achieving well and are making good progress towards the targets described in their individual education plans.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The achievement of the majority of pupils with English as an additional language, the most able pupils and those who are gifted and talented is generally satisfactory. Although there are some good examples in teachers' planning where these pupils are identified and their needs taken into account, this is not consistent across classes. The achievement of the majority of pupils from an ethnic minority background is satisfactory. There was no significant difference noted during the inspection in the achievement of boys and girls. Higher attaining pupils are often presented with challenging problems and this extends their thinking well. This is not always the case though. In several lessons in mathematics for example, the highest attaining pupils completed their tasks quickly and had to wait for a while until the teacher drew the class together to review learning.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Inspection findings about the standards that pupils attain by the end of Year 2 are confirmed by National Curriculum test and assessment results. The school’s performance in 2001 was above average in reading, mathematics and science and well above average in writing. In 2002 the school’s performance declined slightly in reading and writing but improved further in mathematics. In 2001 the proportion of pupils who exceeded the national target of Level 2 and attained the higher Level 3 standard was above average in reading, writing and mathematics and well above average in science. This indicates that all pupils, including the higher achieving pupils, are attaining standards that are at least as high as might reasonably be expected. When compared with schools that have pupils from similar social backgrounds, the school’s performance in 2001 was average in reading and mathematics and above average in writing. Although there were no

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

significant evidence of any significant difference in the standards of work produced by boys and Hatfeild Primary School- 13 girls during the course of the inspection, the national test results for pupils in Year 2 showed that girls outperformed boys in reading and writing but that boys did better in mathematics than girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The school analyses pupils’ attainment and takes appropriate action. An analysis of national test results over recent years, for example, indicated the need to improve spelling and to increase the number of pupils reaching the higher standards in reading. The school has successfully improved its performance in national tests in spelling through systematic teaching and is in the process of improving the reading by its purchase of new books, by the provision of extra reading sessions each day and by the very good guidance to parents about how to help their children with their reading at home.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. By the end of Year 2 and in Year 5 pupils attain standards in speaking and listening that are above average. Pupils talk confidently and sensibly about their work. Pupils in Year 3, for example, recounted details of a visit to a museum where they dressed in costumes such as Cromwellian soldiers and they talked knowledgably about paintings by famous artists and about events in the Great Fire of London. Pupils enjoy reading and in Year 4 they have a good knowledge of modern children’s poets including those from the Caribbean group, such as Benjamin Zephaniah, and they know about the early life of the black Glaswegian poet, Jackie Kay. Pupils are interested in language. In Year 5 they answered the register by saying ‘Salaam’ and noted the similarities between that and the Arabic greeting as well as ‘Salut’ in French. Many are well read and books by Jacqueline Wilson are especially popular in Years 4 and 5. These

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

pupils like authors such as Dick King-Smith, J K Rowling, Roald Dahl, Paul Geraghty, who visited the school and left quite an impression, as well as the inevitable Enid Blyton. They describe the characteristics of different genre and many enjoy non-fiction. Most are competent in using reference books for research purposes but there are wide variations between pupils’ ability to use the Internet to search for information. Pupils in Year 5 have a good understanding of how to write in different styles to suit different audiences. They write good newspaper accounts based on nursery rhymes with humorous headlines such as, ‘ Humpty Dumpty Cracked Up’.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Pupils in Year 5 are good at basic number work such as using multiplication facts to solve problems and how to recognise improper fractions. Much of this work is not related to real life situations, however, and exercises are often conducted in isolation without links being made to practical applications. As a result learning often lacks an element of purpose. In one registration lesson for pupils in Year 3 numeracy skills were used well; one child used a stop watch to measure the time it took to complete the registration as the class tried to beat the record of 18.6 seconds. However, this good transfer of skills learned in one area of the curriculum to other areas of learning is not common practice throughout the school. In science pupils have a good understanding of how to conduct a fair test by controlling all variables. They have conducted careful experiments that showed the conditions needed for plants to grow successfully for

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

example. Pupils appreciate music and most enjoy singing. Generally standards across the curriculum are at least as high as might reasonably be expected and the school is poised to improve standards further. The new computer suite is about to be finished and there are good plans to improve pupils’ skills in this especially relevant aspect of the curriculum.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils in all years have good attitudes toward learning and work hard to do well. This good level of interest across the school reflects improvement since the last inspection. Pupils are attentive and eager to ask and answer questions. This helps to extend their learning, particularly in literacy and numeracy lessons, as teachers are able to have a dialogue with the whole class and explain new concepts productively. A good example was seen in a lively literacy lesson where pupils in Year 4 eagerly contributed examples of newspaper headlines to match different pictures. They were then able to set to work with confidence and knew just what they were expected to write on their own. The popularity of extra-curricular clubs and activities also confirms pupils’ good level of enthusiasm for school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils’ behaviour continues to be good and, as at the time of the last inspection, they are courteous and trustworthy. The school is an orderly and friendly community with a good Hatfeild Primary School- 14 atmosphere for learning. Pupils support the rules in place and are proud of earning the awards that are presented at the weekly ‘Achievement Assembly’. The only lapses in behaviour observed during the inspection occurred when a few boys in different lessons became inattentive and tended to chatter among themselves while their teacher was speaking. There is no evidence of bullying and the very high level of racial harmony is a commendable feature of the school. There have been no exclusions for misbehaviour over the past six years. Attendance is still satisfactory and is almost equal to the national average. Pupils arrive promptly each morning but their rate of attendance would be better if parents refrained from taking family holidays during term time.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The personal development of pupils is good. The relationships between adults and pupils and among pupils themselves are very good and this provides a particularly welcoming and supportive environment for pupils who have special needs. Pupils with special educational needs work well in class. They enjoy their work and have very good relationships with their teachers and support assistants. In discussions, most were seen to contribute as thoughtfully as their friends.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. All pupils mix well across ethnic and gender lines at work and play and enjoy harmonious relationships throughout the school. Pupils with English as an additional language and those from ethnic minority backgrounds are keen to participate fully in activities and are well integrated. The school's effective focus on pupils' personal and social development contributes effectively to their sense of happiness and to their eagerness to learn.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils’ sense of spirituality is good and this enhances the quality of assemblies because pupils display respect for religious ideals and moral messages. For example, in a whole school assembly pupils enjoyed the sight of classmates and two teachers acting out a modern skit about the importance of being kind and helpful and were also able to reflect on its relation to Christian ideals within the parable of the Good Samaritan. Pupils’ spirituality is also developed well within the programme for personal, social and health education. Pupils are very respectful of each other’s feelings, values and beliefs and this enables them to make sensitive and relevant contributions to discussions within ‘Circle Time’, which is a special time set aside for discussing important personal issues. Pupils in Year 1 thoughtfully told each other what made them happy and unhappy and the class teacher guided them to then offer ideas on how to play more co-

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils’ moral development is good and they follow the rules because they clearly know right from wrong. Pupils set their own class rules and these follow the high expectations the staff set for them. Outdoors on the playground they are able to resolve any difference amicably and ‘Playground Pals’ circulate to make sure no one is left on their own. Pupils are very accepting of their classmates whose special needs make it sometimes difficult for them to follow the classroom routine.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Pupils’ social skills are well developed and their good listening skills reflect the very high level of respect they hold for each other as individuals. Pupils are active participants in the ‘best buddy’ system organised in all classes. This is a system that encourages pupils to work closely together in partnership. Within lessons the ‘buddies’ work in pairs to share and exchange ideas on different topics. Pupils’ social skills are extended well through their participation in activities such as the ‘healthy schools programme’, fundraising for charity and the annual residential trip for those in Year 3. At the time of the inspection there were limits to the development of older pupils’ ability to conduct research independently. Independent learning skills could not be promoted effectively because some areas of the new building, such as the library and the computer suite, were not yet in use.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Pupils’ cultural development is good and they understand their own cultural traditions and appreciate diversity. Pupils study the traditions of the world’s main faiths in religious education. Art and design and history lessons also broaden their cultural awareness well. They are well aware that we live in a multi-cultural society and show a good level of interest in activities such as Black History Month. Pupils in Year 5 were able to see the connection between the aims of Dr Martin Luther King and his Christian faith. Pupils helpfully bring in family artefacts to help illustrate different religious customs such as the use of prayer mats in Islam. Visits to important sites such Hatfeild Primary School- 15 as the Tate Modern, The Museum of London and Hampton Court Palace enrich pupils’ understanding of their own culture.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. The quality of teaching is predominantly good. It is satisfactory for pupils in the nursery and reception classes and good for pupils in Years 1 to 5. Nearly all the lessons seen were at least satisfactory; very nearly three quarters were good or better and almost a quarter were very good and occasionally excellent. A very small proportion of lessons were unsatisfactory. There are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching across the school because what pupils are expected to learn, as a result of the teaching, is not always sufficiently clear. The teaching of English, mathematics, science, art and design and religious education is good. Teaching in the other subjects of the curriculum, where there was sufficient evidence to form judgements, is satisfactory. There was insufficient evidence available to form judgements about teaching in design and technology and history. There were examples of very good teaching in English,

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

mathematics, science, art and design, music and personal, social and health education lessons. Literacy is taught effectively and pupils use their reading and writing skills well to support learning in other areas of the curriculum. Numeracy skills are taught well but opportunities for pupils to use their skills in other subjects and in purposeful situations are infrequent.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Teachers are hard working; lesson planning and preparation are thorough. One key characteristic of the good teaching was the energetic way in which teachers conducted lessons. In one very good lesson in mathematics for pupils in Year 4 for example, the teacher managed the class exceptionally well and provided a good variety of activities designed to reinforce pupils’ understanding of geometrical shapes. The session started with a brisk and challenging question and answer session interspersed with gentle humour, such as ‘Does Ann Robinson have trouble like this?’ The questioning was adjusted effortlessly to include the lower attaining pupils so that they could participate fully and achieve success in their learning. The class was divided into groups of adults and pupils, boys and girls to illustrate the notion of classification. This helped pupils to understand that the characteristics of each group formed the basis of classification. In

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

this way they were prepared well for classifying polygons. The teaching was lively and a great enthusiasm for completing the task was generated. The teacher had high yet appropriate expectations of each group of pupils and insisted on neat recording and presentation of results. Control was excellent and merely expressing mild disappointment with one pupil was enough to produce contrition. The review session towards the end of the lesson was handled particularly well. The teacher rehearsed the main points of the lesson and skilfully asked questions that enabled her to assess the quality of learning. Pupils were invited to reflect quietly on what they had learned and how successful they had been. In one especially good music lesson in Year 5 the teacher’s singing was of such quality that the pupils were spellbound. Here the teacher’s exceptionally good knowledge and understanding of the subject made a substantial contribution

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Lessons are not so successful when time is not used effectively and when there is no clear, shared understanding of what the end product or the result of the learning will look like. In a lesson for children in the reception year, for example, pupils played outside with water, stilts and toy cars but there was no clear purpose to the activity and no clear understanding of what the children were supposed to be learning. On the rare occasions that teaching is unsatisfactory it is because not enough is expected of pupils and they do not learn enough during the course of a lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Homework is set in each class and this helps to reinforce and extend learning satisfactorily. The best homework involves investigations such as finding out about the different uses of electricity in the home as part of a science project. Throughout the school, relationships between pupils and teachers are very good. This helps pupils to feel secure in their learning and most are eager to please their teachers and to succeed in the tasks they are set. One particularly strong feature of the teaching is the well-developed strategy that enables pupils to work closely with their partners or ‘buddies’. In Year 3 pupils write about their new buddies at the beginning of the term and draw good portraits of their buddies in pastel crayons. A good bond develops between the partners. In Hatfeild Primary School- 16 many lessons they are encouraged to discuss problems and collaborate in finding solutions. This

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

partnership in learning is productive and helps to ensure that no pupil feels that they are alone in finding out more about their world.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. The teaching of pupils who have special educational needs is good. There is good teamwork in class with support assistants working well alongside the class teacher. Teachers show that they have high expectations that their pupils will succeed and understand. In their planning they usually identify what they expect of these individual pupils. They make good use of discussion as well as question and answer techniques to encourage pupils to think carefully. The teaching is lively, class routines are well established, so that all know what to do, and pupils enjoy their lessons.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. Teachers use resources, such as overhead projectors, well but computers are not used enough to support teaching and learning. The school is aware of this and intends to resolve the situation when the new computer suite opens. It is planned to teach skills systematically in the computer suite prior to reinforcing them during classroom activities. Classroom assistants are used well to support pupils’ learning and they have a major impact on the quality of education provided. However, there are isolated occasions when they listen to the teacher’s explanation for extended periods of time rather than being actively involved in supporting pupils.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. The quality of support for pupils with English as an additional language and those from a different ethnic background is satisfactory. Although some good examples were seen during the week of inspection of teachers making positive interventions to support these pupils, in some cases support is inconsistent; often the language demands, and opportunities to make use of the content of different subjects to develop pupils' language, are not identified and used sufficiently. On the other hand, the on-going evaluation teachers make is often used to identify where individuals have exceeded or fallen short of expectations. The assistance provided by the temporary assistant for pupils with English as an additional language, during the absence of the instructor provided through the local education authority’s specialist service, mainly consisted of very short sessions with individuals, which was inadequate to meet their needs. The school is in

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. Teachers plan together in year groups and this helps to promote continuity between classes. Teachers’ planning is thorough and includes details of how work in most lessons will be modified to meet the varying learning needs of different groups of pupils in the class. Such modification is not always sufficiently precise, however, and the needs of the most able, together with those who speak English as an additional language, are not always identified. The school has plans to develop a policy to meet the learning needs of gifted and talented pupils next year. It is also intended to revise the teaching and learning policy next year so that teachers have clearer guidance on how to teach effectively. Teachers often make notes on their lesson plans with evaluations of how well the lesson went, what needs to be changed and how well pupils made progress. There are inconsistencies in the quality of these evaluations. Overall the quality of

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

teaching is better than at the time of the last inspection; there is now a higher proportion of very good teaching and a lower proportion of unsatisfactory teaching.

p.16

STUDENTS?

25. The quality and range of learning opportunities for children in the nursery and reception classes are satisfactory. Curriculum planning has been developed to ensure that all aspects of the curriculum are properly covered in line with the national guidance for the Foundation Stage. However, lesson planning is not yet consistently precise enough to ensure that all staff know what children are expected to learn from the activities provided. Too frequently activities lack clear purpose, challenge and stimulation to promote good progress towards the early learning goals in each area of learning.

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STUDENTS?

26. The quality and range of learning opportunities are satisfactory in Years 1 to 5. The curriculum is broad and balanced. The National Curriculum and religious education are taught according to Hatfeild Primary School- 17 statutory requirements. The school complies fully with the requirements for collective worship. The curriculum has changed since the last inspection. A new National Curriculum has been successfully introduced, as have the national literacy and numeracy strategies. A new locally agreed syllabus for religious education was also introduced in September 2002. More recently the school’s curriculum has been extended to include provision for pupils in Years 4 to 6. This has been managed well and curricular plans are already in place for pupils in Year 6, well ahead of their starting date in September 2003.

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STUDENTS?

27. There is effective shared planning by teachers in the same year groups. The planning follows the curricular planning framework devised by the school and ensures that all subjects, together with personal, social and health education are taught.

p.17

STUDENTS?

28. Literacy skills are being successfully developed both in the daily literacy hour and in the wide range of opportunities for reading and writing provided by teachers. Speaking and listening skills are also developing well in group and in whole class discussions about a range of topics. They are also developing through drama. Literacy is used well to extend learning in other subjects, but correct spelling is not being reinforced rigorously enough in some subjects; notably science. Numeracy skills are developing well in mathematics lessons but are not used enough in other subjects such as science, design and technology and geography, so that pupils can see the relevance of mathematics to everyday life. The cross-curricular links which could come from the use of computers are also under developed. The school has been frustrated by the failure of the local authority’s external contractors to install Internet facilities. As a result, the school is not yet

p.17

STUDENTS?

on the Internet and so pupils are not learning about e-mailing or how to conduct research in their use of computers.

p.17

STUDENTS?

29. There is good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education in lessons and in extra- curricular activities. The good organisation of lessons helps pupils to settle to work quickly and to work singly or with groups or the whole class. They learn to be self-reliant and to work well with others; sometimes away from home, such as on the residential journey to Avon Tyrrell for pupils in Year 3. Personal development is promoted well. In science, pupils learn about healthy living and the dangers of the misuse of drugs. In science and in discussions in class pupils receive sex and relationships education. ‘Circle time’ gives pupils the opportunity to discuss problems and how they might be resolved.

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STUDENTS?

30. Good provision is made for pupils who have special educational needs. They enjoy the full curriculum and are not normally withdrawn from the classroom unless a support assistant needs to talk quietly to a pupil and to remind him or her about what the teacher expects. Extra help is given to pupils by teachers and support assistants working alongside the pupils in the classroom. Pupils with special educational needs spend most of the time working in groups with other pupils and all benefit from the extra attention of the support staff.

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STUDENTS?

31. Gifted and talented pupils are not usually identified in lesson planning, though there is good attention to providing challenging activities for the above average groups in classes. All pupils, whatever their background, have good access to the full curriculum, including activities organised outside the school day. Boys and girls participate on an equal footing in most activities on offer with girls having their own football coaching sessions in Year 3. Pupils with English as an additional language and high attaining pupils are fully involved in all activities, are fully integrated but not always effectively targeted by class teachers to support their learning. Information on the current attainment and cultural and linguistic backgrounds of pupils with English as an additional language is appropriately documented but is not always used by teachers to inform teaching and learning. The school uses displays well to highlight cultural diversity with positive messages but

p.17

STUDENTS?

does not sufficiently draw on pupils' own backgrounds, especially in terms of celebrating their first languages. However, the school prepares pupils well to understand the nature of our multi-cultural society.

p.17

STUDENTS?

32. The content of the curriculum, the bright and informative displays of pupils’ work in classrooms and in corridors and the well chosen pictures and reference books around the school show what pupils can do, help them to recall earlier work and reflect their different backgrounds and cultural Hatfeild Primary School- 18 traditions. The good links with home and the relaxed, friendly atmosphere in the school mean that pupils are happy to bring articles into to school and discuss religious objects, such as a prayer mat, and explain how and when they are used. Others watch and listen with interest and evident respect. Grandparents also enter into the excitement of learning. As part of the history curriculum they talk about their experiences during the war and show uniforms and war medals. Parents help to make the curriculum relevant to their children. They accompany classes on visits to places like the Tate Gallery, the Imperial War Museum and the London Museum. They look out photographs

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STUDENTS?

of their children as babies so that pupils can see how they have changed over the years and a good number of parents attended the meeting on ways to support their children’s reading. The school sets the kind of homework which is likely to improve pupils’ learning and parents help as, for example, when children were given the task of finding lots of words with ‘ew’, ‘oo’, and ‘ue’ in the spelling.

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STUDENTS?

33. In addition to educational visits, the school makes good provision for extra-curricular activities with a range of clubs. Some promote sports and fitness, like mini-tennis, football, dance and ‘Fit club’. Pupils also learn First Aid, French, chess and drama. The school also does its best to encourage pupils’ good attendance by sending regular reminders to parents about the importance of good attendance so that their children can enjoy full access to all aspects of the curriculum.

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STUDENTS?

34. There are good relationships with partner institutions, even though the change of Merton’s school system from first, middle and high schools to primary and secondary has meant that pupils do not now transfer to another school at the end of Year 3. Subject co-ordinators meet with colleagues from other schools and sometimes work together on a borough project. For example, the co-ordinator for religious education will be part of the group which will identify levels of attainment in the new locally agreed syllabus. The school is part of the ‘Aiming for Excellence’ project; a good local initiative designed to improve standards in the primary schools in the area. The teachers in the nursery and reception classes are involved with other schools in the area in the ‘Excellence in Early Learning Scheme’. The headteacher and deputy head have visited primary schools to discuss issues of becoming a full primary by the end of next year. In the wider

p.18

STUDENTS?

community, the school has taken part in Merton’s tree planting and pupils and parents contribute generously to a range of charities and appeals. These include NSPCC sponsorship, the London Marathon sponsorship for Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children and Operation Christmas Child when shoe boxes were filled with gifts for children overseas.

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STUDENTS?

35. The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development and very good provision for their social development. This enables pupils to respond well in all of these important areas of learning. As part of their spiritual development, pupils are taught to respect themselves and others, and this was seen very clearly in religious education lessons where pupils brought in clothes and religious objects from home and showed them to the class. They are given chances to display a sense of empathy and compassion, as in the assembly where the story of the Good Samaritan was acted out by pupils and teachers. In other lessons, such as when they consider the lives of poor children in Victorian England, pupils are given opportunities to understand the feelings of others. The school has developed a climate where all pupils, whatever their background and beliefs, are helped to grow and flourish.

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STUDENTS?

36. The provision for pupils’ moral development is good. In their moral development, pupils show that they know right from wrong. Good standards of behaviour are promoted well. Classroom rules and routines are explained clearly and are reinforced by all adults, who share an expectation of high standards of behaviour. Adults model, through the quality of their relationships and the way in which they work together with pupils, how best to resolve conflicts. ‘Circle time’ also helps pupils to think through issues and to form their own opinions about the right and wrong way to act.

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STUDENTS?

37. The provision for pupils’ social development is very good. Teachers and pupils evidently like and respect one another. Pupils co-operate well with adults and with their classmates. The school provides a ‘buddy’ system, where pupils talk together in pairs and this enables them to share ideas and aids learning. Pupils in Year 3 are given the opportunity to apply for the job of ‘Playground Pal.’ The successful applicants are identified by their sashes at break times and are available to play and talk with pupils who need a friend. The school successfully develops positive Hatfeild Primary School- 19 social and co-operative attitudes among the pupils. Pupils are successfully encouraged to do their best to help those in the school that have special educational needs. The school fosters a pro- active, ‘Can Do’ feel and this helps pupils to succeed.

p.18

STUDENTS?

38. The provision for pupils’ cultural development is good. Lessons in music, art and design, religious education and literature contribute particularly well to this. A good selection of pupils’ artwork is displayed in the school and pupils are taken to galleries like the Tate. A well known children’s author and illustrator, Paul Geraghty, has visited the school and talked to the children about his writing and showed them how he developed his drawings. Pupils talk with pleasure about what they learned and point out signed drawings in the library. There are positive images on display around the school showing successful and interesting people with different ethnic backgrounds.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. This is a friendly and supportive school where the safety and well being of all pupils is an important focus for all members of staff. Parents are very pleased that their children like school. The arrangements to provide for child protection and ensure pupils’ welfare are good. The headteacher holds responsibility for child protection and all staff members are sure of their roles and updated about procedures regularly. The school’s own policy on child protection follows the guidelines from the local authority. Requirements regarding risk assessments of the site are fully met. The governors and headteacher have been diligent about ensuring safe practices during the recent construction of new buildings and this is confirmed by the high quality of the current risk assessments. Pupils with specific health needs are well cared for and pupils who become ill at school or who require first aid are treated sympathetically in the specialist medical room.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Overall, the educational and personal support and guidance for pupils is sound. Class teachers know their pupils well and procedures to monitor and support personal development are good. Pupils who join the school at different times of the year are made very welcome and make new friends quickly. Pupils are well known by their teachers and progress in personal development is recorded and shared with parents during planned meetings and in the end of year report.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The ongoing assessment teachers use as part of their planning for pupils with special educational needs is good and in the best practice identifies those who have exceeded or fallen short of expectations. Good use is made of the steps linked to the National Curriculum to assess the attainment of pupils with English as an additional language. The system for tracking and analysing pupils' progress is, however, not fully developed and not detailed enough in terms of ethnicity, gender and background. All groups within the school population feel well supported and benefit greatly from the positive ethos of the school. The care provided for pupils who have special educational needs is especially good. Meticulous records are kept. The targets for improvement and the strategies recommended to help pupils learn are clearly described in the individual education plans. Good use is made of the advice of visiting specialists. Reviews of pupils’

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school’s arrangements to record and promote attendance are very good. Class registers are called at the beginning of each session and monitored regularly to identify any trends in pupils' absence. Parents are continually reminded about the importance of prompt, regular attendance. There is no truancy and the small number of unauthorised absences occurs when parents allow their children to take time off school for no valid reason or fail to explain the reason.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The school’s commitment to supporting very good relationships, such as the ‘best buddy’ system and ‘Playground Pals’ and activities within personal, social and health education all contribute significantly to their very good procedures for monitoring behaviour and ensuring that misbehaviour is kept to a minimum. The behaviour and anti-bullying policy is well written and well matched to the needs and personalities of these pupils. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and apply the rules fairly. However, there were some lessons where teachers refrained from enacting sanctions for pupils who were chattering and inattentive and as a result valuable teaching time was interrupted to repeatedly correct them. Well-organised mid-day supervisors ensure that pupils enjoy lunch in a suitable setting. Hatfeild Primary School- 20 44. The arrangements for assessing pupils’ academic attainments and progress are unsatisfactory

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

because they are inconsistent. Most of the detailed assessments being made are about attainments in literacy and numeracy. Assessments of how well pupils are doing in the core subject of science are much less systematic and are under-developed. The school has used data from national tests to identify areas needing improvement and is successfully improving the standard of spelling across the school and is working to increase the number of pupils who reach the higher levels in reading. However, although the school has been working to review and develop its policies, and procedures are coming into place for planning, assessment, target-setting and marking, not all lesson plans clearly identify what will be expected of pupils who are gifted and talented or of pupils who are learning English as an additional language, for example. A system to track how well individual pupils have progressed over the years is underway. It is detailed but

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

laboriously handwritten. Information will be more conveniently retrieved when it is on computer. The marking of pupils’ work is usually encouraging but it does not often identify what the individual pupil has done well and what still needs to be improved. As a result, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to consider and evaluate their own progress over time. Targets are set for individual pupils but do not clearly identify those who are gifted and talented. Many targets are not achievable in the short term and are likely to take the pupil quite a while before an improvement is seen. This is not helpful in showing the rate of progress. The school does not have a clearly agreed system in the way targets are used. Computerised systems are not used for monitoring and supporting pupils’ academic progress and this contributes to a lack of clarity in assessing the stages that pupils have reached in their learning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. In the individual education plans for pupils who have special educational needs, targets are detailed and are reviewed on a regular basis. In subjects other than English, mathematics and science, teachers conduct their own assessments and keep their own records; sometimes making use of national guidance and advice on what most pupils should be able to do at different levels.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Parents have very positive views of the school. The effectiveness of the school’s link with parents is good and reflects mutual support provided by both the school and parents for the partnership between them. The home school agreement is signed by all and effectively formalises the responsibilities that parents and the school share in support of the pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Parents support the school in many practical ways and the impact of their efforts on the life of the school is very good. The Hatfeild School Association is led by a hard working group of volunteers who organise a wide range of social and fundraising events over the year. All parents are made welcome and their efforts are valued, particularly during the Summer Fair. This popular event enjoys the support of local residents and the business community and adds to the significant amount of funds raised each year. The profits help to offset the cost of class trips and most recently provided the school with indoor climbing apparatus for physical education lessons. This extra funding is also used to buy equipment and library books. Parents also volunteer to accompany pupils on class trips and many help in lessons on a regular basis. Most parents support reading at home and this helps to raise standards in literacy.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Overall, the quality of information provided for parents is good and has improved since the last inspection. There are good displays to welcome parents to the school and celebrate the work of the pupils. Newsletters are issued each month and keep parents up to date about school events. Helpful information about the curriculum is provided for each year group each term. The school will secure translation services should any parent need this support. There are regular meetings scheduled where parents and teachers discuss pupils’ progress. Parents agree that members of staff are friendly and easy to approach. The prospectus is very well written and user friendly. The governors’ annual report to parents meets requirements but the information about results in national tests was poorly photocopied. Hatfeild Primary School- 21 49. Pupils’ end of year reports include all National Curriculum subjects and religious education.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

However, they are mainly descriptive and tend to inform parents about what activities were covered and how much their child enjoyed participating in activities.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher and key staff work in close partnership with the governing body and a strong, open form of management has been established. There is a close working relationship between the headteacher and the chair of governors. The headteacher provides determined leadership as he guides the school through its transition from a first school to an ‘all age’ primary school. The school governors and the headteacher have been highly effective in helping the school to overcome difficulties regarding the provision of new buildings. The school is committed to improving standards across the curriculum whilst maintaining a rich, well balanced range of learning opportunities for all pupils. The addition of three new year groups to the rapidly growing school has been managed exceptionally well and the school is now poised to make further advances.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The headteacher has taken a good lead in preparing the school for its change in status. With the help of staff, parents and governors he has developed an exceptionally clear vision for the school which is articulated extremely well in the school prospectus. It begins, ‘Picture a school where everyone feels safe, secure and included. A place where people are happy to come, and take pride in their sense of belonging. A school where children’s voices are heard over the busyness of life and whose care and education lie at the heart of everything that happens.’ This vision forms the basis of the caring and productive learning environment that has been created. The staff of the school work closely together as an effective team. The good leadership of the headteacher helps to ensure that the school maintains the confidence of all groups in the community it serves.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The staff and governors share a commitment to improving standards and to maintaining a supportive, productive learning environment within which pupils enjoy their schooling. Responsibilities are delegated appropriately and key staff are conscientious in leading the areas of the curriculum for which they are responsible. However most of the subject co-ordinators are newly appointed to their roles and have not yet had enough time to have a major impact on improving standards. Together, staff maintain an effective overview of the curriculum so that they are increasingly aware of areas of strength as well as areas for development. The headteacher promotes a systematic approach to school development which results in an orderliness and a clarity about the school. This is seen in the well-presented school policies as well as in the well- ordered school environment and leads to teachers, support staff and pupils being clear about their

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The deputy headteacher provides good support and has recently been highly effective in leading the school towards improving the awareness of staff and governors about how to improve provision for all the different groups of pupils in the school. The deputy headteacher is also the co-ordinator for pupils with special educational needs. Provision for these pupils is managed well. The deputy headteacher observes those pupils who need extra support in class and provides good advice for class teachers on how best to meet the learning needs of these pupils. A recent and very successful school training day, organised by the deputy headteacher, was attended by most governors. The governor for special educational needs contributed by giving a talk and leading a discussion on emotional development. A comprehensive reference file detailing good practice for supporting individual pupils with widely varying needs has been compiled by the deputy

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

headteacher and this is already proving to be helpful to teachers.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The school development plan is an important document as it helps to focus attention on the school’s most pressing needs. It is reviewed annually by staff and governors who work together to produce a revised plan each year. The most important areas for development are prioritised and there is a close link with budgetary planning to ensure that all developments are properly funded. The main priority for the school is to manage its transition to a primary school effectively. Curricular priorities concern maintaining and further improving standards in reading, writing and mathematics as well as developing the use of information and communication technology across Hatfeild Primary School- 22 the curriculum and developing the effectiveness of provision for pupils in the Foundation Stage. The plan includes success criteria that often focus clearly and precisely on how initiatives will be evaluated in terms of the standards that pupils attain. In reading, for example, new initiatives are

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

designed to move more pupils in Year 2 up from Level 2C to Level 2A or above and success is evaluated against the proportion of pupils who do actually improve their performance. In this way the school sets itself clear targets for improvement. The school has well-developed performance management procedures that feature in the school development plan and make a good contribution to school improvement.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. Sound procedures are in place for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching in order to make improvements. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior teaching staff conduct lesson observations against agreed criteria. Staff are given oral and written feedback on all monitoring. Areas for development and any points for action are noted. However, the quality of this monitoring is inconsistent. Several co-ordinators suggest precise and appropriate areas for development whilst others do not provide useful guidance as a result of their monitoring. Furthermore, the impact that such monitoring has on improving practice is not always effective. There are areas for improvement that co-ordinators have identified clearly that persist long after the monitoring has taken place. The monitoring and evaluation of teaching does not, therefore, always iron out inconsistencies in practice successfully. There is a satisfactory teaching and

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

learning policy that provides adequate guidance for teachers but it is rather outdated and is due for renewal next year. At present teachers do not all demonstrate a common understanding of what constitutes high quality teaching.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The deployment of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant is appropriately targeted to provide for specialist teaching. The school has satisfactory procedures for ensuring that the learning needs of all pupils are met but these are still being developed. The headteacher in particular is fully committed to raising all pupils' achievement and is aware of the further action needed to bring this about. This is reflected in the priority already placed on supporting pupils in the Foundation Stage with visits organised by the instructor for pupils with English as an additional language to pupils' homes and an action plan to develop a system for identifying and meeting the needs of talented and gifted pupils. There are some examples of resources reflecting cultural diversity and the school has positively enabled ethnic minority parents to contribute to this on special days. The school has made a start in reviewing and developing race equality in line with new legislation by

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

establishing a policy for racial equality.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. School accounts are kept meticulously and financial allocations are used wisely to maintain and improve provision. Allocations of money for specific purposes, such as those to provide support for pupils with special educational needs or the money to improve information and communication technology, are used for the purposes intended. The school administrative officer, the clerical assistant and school helper work well together as a team. They ensure that the office runs smoothly and efficiently and that administrative procedures are managed well. Good use is made of computer technology to maintain accurate records of pupils and school accounts. The school benefits from substantial sums of money donated or raised by parents and these are used carefully to improve resources. The governing body makes sure that the principles of best value are well applied to major projects by, for example, insisting on competitive tendering and checking

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

to see if lower prices for services can be obtained elsewhere whilst also retaining quality. The governors have prudently accrued a substantial reserve of money to ensure that the new classes can be fully staffed and equipped. The school is very well prepared for the addition of two new Year 6 classes next year.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The school’s accommodation is good and much better than at the time of the last inspection. There has been a major building expansion that is now almost complete. Classrooms are spacious, bright and are kept clean and tidy. The high proportion of good teaching, which contributes strongly to the above average standards that pupils attain, and the generally high quality of educational provision, show that the school provides good value for money. The leadership and management of the school and the value for money that it provides are better than at the time of the last inspection. Hatfeild Primary School- 23 Hatfeild Primary School- 24

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

59. In order to improve standards further the headteacher, staff and governing body should:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a. *Make better use of computers by: • providing software designed to support teaching and learning in each subject; • identifying the computer skills pupils need to acquire to support their learning in each subject; • teaching the skills identified systematically; • ensuring that teachers’ lesson plans include details of how computers are to be used in each lesson to support teaching and learning; • monitoring and evaluating the use of computers across the school. (paragraphs 22,75,103, 105,111,119,126,135,137,145,149)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b. *Improve assessment, record keeping and target setting procedures by: • involving pupils more closely in setting their learning targets; • making targets challenging yet capable of being achieved in a short span of time; • maintaining clear records of pupils’ attainment and progress in each subject. • ensuring that assessments of pupils’ progress are clearly linked to plans for improvement and inform learning objectives precisely. • ensuring that lesson plans consistently identify challenges that make appropriate demands on the highest attaining pupils and are modified where appropriate to match the learning needs of pupils who have English as an additional language. (paragraphs 4,24,31,44, 98,99,106,107,108,112,115,126,140,146,151)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

c. *Improve the consistency of teaching by: • identifying those elements of classroom practice that promote excellent teaching and learning; • ensuring that all teachers have a clear understanding of what constitutes highly effective teaching; • refining systems for monitoring and evaluating teaching against agreed criteria; • developing the roles of subject leaders so that they are better equipped to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning rigorously; • helping teachers to develop links between different subjects so that skills learned in one subject can be developed further by their use in others. (paragraphs 17,19,24,25,103,105,113,115,119,145)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

d. *Improve learning opportunities for children in the nursery and reception classes by: • developing systems that show precisely what children are expected to learn from the activities provided; • developing a rich, stimulating learning environment that provide children with explicit challenges designed to promote good progress towards the early learning goals in each area of learning; • assessing children’s progress more precisely; • using assessment data to match learning tasks more closely to the developmental needs of all children. (paragraphs 19,67,78,80,90,91)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* These areas for improvement already feature in school development planning. Hatfeild Primary School- 25

p.24