Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School

Inspection Report Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School

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110676 Unique Reference Number CAMBRIDGESHIRE LEA LEA 278484 Inspection number 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 Inspection dates Mr. John Godwood LI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School Lane School address Primary Type of school P28 9JR Community School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01480 375055 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01480 375056 Fax number 284 Number on roll Mr.Tony Smith Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Elizabeth Womersley Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278484 26 April 2006 - 4 to 11 27 April 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is a little above average in size. Most pupils come from the villages of Fenstanton and Hilton. The socio-economic context of the school is relatively favoured and the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language is also below average. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities is average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that provides good value for money. The inspection findings confirm the school's own evaluation of its effectiveness. Standards have risen steadily and pupils make good progress. This is the result of the headteacher's good leadership in motivating staff and providing clear direction. Provision in Reception is good. Pupils' good progress starts in Reception and continues through to Year 6. In the later years, pupils' writing is less well developed than their other basic skills. This is partly because they do not have enough opportunities to write at length. The school is a happy one in which pupils are well cared for. As a result, pupils behave well and enjoy learning. They are considerate towards others and able to work independently. In Reception, pupils' personal development is particularly good as a result of good provision made in close consultation with their parents. Teaching and learning are consistently good.

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Grade: 2

Lessons are interesting and pupils respond well. They have helpful targets for their next steps in literacy and numeracy. However, the targets set for Year 6 test results are not as challenging as they should be in relation to pupils' prior attainment. Leadership and management are good. Staff work well together to improve the school and are well supported by the governors. Pupils' progress is tracked carefully but the school does not make enough use of its assessment records to evaluate strengths and weaknesses in pupils' achievement and use this in planning improvements. Improvement since the last inspection is good and shows that the school has good capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Raise standards in writing in Years 3 to 6 through giving pupils more opportunities for extended writing. - Ensure that the targets set for pupils' performance in Year 6 tests are appropriately challenging in relation to their prior attainment. - Make better use of assessment records to evaluate pupils' achievement and use the outcomes in planning improvements to teaching and the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Pupils' attainment on entry is broadly average. They make good progress and by the time they leave, standards are above average. Pupils in Reception make good progress, particularly in their personal and social development. By the end of Year 2, standards in national assessments are slightly above average. They are higher in writing than in reading or mathematics. Year 6 test results have improved steadily over recent years and in 2005 were above average. Boys and girls achieved equally well. English results improved strongly. Mathematics results were less good, particularly for the higher attaining pupils. This was due to staff absence. For current pupils, progress has continued to improve as a result of more effective teaching. In Year 6, standards are higher in mathematics than English. The school is working effectively to improve writing, but pupils in Years 3 to 6 do not have enough opportunities to

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 write longer pieces. Pupils with learning difficulties are well supported and make good progress. Pupils exceeded the targets set for the 2005 test results, but the targets were not especially challenging in relation to pupils' prior attainment. The 2006 targets are also well within pupils' grasp. The 2007 targets are more challenging.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Pupils are polite and considerate. They get on well with each other and with their teachers. Assemblies give pupils good opportunities to participate and to think about spiritual and moral issues. Pupils' cultural awareness is developed well through visitors from other faiths and cultures. Pupils enjoy school and work hard to do their best. Their attendance is usually above average, but has fallen this year as a result of winter illness and the poor attendance of a few pupils. Pupils behave well and make a good contribution to the school community. They helped to draw up the behaviour policy and organise charity events. The school council plays an important role in representing pupils' views and planning changes. Pupils understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They eat healthy snacks and have drinking water

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Grade: 2

available during lessons. Extracurricular sports are very popular. Pupils have a good awareness of safety and look after each other at playtime. Pupils' good social skills, together with their skills in literacy and numeracy, equip them well for their future life in the world of work.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is consistently good and, as a result, most pupils are well motivated and make good progress. Just a few lessons are outstanding and a few are satisfactory. Lessons are carefully planned to match the full ability range in the class. They have clear objectives that pupils understand. Pupils enjoy most lessons because they are engaged actively. They work well on their own and in pairs. In many lessons, pupils are encouraged to explain their thinking to the class and this helps them grow in confidence. In the best lessons, pupils are inspired by the teacher's enthusiasm and are highly engaged in challenging work. In the less effective lessons, pupils learn less because teaching lacks pace or they are taught abstract ideas with no practical activity to help their understanding. Pupils' targets for their next steps in literacy, numeracy and science help them to focus their efforts. Their work is marked regularly, but

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Grade: 2

teachers' comments do not provide enough guidance on what they need to do to improve. The school is beginning to develop additional challenges for gifted and talented pupils. Provision for information and communication technology has improved but continues to be an area for development, particularly pupils' use of computers in their everyday classwork. 3 Inspection Report: Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good, providing a broad and balanced range of subjects and other activities. Literacy and numeracy programmes are well established and have been effective in raising standards. The school is now rightly planning to develop these into a more exciting and creative curriculum. The success of special events such as 'science week' has encouraged a commitment to make learning more relevant through linking subjects. The curriculum is enriched well by visits and visitors, including recently a Sikh story teller. Pupils enjoy a good range of extracurricular clubs such as French, Latin and soccer. Personal, social and health education is good. Young children's social skills are developed successfuly in Reception. Some older children have very effective additional support to improve their listening skills. The provision for pupils with learning difficulties is very well organised and effective.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The school regards pupils' welfare as a top priority. It has rigorous procedures for child protection and ensuring safety in school. Staff know the children well and work hard to meet their needs. They have close links with external agencies to provide specialist help when it is needed. Pupils with additional needs are very well supported. As a result of this high standard of care, pupils enjoy school and work hard. Children joining the Reception class settle quickly because there are good links with pre-school groups and they attend several sessions before they start. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for the move to secondary school. Teachers monitor pupils' progress carefully and pupils know how well they are doing. Pupils who show signs of underachieving are quickly identified and given additional help if necessary.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides a clear direction that is well focused on raising standards and improving pupils' well-being. She supports staff well and, as a result, they are well motivated and work well together in pursuit of the school's aims. The headteacher is well supported by the leadership team and subject leaders. The school improvement plan contains clear priorities that are known well by staff and governors. These provide a good focus for staff training and the developments made in each subject. Governors receive regular reports on progress in implementing the plan. This clarity has led to good improvement since the last inspection in the quality of teaching and curricular provision. The school's leaders contribute well to its capacity for further improvement. The quality of self-evaluation is satisfactory and improving. Teaching and many aspects of school provision are

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Grade: 2

monitored regularly. Pupils and parents are consulted. Most parents are pleased with the school and the support that their children receive. National test results are used 4 Inspection Report: Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 well to identify areas of the curriculum that need further development. Pupils' progress is tracked carefully, but the assessment records are not used sufficiently to evaluate the progress made by different groups of pupils and link this to the improvement plan. Governance is good. Governors have a clear understanding of their role and good links with the headteacher and staff. They help to steer the school's direction and are active in supporting school improvement. Finances are well managed and the school gives good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We enjoyed our visit to your school and would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. You made us feel very welcome. Many of you told us that you enjoy school and that it is a friendly place. We agree that it is a good school. Most of you behave very well and are hardly ever away. Your teachers are fair and listen to what you have to say. They take good care of you. Your school helps you to develop well as young people. The school council is active and older children are helpful in doing jobs and helping younger children. You told us that many lessons are fun. The lessons that we saw were good and helped you to work hard and learn a lot. In the best lessons, teachers give you exciting things to do. Your targets for the next steps in literacy and numeracy help you to focus your effort. You get good extra help when you need it. You make good progress and do well in Year 6 tests. For some of you the targets you are

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

set for your Year 6 tests are a bit too easy. We have asked the school to make sure that you are all fully challenged by your targets. We have also asked the school to give older children more time to write longer pieces of work. This will help them to improve their writing. The headteacher and all the staff work very hard to make school fun and help you to do as well as you can. Teachers track your progress well. We have asked them to use the results even more when they are planning what to teach. The school has improved over the last few years and we think that it will continue to improve. We wish you well and feel sure that you will keep working hard to help make your school as good as it can be.

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