Hallam Fields Junior School

Inspection Report Hallam Fields Junior School

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112572 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LEA LEA 278964 Inspection number 15 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 Inspection dates Mr. David Speakman LI Reporting inspector

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

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Longfield Lane School address Primary Type of school DE7 4DB Community School category 7 to 11 Age range of pupils 0115 9322568 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0115 9443677 Fax number 236 Number on roll Mr.Michael Jones Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Andrew Waldron Headteacher 22 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278964 15 May 2006 - 7 to 11 16 May 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized junior school. Almost all pupils are of a White British background and the majority of them have English as their first language. The percentage of pupils entitled to claim free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is in line with that found in other schools nationally, but the proportion of pupils with a statement is below. When children enter the school their attainment is average. At the time of the inspection there was an acting headteacher.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hallam Fields Junior School, 15 May 2006 to 16 May 2006

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Grade: 2

The inspection team agrees with the school that its effectiveness is good. It gives very good value for money. Pupils at all levels achieve well and starting from an average level of attainment on entry into Year 3, they achieve above average standards by the end of Year 6. Pupils have positive attitudes towards school and behave very well which helps them make good progress in both their academic and personal development. Their knowledge and understanding of life in other cultures is not developed well enough. The quality of teaching and learning is at least good in all classes and is occasionally outstanding. However, some tasks are too directed by the teacher and limit the pupils' capacity to organise and manage their own learning. Assessment information is used very well to set challenging targets and guide teachers' planning. The curriculum is good. It is well structured to ensure that all pupils in the

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Grade: 2

same year receive similar learning experiences, and skills, knowledge and understanding are progressively developed. The school has recognised that curriculum enrichment, including creativity in the curriculum, is satisfactory but could be improved and has started to do this. There are good links between information and communication technology (ICT) and other subjects. Apart from this, however, links between subjects are not well enough developed. The school is led well and managed effectively by the headteacher, the senior management team and the governors who work well together. The school's self-evaluation is very good and outcomes are used very well to set demanding targets for improvement. Improvement has been good since the previous inspection and all key issues have been fully addressed. With the current level of commitment of the staff and governors and the very effective school self-evaluation,

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Grade: 2

the school has a good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Provide more opportunities in lessons for pupils to work independently and to take more control of their own learning through planning open ended tasks where pupils are able to challenge themselves. - Continue with the work already started to develop creativity in the curriculum, including establishing meaningful cross curricular links between subjects and raising pupils' multicultural awareness.

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Grade: 2

Pupils at all levels of ability achieve well and, starting from an average attainment on entry, reach standards that are above average by the end of Year 6. In the 2005 National Curriculum tests, results in English and science were above average. They were closer to the national average in mathematics. This was because the proportion of pupils gaining the higher level 5 was similar to the national average, whereas in English and science it was above. They achieved well to reach above average standards overall by Year 6. Current standards in English, mathematics and science are above average and pupils are set to meet the challenging targets set for them. Pupils with learning 2 Inspection Report: Hallam Fields Junior School, 15 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 difficulties and disabilities achieve well against the targets in their individual education plans and against National Curriculum targets. There has been a significant improvement

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Grade: 2

in standards in ICT since the previous inspection. They are now in line with those expected nationally for pupils of this age.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are prepared effectively academically and personally to achieve well in the next stage of their education and later life. They relate well to each other and to adults and their enjoyment of school is reflected in good attendance and positive attitudes to learning. They behave very well in lessons, as they move around the school and at playtime. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. They are quick to applaud the achievements of others and through their contribution to improving the school grounds are developing an appreciation of the natural environment. Pupils are keen to take on a wide range of responsibilities and do this well. They enjoy each others' company and work and play together harmoniously. Although pupils have a good understanding of their own culture their knowledge and understanding of other cultures is limited. Through the work of the school council

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Grade: 2

pupils make a good contribution to the school community and links with other schools are good. However, the school recognises a need to provide pupils with more opportunities to learn from and contribute to the wider community. Pupils have a good awareness of how to keep safe and adopt a healthy lifestyle. They are enthusiastic about taking part in sports activities and understand that they should eat a balanced diet.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is consistently good and occasionally outstanding. Teachers' good subject knowledge and enthusiasm motivates pupils to work hard and contributes to their good progress. Lessons are very well planned and teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Activities are matched well to pupils' abilities and lessons move at a good pace. However, at times activities are over structured and opportunities for pupils to work together and to develop their independent learning skills are not pursued. Teachers make good use of ICT to add interest to lessons and pupils enjoy using computers to learn. Teaching assistants work very effectively with teachers to provide just the right level of support for pupils to enable them all to achieve well. Pupils contribute confidently to discussions and are secure in the knowledge that their responses are valued. As a result pupils' personal development is supported well.

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Grade: 2

Assessment is very good. Teachers make effective use of data to set challenging targets for pupils and to guide their own planning. Pupils understand the targets they have been set and work hard to achieve them. In lessons teachers make good use of questioning to check pupils' learning and to challenge them to use what they already 3 Inspection Report: Hallam Fields Junior School, 15 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 know. Marking shows pupils clearly what they have achieved in relation to the purpose of the lesson, but does not always make a clear connection to their individual targets.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is organised well, and thoughtful whole-school curriculum planning ensures that skills, knowledge and understanding are developed progressively as pupils move through the school. Curriculum planning ensures that pupils in different classes in the same year receive equivalent learning opportunities well matched to their needs. There is good provision for pupils' personal, social, health education and citizenship. Sex and relationships education and raising pupils' awareness of harmful substances are fully covered. Good links have been developed well between ICT and other subjects, but the development of other cross-curricular links is identified by the school as an area for further improvement and inspectors agree. Curriculum enrichment is satisfactory. The school has identified this as a focus for improvement and has designated a member of the senior management team to lead this development.

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Grade: 2

Extra-curricular activities focus mainly on sport.

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Grade: 1

Pupils feel very safe and supported in all that they do because the school takes exceptionally good care of them. Child protection arrangements are rigorous and consistently applied and procedures to ensure pupils' health and safety are very good. Pupils' self-esteem and confidence develop very well as all staff value and celebrate pupils' successes. Pupils achieve the challenging targets set for them because teachers and teaching assistants provide them with very good quality support and guidance based on accurate assessment information. The school works extremely closely with outside agencies and parents to provide pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities with the support they need to achieve well. Effective links with other schools ensure that pupils are confident about starting at the school and moving on to the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The leadership of the acting headteacher is good. He was very well placed to take over the leadership of the school, as he knew it very well and had well established professional relationships with other staff, in particular the senior management team, and the governors. School self-evaluation is very good. Subject leaders and the senior management team monitor the quality of provision and standards well and the information gained is used analytically to give them a very clear view of the school's strengths and weaknesses. Views of parents and pupils are sought appropriately. Outcomes of self-evaluation are used effectively in preparing the well-written school improvement plan which has clear targets and 4 Inspection Report: Hallam Fields Junior School, 15 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 well-specified actions to achieve them. Progress towards achieving the targets is closely

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Grade: 2

monitored by the headteacher, responsible staff and the governors. The school's business manager is very effective which enables the headteacher to focus on teaching and learning, raising standards and other educational issues. Governance is good and governors show strong commitment to the school. They keep themselves fully informed so they can be both supportive and challenging. Governors fully share staff aspirations for the school and work closely with staff. There has been good improvement since the previous inspection, and all the issues raised have been met fully. The high level of commitment of the staff and the governors and the clear identification of priorities for improvement mean the school has a good capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Hallam Fields Junior School, 15 May 2006 to 16 May 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: Hallam Fields Junior School, 15 May 2006 to 16 May 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 NA The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 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 1 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 2 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 really enjoyed meeting and talking to you when we visited your school. Thank you very much for giving us your time, making us feel so welcome and helping us find out about you and how good your school is. We are very pleased to be able to tell you that you have a good school. The head teacher, teachers and all other adults working in your school look after you extremely well and help you feel safe and secure. We think that your behaviour is very good and this helps you to enjoy school, to learn effectively and to achieve well. The teaching in your school is good overall and sometimes outstanding. Teachers plan interesting lessons for you. There are good opportunities for you to mature into sensible and confident young people, and also to help you to grow up fit and healthy. You had really good things to say about your school, your teachers and friends. We are asking your head teacher, staff and governors to give

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you more opportunities in lessons to work independently and to take more responsibility for your own learning. We are also asking them to make learning even more interesting by linking different subjects and by helping you to understand about the lives of people from backgrounds other than your own. We wish you well in the future.

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