Hunwick Primary School

Inspection Report Hunwick Primary School

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114054 Unique Reference Number Durham LEA 279301 Inspection number 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Christine Graham HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Church Lane School address Primary Type of school Hunwick Community School category Crook, County Durham 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01388 602150 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01388 602150 Fax number 172 Number on roll Mrs Jackie Kyte Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Susan Smith Headteacher 1 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279301 16 May 2006 - 4 to 11 17 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Hunwick Primary School is a smaller than average rural primary school which mainly serves the villages of Hunwick and Toronto in County Durham. However, some pupils also come from the nearby towns and villages. Since 2002, an additional forty pupils have joined the school at times other than the Reception year. This is partly due to new building in the village but also because of the increasing popularity of the school. There are single-age classes in Key Stage 1 and large mixed-age classes in Key Stage 2. The school shares the site with the community centre; together they form an important hub of village life. Before- and after-school care is based in the community centre, as is the private nursery. The school does not have a nursery but works in partnership with the nursery on site. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below that found nationally and very few pupils come from

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Description of the school

minority ethnic groups. The number of pupils eligible to receive free school meals is low.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hunwick Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

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Grade: 3

Hunwick Primary School is a satisfactory school. This is not as good as the school’s self-evaluation which was too generous. However, the school has many strengths. Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. Pupils are given opportunities which greatly enhance their learning. There are very good links with parents and the local community. The behaviour of pupils is good and they have a real understanding of the needs of others. Teaching is satisfactory in most classes. It is not yet good overall because teachers do not use knowledge about the day-to-day achievement of pupils well enough to plan learning which meets the needs of individuals. By the end of Year 6, pupils make satisfactory progress. Their progress by the end of Key Stage 1 is much better than this because of the outstanding teaching they receive in Year 2. The school’s

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Grade: 3

involvement with a national information and communication technology (ICT) project has enabled pupils to reach very high standards in ICT, but it has had an adverse effect on their writing. This has contributed to a decline in the previously very high standards reached by pupils in English. The leadership of the headteacher is good. She identified that pupils had not made the progress expected and has taken action to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Although there are as yet no tangible results, inspection evidence suggests that this has been successful. The leadership of other staff is not as good because they do not always act on the results of school’s self-evaluation. The school provides satisfactory value for money. Staff have successfully taken on new challenges and a great deal has been achieved since the last inspection. There is every indication that the school can improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that coordinators use all the information gained from the school’s self-evaluation to bring about improvement. • Use data from day-to-day assessment to plan learning for individuals and groups which fully meets their needs. • Improve the quality of teaching so that all teaching is as good as the best.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. This confirms the judgement made by the school. When children start school they have the knowledge and skills which are typical for their age. They make satisfactory or better progress during their first year in school. By the end of the Reception year nearly all children have met the goals set for their learning and each year a significant number exceed them. Standards at the end of Year 2 are significantly above the national average and have remained very high during the past three years. The progress of these pupils has been good, from their starting 2 Inspection Report: Hunwick Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 points when they joined Year 1 because of the very good teaching they receive in this class. By the end of Year 6, pupils reach standards which are in line with those achieved nationally. However, their progress through the school has been uneven. In the last

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Grade: 3

two years results in national tests at the age of eleven have slipped slightly from their previously very high levels. Results were lower in English than in mathematics. The school has responded quickly to this and work seen during the inspection shows that pupils currently in Year 6 are on course to meet the targets set for them. Improving the quality of teaching and learning, especially in writing and mathematics, has been a school priority this year. Evidence from the inspection indicates that standards are improving. Standards in ICT are very high. However, some overuse of computers for writing has had a detrimental impact on the quality of handwriting and the presentation of work. The school has recognised that this needs to change. Pupils with learning difficulties and /or disabilities make the same progress as other pupils and develop very positive attitudes to learning because of the support they receive from teachers

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. They participate joyfully in all that is offered to them. Attendance is good and pupils arrive at school early and stay late, taking advantage of the wide range of clubs and activities available. Pupils work hard in lessons and enjoy learning. They behave well, cooperate very well with their peers and show good respect for the rights of others. They are given frequent opportunities to develop independent skills. They carry out tasks as safely and carefully when they are unobserved as they do when directed by teachers. If things do go wrong they reflect on their mistakes and think of ways in which to put matters right. They are kind and helpful to each other from the earliest age. Many take on responsibilities as monitors and playground buddies. Pupils of all ages take on responsibility willingly and are keen

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Grade: 1

to support the school and wider community through their school council and community projects. Pupils of all ages are thoughtful and mature for their age. The good international links give pupils a real awareness of the differences in lifestyles in other countries. One boy said, ‘We may not actually visit Africa, but we have learned how to help others’. There are strong links with the local church and pupils are encouraged to be thankful for all that they have. Pupils adopt the school’s approach to healthy living by taking plenty of exercise during the day and in various clubs. They are encouraged to eat healthily when in school although, in one class, the rewards given do not always support this. By Year 6, pupils are mature and confident. They are very well prepared for the next stage of their education. 3 Inspection Report: Hunwick Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory overall. It is satisfactory in most classes; however, within this there are significant strengths. The pace of teaching and learning was appropriate in all classes and relationships between teachers and pupils were good. Teachers gave clear explanations and used a range of methods and activities to make learning exciting and meaningful. Pupils knew what they were going to learn and had opportunities to discuss their ideas with a partner in order to gain more confidence. The school collects a great deal of data on the achievements of each child. However, although plans made for teaching were clear and took appropriate account of pupils’ age and ability, teachers relied too much on these and did not use day-to-day assessments enough to plan work for individuals. As a result, while all pupils tried to do the tasks set, not all were able to answer questions in whole class sessions and some made a slow and reluctant

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Grade: 3

start to their work because tasks were too complex for them. Only in Year 2 were all the aspects of effective teaching in place, with the tasks set exactly matching the needs of individual learners. Expectations for pupils’ progress are very high in Year 2, but pupils are effectively supported to reach them. As a result pupils make much better than average progress and reach very high standards in this class. The school has started to involve pupils in the assessment of their work. This is at an early stage and some pupils are reluctant to admit to a lack of understanding. The marking of pupils’ work is variable. It is good in some subjects and classes but does not always give pupils clear advice on what they have achieved, what could be improved and how to do it. Even where marking is good, pupils do not always act on the advice given. Most of the teaching staff have changed year-groups this year. As a result, they are

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Grade: 3

still coming to terms with the teaching of new, mixed-age classes. While the use of ICT is outstanding and has considerably enhanced the skills of pupils and teachers, it has made many demands on staff and other priorities have received insufficient time. The school is aware that teachers require further support to ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently high.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and enhanced by the impressive range of additional resources for ICT. International links with a number of countries mean that the world is brought to Hunwick both virtually and in a very real sense since the school welcomes many international visitors. A foreign language assistant gives pupils an understanding of other cultures and brings additional interest to the school. One teacher is tri-lingual, using her skills both in the teaching of French and introducing other languages. Pupils in all classes are taught French and spoken French is used to refocus pupils during lessons. Older pupils visit France during the summer term, when they have the 4 Inspection Report: Hunwick Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 opportunity to test their language skills. The school gives pupils an all-round education. There are opportunities to learn instruments, act and sing. Music in the school is of a

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Grade: 2

very high quality, enjoyed by both girls and boys. There is some specialised teaching in Key Stage 2 and the school enriches the curriculum with visits, theatre groups and, during the inspection, a visiting puzzle afternoon. There are a good range of extra curricular activities, including a dance club which takes place during morning break, most days of the week. Pupils have fun and benefit from regular exercise in all seasons of the year. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage while satisfactory is not as rich as that in the rest of the school. The school is using expertise provided by the local authority to develop provision in this class.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are very well cared for. The school has a family like atmosphere: every pupil is well known to staff and treated as an individual. The care of vulnerable pupils is good, with effective links to external agencies. The school has positive relationships with parents so little time is lost in helping pupils who are experiencing short-term difficulties. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported by staff to learn alongside their peers. Teaching assistants are used effectively to undertake individual support programmes with pupils. The plans made for the education of these pupils give targets for improvement but do not always say what has been achieved. The school is at an early stage of developing pupils’ own assessment of their learning but pupils are beginning to enjoy tracking their progress towards the targets that are set for them. All aspects of health and safety are secure and there are good

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Grade: 2

procedures in place for child protection. Risk assessments are undertaken and pupils say they feel safe and well supported in school. They know they will be helped if they have a problem and recognise that their individual talents are nurtured. As a result, they enjoy school and contribute very positively to all aspects of school life.

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Grade: 3

The school considers leadership and management to be good. Inspectors recognise that though there are many strengths, leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The leadership of the headteacher is good. She has identified that pupils were not making the progress expected in Key Stage 2 and has taken action to improve the quality of teaching and learning there. Although there are not yet any tangible results from the actions she has taken, indications from the inspection are that standards are improving. There is greater consistency of teaching across the school. She has given pupils outstanding opportunities to experience the world beyond the confines of their village and has created an ethos for pupils which make them enthusiastic and joyful participants in all aspects of school life. She enjoys the confidence and support of parents who value the work of the school. Effective action has been taken on points

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Grade: 3

from the last inspection, particularly in improving the provision for ICT, which is now recognised as a strength both locally and nationally. 5 Inspection Report: Hunwick Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 The leadership of other staff is satisfactory. There are good opportunities for development. However, while they work hard to extend the opportunities available to pupils, they are not evaluative enough about the areas of the school which require improvement. There is currently too little shared responsibility for school improvement. Furthermore the energies of the leadership team have been diverted by the ICT project. Although valuable, it took up more time and energy than expected at a time when the school’s leadership was under additional, unexpected pressure. The headteacher and governors now have clear strategies to ensure the school continues to move forward. The school attracts able and very committed governors. Meetings are well attended

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Grade: 3

and there are no vacancies on the governing body. Governors give good support to the school and have a clear understanding of strengths, weaknesses and the complexity of management issues. 6 Inspection Report: Hunwick Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: Hunwick Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

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Inspection judgements

16-19 School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Inspection judgements

NA 3 How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 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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Inspection judgements

Achievement and standards NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Inspection judgements

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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Inspection judgements

Personal development and well-being NA 1 How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners? NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 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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Inspection judgements

The quality of provision NA 3 How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of the learners' needs? NA 2 How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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Inspection judgements

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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Annex A

Leadership and management NA 3 How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? NA 3 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 3 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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Annex A

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 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 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

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Annex A

wider community 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 The pupils of Hunwick Primary School Church Lane Hunwick Crook County Durham DL15 0JX 16 May 2006 Dear Children Thank you for welcoming us so enthusiastically on our recent visit to your school. We were very pleased to see how much you enjoy school and how much you appreciate all the extra opportunities you are given. I really enjoyed it when you sang for me in the hall. I thought your singing was stunning and you all looked so full of joy when you were performing. Children at your school are very talented. You are very musical, you dance well and are very impressive in your use of ICT. At the end of Key Stage 1 you achieve very good results in your assessments. You do not always make such good progress in Key Stage 2 so we have asked Mrs Smith to make sure that the teaching in every class is as good as it is in Year 2.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Some of your handwriting and presentation is not very neat. The children who spoke to us agreed that you do not always try hard enough. We think you need to write more in your books and not rely on word processing to make your work look attractive. You do not always take notice of the comments your teachers put on your work when they have marked it. If you did you would improve more quickly. Your teachers try to find out how much you have learned at the end of each lesson. It is important that you answer their questions and tell them if there are things you do not understand. If you do this you will find that in the next lesson the work is exactly right for you. We have asked your teachers to make sure you learn as much as possible in every single lesson. The things we will remember about you are your thoughtfulness and care for other people. You understand the problems faced by some people in the world and give help very willingly.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You understand that it is not about what you receive but what you can do to help others. We very much enjoyed meeting you all. Good luck for the future

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