Holland Haven Primary School

Inspection Report Holland Haven Primary School

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115256 Unique Reference Number ESSEX LEA LEA 279556 Inspection number 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 Inspection dates Mr. John Messer LI Reporting inspector

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

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Primrose Road School address Primary Type of school CO15 5PP Foundation School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01255 813704 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01255 812641 Fax number 324 Number on roll Mr.John Higgins Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Sharon Sciachettano Headteacher 22 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279556 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is larger than most primary schools. Most pupils are from White British, English speaking families. A small number are from minority ethnic backgrounds and a very small number speak languages other than English at home. Attainment on entry is average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is broadly average. The proportion of pupils who enter or leave the school part-way through their education is above average.

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Key for inspection grades

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

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing less well than in all the circumstances it could be reasonably expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. This school requires significant improvement in relation to the lack of sufficient progress that pupils make, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Standards are lower than they should be because teachers do not expect enough of pupils and tasks are not always well matched to meet the learning needs of all groups in the class. Teaching is inadequate. Subject leaders have not been effective in driving up standards which remain too low, especially in English. The school is providing an acceptable standard of education for its pupils and it has significant strengths, particularly in respect of

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Grade: 4

the quality of leadership provided by the new headteacher. Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is good and pupils have a good range of computer skills. Pupils' behaviour is good and they have positive attitudes to learning. However, its overall effectiveness is inadequate because standards should be higher. The school's self evaluation has not fully recognised this but the new headteacher has begun to take appropriate measures to improve matters. The quality of provision in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory but the outdoor learning area is too small. Children's achievement in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and most are on course to attain most of the early learning goals by the end of the Reception year. However, the communication, language and literacy skills of a significant number are below average and they are unlikely to reach all the goals in this area of learning. The school has

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Grade: 4

been slow to develop systems to measure how much progress pupils make and to set challenging targets that help pupils to aim high and achieve well. Finances are managed well. The school provides satisfactory value for money. There are clear signs that the school has begun to improve and it has satisfactory capacity to continue this upward trend.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Improve the quality of teaching and learning and raise teachers' expectations of pupils' performance in order to raise standards. - Develop a system to measure progress and use this information to set more ambitious targets that show pupils how to reach the next stages in their learning. - Make sure that all groups of pupils are given tasks that match their particular stages of development. - Develop the role of subject leaders so that they are able to identify areas for development and take the action required to raise standards.

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Grade: 4

Children settle happily in the Reception classes and their achievement is satisfactory. There is a strong emphasis on developing early reading skills. Although progress is 2 Inspection Report: Holland Haven Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 satisfactory, teachers do not always provide enough challenge for all children and there is scope for improvement. The communication, language and literacy skills of a significant number of children, especially boys, are not well developed and they are unlikely to meet all the early goals in this area of learning. Pupils' achievement in Years 1 to 6 is unsatisfactory overall. Progress is inconsistent as in some classes pupils make better progress than in others. Pupils' underachievement results in standards that are too low. This is a direct result of teachers not expecting enough of pupils. The results of national tests in Year 6 confirms that in recent years standards have been below

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Grade: 4

national averages in English, mathematics and science. Challenging targets were set for its performance in English and mathematics in the tests in 2005 but it failed to meet them. The school has begun to link subjects together to make lessons more exciting but there are too few opportunities for pupils to use the skills they learn in literacy and numeracy in other subjects. Good work was seen in ICT and this is a strength of the school.

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Grade: 3

The personal development and well-being of the pupils are satisfactory. They enjoy coming to school and appreciate the help and support they get from teachers. Attendance is in line with the national average and generally pupils arrive on time. Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. Pupils are aware of healthy living through diet and exercise. The school's commitment to fitness and healthy lifestyles is evident in the insistence on healthy snacks at breaks, the well-prepared range of foods at lunchtime, and the many opportunities to participate in physical activities during and after school. The school council plays an important part in helping pupils to understand how to be involved in the school community. Raising money for charity and the management of their own budget helps them to learn business skills which will benefit them in later life. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is

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Grade: 3

satisfactory. Close links with the local church make a good contribution to pupils' spiritual development and pupils learn to develop a respect for themselves and others. They make good friendships and have a keen sense of fair play. They regularly learn about western European life and heritage. However, they do not have enough opportunities to develop their awareness of the range of cultural traditions in the wider community.

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Grade: 4

Teaching is inadequate overall. There are examples of good teaching but too much is merely satisfactory or inadequate. The best lessons often encourage pupils to think independently, make choices and explore situations. In these lessons, pupils respond with great enthusiasm and work together very well, resulting in good achievement. In too many lessons teachers' expectations of pupils' performance are too low. Tasks are 3 Inspection Report: Holland Haven Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 not always well matched to meet the learning needs of all groups in the class. This leads to significant underachievement. Teachers have good skills in managing pupils' behaviour, although some pupils become restless if the pace of the lesson is slow and the tasks are insufficiently demanding. Teachers make good use of the new interactive whiteboards to make lessons enjoyable and interesting. Assessment procedures are

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Grade: 4

inadequate. Staff have begun to develop systems to track pupils' progress and to set targets but they are not always tailored to individual needs. They do not define the short-term steps that pupils need to make and do not give pupils a clear picture of what to aim for in order to reach the next stages in their learning. Senior managers monitor the quality of lessons and give teachers good advice on how to improve their practice. However, the improvements necessary have not taken place consistently because subject leaders have not taken effective action to raise standards. Over recent years there has been little guidance from outside the school to improve the quality of teaching.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. The school rightly places great emphasis on supporting pupils' learning in English and mathematics but at present this is not balanced reasonably with time spent on other subjects. After a review the school is now committed to providing a greater range of creative and practical activities and to integrating literacy and numeracy more consistently into other subjects. Provision for ICT continues to be a strength. It is increasingly being used to extend pupils' learning in other subjects. Visits to local places of interest enrich pupils' learning. The school is successful in developing pupil's awareness of safe and healthy living through its lessons in personal, social, health and citizenship education. Popular extra-curricular activities, particularly in sports, also enhance children's understanding of the importance of exercise. The Foundation Stage curriculum is well-planned and provides children

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Grade: 3

with a sound start to their education. The outdoor learning area is too small and is under-developed as a learning resource.

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Grade: 3

The school's provision is satisfactory, with some strengths. There are secure arrangements for child protection, risk assessments are carried out thoroughly, and all staff are made aware of their responsibility to ensure high levels of health and safety. There are good strategies for dealing with any instances of unsatisfactory behaviour. The school is supported well by parents, who are pleased with the education provided for their children. Staff know the pupils well and the school has begun to develop a system to check on how much progress pupils make in English and mathematics. Pupils have confidence in their teachers and enjoy all aspects of school life. Children who find learning hard or have disabilities are well cared for but they are not always sufficiently challenged so they do not achieve as well as they should. 4 Inspection Report: Holland Haven Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory and there are strengths as well as significant weaknesses. The new headteacher has begun to make improvements in the quality of education provided for pupils. Governors are well aware of the school's strengths and weaknesses. They have been concerned for several years about low standards and have been pressing the school to take appropriate action. A new headteacher has been appointed and there are clear indications that improvements are under way. There has been general agreement that standards are too low but subject leaders have not taken effective action. Issues raised at the time of the last inspection have not been fully resolved. The outdoor learning environment for children in the reception classes is still under-developed, there are still too few opportunities for extended writing for different purposes and many pupils still fail to produce well-presented work. The headteacher and senior management team have conducted

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Grade: 3

a detailed evaluation of the school's strengths and weaknesses. They have rigorously monitored the quality of teaching and learning and have identified the need to raise teachers' expectations of pupils' performance. The headteacher and the governing body have taken effective steps to set the school on a sound financial footing. The school's self-evaluation recognises recent improvements but does not identify clearly enough the inadequate progress made by pupils. This is because the school has been slow to develop systems that measure the amount of progress that pupils make in each year. The school is actively encouraging parents and governors to become much more involved in evaluating provision and in suggesting improvements. The headteacher is determined to improve standards. She has already created good strategic plans designed to tackle the school's weaknesses. An improving trend is evident and the

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Grade: 3

school has sound capacity for further improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Holland Haven Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 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: Holland Haven Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 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 3 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 No Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 4 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 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 3 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 3 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 4 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 3 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 3 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 visiting your school. Thank you for being so helpful and for telling us all about the school. There are lots of good things about the school. You told us that one of the best things is the good friendships that you make. You said that having good friends makes you happy and when you are happy you learn better. Your behaviour is good and you are sensitive to the feelings of others. You listen carefully to the teachers and you are keen to learn more about the world. We think that the new computerised white boards are great and help you to concentrate well. We were impressed with your computer skills and thought that you do particularly well in ICT. The class councils discuss school issues sensibly and the school councillors are brilliant. They really get things done. They have raised money to improve the school and have recently managed to get water coolers installed. Today we saw them helping the school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

governors to appoint a new deputy headteacher. They asked searching questions and helped the governors to make the right decisions. We think that there are several things that the school should do to help you to reach higher standards in your work. We think that sometimes work is a bit too easy and that if teachers expected more from you then you could do even better. We think that the work you are given could be more closely matched to the particular stages that you have reached in your learning so that you are all given tasks which really challenge you to do your very best. We also think that it would help if you all had clearer and sharper targets to aim for so that you always know exactly what you have to do to improve your work. Lastly we think that teachers who are responsible for raising standards in particular subjects should be given more help so that they can show everybody how to make lessons exciting so

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that you make better progress. We think that there are exciting times ahead and the school will continue to improve. We wish you all every success in the future.

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