Hatherley Infant School

Inspection Report Hatherley Infant School

p.1

115484 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire LEA 279606 Inspection number 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 Inspection dates Kevin Hodge AI Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Hatherley Road School address Infant Type of school Gloucester Community School category Gloucestershire GL1 4PW 4 to 7 Age range of pupils 01452 522027 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01452 307600 Fax number 165 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Kate Heslegrave Headteacher 11 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279606 15 June 2006 - 4 to 7 16 June 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

Hatherley Infant School serves an area where there is significant economic and social deprivation. The proportions of children who are eligible for free school meals or who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities are both well above average. Nearly half the children are from minority ethnic groups. Nearly twenty percent of all pupils speak English as an additional language and approximately five percent of all pupils are at the early stages of learning English. The school has an attached Early Years Centre on its site, which the headteacher and the Local Authority manage, and from which most children transfer to the main school. During the inspection, there were significant building works taking place and the two Foundation Stage classes were in temporary accommodation.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hatherley Infant School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

p.3

Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school that has much to be proud of. The very high standard of care and excellent personal development of pupils, regardless of their backgrounds and abilities, give them the confidence to succeed. The good provision in the Foundation Stage ensures that children make rapid progress in gaining key skills. By the time they start Year 1, nearly all children attain the expected levels, despite their low starting points. All pupils continue to achieve well in Years 1 and 2, which results in them reaching standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are significantly higher than the national average. Although pupils make slower progress in information and communication technology (ICT) skills, they reach the expected standard. Excellent development of pupils’ well-being results in exemplary behaviour. The great majority of pupils really enjoy being at the school and are enthusiastic learners. The curriculum

p.4

Grade: 1

is good and has some strong features, particularly in providing for those pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. In some activities, pupils’ ICT skills could be used more. The fact that language and number lessons are consistently well taught is a significant factor in enabling children to reach good standards. The leadership and management of the school are outstanding. The headteacher and governors have very high expectations that both pupils and staff can succeed. The schools’ evaluation of its own effectiveness is accurate. As the school knows itself very well, it has been able to make good improvement since the last inspection. The school is well placed to continue improving and gives very good value for money.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Increase the opportunities in day-to-day activities for pupils to extend their skills in ICT.

p.4

Grade: 1

High expectations, underpinned by consistently good day-to-day teaching and care, are key reasons why pupils reach high standards and achieve outstandingly well. Children in the Foundation Stage do particularly well in their communication, language and personal development and this prepares them well for Year 1. Pupils make good progress through the rest of the school, particularly in their reading, writing and mathematics. The results of national tests for Year 2 in 2005 were significantly above average and these results are likely to be maintained in 2006. Pupils make good progress in developing their investigative skills in science and they use their number and writing skills well within other subjects. Pupils also achieve very well in art and design where the standard of work is better than is often found. Their ICT skills develop systematically, but not at the same quick rate as other subjects. Vulnerable children

p.4

Grade: 1

and those with learning difficulties and disabilities achieve very well because their progress is watched carefully and staff provide close, well planned support. Pupils from minority ethnic groups, including those who are at the early stage of learning 2 Inspection Report: Hatherley Infant School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 English, also achieve very well due to good specialist teaching and through staff having high expectations for their success.

p.4

Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are outstanding. Strong relationships amongst the whole school community help pupils to become confident and well motivated learners. Pupils have exceedingly positive attitudes to everything they do and describe their school as ‘fantastic’. Pupils’ behaviour is excellent and contributes significantly to the happy atmosphere. Pupils learn and play well together and feel free from bullying. Pupils’ attendance is satisfactory, although authorised absence for extended overseas visits for a small minority of pupils continues to affect overall attendance levels. The school has worked very hard and does everything that could be reasonably expected to improve attendance. However, some parents have not responded. The school has been successful in improving pupils’ punctuality. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They are becoming

p.5

Grade: 1

well-rounded young people who are thoughtful, caring and greatly value each other. Pupils work harmoniously together and have positive attitudes towards each other’s varied cultural backgrounds. Pupils are highly supportive of the school’s work to promote safe and healthy lifestyles and recognise the benefits that this will bring. They know what makes a healthy and balanced diet and are very clear of the need to stay safe when, for instance, out in the sun or on roads. Pupils contribute very effectively to their community. They are responsible lunchtime ‘buddies’ when taking care of others, are keen to have their say about the development of the new buildings and enjoy opportunities to meet and work with adults and children outside school. Pupils are very well prepared for the future through their excellent learning and personal skills. One Year 2 girl summed this up by saying ‘I shall be sad to leave but

p.5

Grade: 1

we are ready to carry on with our lives.’

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching is good and has some very strong features. Teachers keep a close watch on pupils’ progress and skilfully combine teaching the essential basic skills of literacy and numeracy and personal development. Some outstanding teaching was seen in a Foundation Stage class. Children made rapid progress in gaining key language and personal skills as they responded to the teacher’s high expectations. In all year groups, teaching is engaging, often making good use of interactive whiteboards to enhance pupils’ learning and enjoyment. Teachers manage behaviour very well, which means lessons go smoothly. Active short breaks in lessons re-energise pupils so that they remain focused on working. Teaching is generally well structured, although sometimes pupils spend a little too long sitting as a whole class. Opportunities to extend pupils’ ICT skills within lessons are sometimes missed. Pupils with particular skills and talents

p.5

Grade: 2

3 Inspection Report: Hatherley Infant School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 are provided for effectively. Pupils who are learning to speak English make good progress because of the carefully targeted specialist advice and support in each class. The teachers assess pupils very well and mark pupils’ work regularly. They frequently have one to one discussions with pupils about what they need to learn next. The high quality of information is used successfully to promote rapid progress in English and mathematics. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are catered for very well as teaching assistants are well briefed, skilful and very caring.

p.5

Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is matched very effectively to the needs of all pupils which enables them to make outstanding progress. Planning is thorough and teachers provide pupils with a wide range of activities. These stimulate their interest and develop a love of learning. Activities in the Reception classes are exciting and focus on key skills very well. Good literacy and numeracy planning results in pupils gaining skills systematically. The consistent encouragement to learn both independently and with others, prepares pupils well for their future economic well-being. Provision to develop pupils’ ICT skills is satisfactory, although there are missed opportunities to use these skills across subjects. There is a good programme to help pupils to understand how to keep healthy and safe. Pupils’ personal and emotional development is very well supported through good and regularly planned ‘discussion time’ activities in all classes. Pupils’ work in

p.6

Grade: 2

lessons is enriched by a range of out of school clubs, visits and visitors. Participation in the local authority’s curriculum projects to enhance class activities offers pupils a wide range of opportunities to extend their creative skills and to widen their personal experiences beyond home and school.

p.6

Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support provided for pupils are outstanding. Staff are extremely knowledgeable about their individual needs and are sensitive to their backgrounds. Procedures for child protection and health and safety are very secure and well known by all staff. The school works very closely and effectively with outside agencies to help vulnerable pupils and families receive any additional support they may need. Links with parents are very strong and productive. They praise highly the work done by staff to support their children and acknowledge that this contributes significantly to the excellent progress they make. Pupils say that they feel very safe because they know adults act quickly on comments placed in the ‘worry box’. Pupils have very good opportunities to discuss how well they are learning through frequent individual discussions with their teachers. They say that teachers always help them with their

p.6

Grade: 1

work and tell them what they need to do next to meet their targets. The confidence that this gives them results in a school full of happy, secure children who enjoy learning. 4 Inspection Report: Hatherley Infant School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

p.6

Grade: 1

The excellent focus on pupils’ achievement, their care and personal development are key reasons why leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher’s clear vision and high expectations for all pupils to achieve well are complemented by an enthusiastic staff. The school uses self-evaluation very effectively. The headteacher and senior staff regularly monitor and evaluate teaching and pupils’ work and have frequent discussions with pupils about their progress. This helps pinpoint the most significant areas to improve. Staff keep a close eye on individual pupils and set them clear targets for their learning. This helps them achieve very well in English and mathematics. Regular, meaningful contact with parents helps highlight and solve issues quickly. Close contact with the local community, aided by the police support officer, makes the best use of the parents’ goodwill and practical support. As one parent said,

p.7

Grade: 1

‘It is a well rounded school which always puts the child’s needs first.’ This open approach with parents, other schools and outside support services aids the school’s drive for high standards and its capacity to improve. Governors have a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school through receiving regular reports, making visits to the school and having discussions with pupils. They have provided good support in helping to develop the accommodation and monitoring its progress. Finances are managed well. 5 Inspection Report: Hatherley Infant School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 .

p.7

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

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Hatherley Infant School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

p.8

Overall

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

p.9

learners?

NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 1 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 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

p.9

Achievement and standards

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

p.9

Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

p.9

learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

p.9

needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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.

p.9

and supporting all learners?

NA 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 June 2006Dear ChildrenMrs Barter and I really were impressed with your school and looking around was veryenjoyable, even though there was such a lot of building work going on.The things we really liked: The way the school really cares for you, particularly if you need help. The way Mrs Heslegrave and the staff expect you to do really well. The progress you make in being able to read, write and do number work. The way that you help each other as ‘buddies’ which helps you all to behavebrilliantly. The activities that you do in class to excite you, and your ‘wake and shake’routines each morning - awesome! We could really tell that you love coming to school and you like the teachersand helpers. The way that children in Reception class become so clever and are happy tolearn.The things we have asked the school to do: Let you do more work in class with computers, digital cameras and theelectronic whiteboards.We

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

hope that you keep enjoying school, especially when the new building is finished.Send us some digital photographs please!Best wishesMr K HodgeAdditional InspectorAlexandra House33 KingswayLondon WC2B 6SET 0207 421 6800F 0207 421 6707www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11