Hillesley Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Hillesley Church of England Primary School

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115716 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire LEA 279662 Inspection number 7 November 2005 to 7 November 2005 Inspection dates Shirley Billington RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Hillesley School address Primary Type of school Wotton-under-Edge Voluntary aided School category Gloucestershire GL12 7RH 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01453 843 551 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01453 843 551 Fax number 38 Number on roll Mrs Gillian Hayward Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Janet Raven Headteacher 14 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279662 7 November 2005 - 4 to 11 7 November 2005 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 an additional inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small village primary school situated in an advantaged area. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is slightly higher than in most schools. There are two classes, one with reception to Year 2 children and one with Years 3 to 6. These classes are split into smaller groups for specific activities through the week. Children start school with skills that are generally at least in line with those expected and sometimes better than normally found. The school has recently gained an Artsmark award. It is part of the Tyndale Cluster which means that it works closely with other local small schools on a range of projects. The school is housed in a small Victorian building and space is limited. Extra accommodation will be provided next year when a nearby chapel hall is converted for the use of the school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hillesley Church of England Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 7 November 2005

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. This is the school’s view of itself and the inspection confirmed that this is accurate. The youngest children get off to a good start in the reception year and almost all reach, and often exceed, the standards expected at the end of the year. In Years 1 to 6, pupils continue to achieve well, particularly in English and mathematics. The school identified that some could be doing better in science and work to raise standards in this subject is proving successful. Teaching is good and the curriculum is well planned to meet the needs of the pupils. Pupils are well known and well cared for and those with individual needs or difficulties are given good support. The progress of individual pupils is tracked but the information is not summarised or analysed to help the school to see if there are any weaknesses in the curriculum. The school is well led and managed. Where areas need to be improved, detailed plans

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Grade: 2

are put in place to guide the work that needs to be done. These are helpful but the intended impact in terms of standards is not always identified. This makes the success of some of the plans difficult to measure. Overall, however, the school knows what needs to be done and shows that it can improve itself. Running costs in the school are very high, largely because there is a high number of staff compared to the number of pupils. However, the school provides sound value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• • make more use of information on pupils’ achievement to check on the success of the curriculum • make sure that planning for improvements is supported by clear and measurable targets.

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Grade: 2

Children in the reception class make good progress in all areas of their learning. A good proportion of them are working in the early stages of the National Curriculum at the start of Year 1. This good start is successfully built on in Years 1 to 6 and pupils achieve well. They have particularly good skills in reading and in number. Standards in English and mathematics are above average. The school sets challenging targets to try to maintain these standards. In science, standards are broadly average and are rising. This is the result of the work done over the past year to improve teaching and planning for this subject. A strong emphasis on practical experiences and learning key scientific vocabulary are helping to improve pupils’ skills. Boys and girls do equally well. Pupils with learning difficulties benefit from well organised support and make good progress. Grade: 2 2 Inspection Report: Hillesley Church of England Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 7 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Pupils generally enjoy school and attendance is good. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Older pupils take on responsibilities around the school and care for the younger ones. They particularly enjoy pairing up with younger children to share books or to work on special projects, as in the recent work about the festival of Diwali. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Learning about life in Mexico and Kenya, participation in local events and decision-making through the school council raise pupils’ awareness of their place in the community and their understanding of the wider world. Pupils have good awareness of the need to lead a healthy lifestyle and stay safe. Years 5 and 6 pupils feel that the school’s insistence on bringing healthy snacks is a good thing. They are equally positive about the new life skills programme and know, for instance, that understanding how to use information and communications technology

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Grade: 2

(ICT) is important for life in the future. Grade: 2

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Grade: 2

Good teaching throughout the school enables pupils to achieve well. A strong feature of teaching is the use made of individual staff expertise so that pupils have access to well planned experiences across the curriculum. Work to improve aspects of teaching has a positive impact. In ICT, for example, training on the use of interactive whiteboards has helped staff to make effective use of a powerful resource to support teaching and learning. Pupils benefit from being taught in small groups for much of the time and this is a key factor in their good achievement. Organising the teaching of mathematics in Years 3 to 6 into two separate groups has had a positive impact. Standards have risen and more capable pupils are challenged more effectively. Support staff play a key role in lessons. The work of a trained nursery nurse who works with the younger children is of very high quality. This helps to ensure that the needs

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Grade: 2

of these children are met and that their personal and social skills develop well. Grade: 2

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is well planned to cater for mixed age classes and the range of needs and abilities across the school. There is good attention paid to ensuring that pupils learn to use their key skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT for a range of purposes across 3 Inspection Report: Hillesley Church of England Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 7 November 2005 the curriculum. Children in the reception year are provided with a good range of practical experiences that engages their interest and supports their learning across all areas. Well planned programmes address the individual needs of pupils who have learning difficulties. They are given extra time and support where needed and activities in lessons are adapted so that they can cope with the demands of the curriculum. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of clubs, visits and visitors to school. Special events organised through the Tyndale Cluster, such as a residential visit for Years 5

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Grade: 2

and 6, a dance festival and a sculpture day, extend opportunities for learning and contribute to pupils’ social and cultural development. There is a strong emphasis on art and music and art and design is a favourite subject for many pupils. Limitations in the accommodation restrict provision for subjects such as physical education and ICT, but the school compensates for this by adapting areas for different uses at different times. This means that there is no particular impact on pupils’ learning but does mean that there is a lot of time spent moving furniture and equipment. Grade: 2

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Grade: 2

Pupils are well known by all staff and are given a good level of support and guidance. They agree individual targets for improvement with their teachers. This gives them a good sense of what they have achieved and what they need to work on to improve. Arrangements for pupils’ welfare and safety are good. Class rules, the school creed and clear expectations of good behaviour help pupils to understand their responsibilities to the school community. Grade: 2

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Grade: 2

Good strategies to check on how well the school is doing lead to detailed plans for further improvement. These have a positive impact, as is evident in improvements to provision for ICT and science. Increasingly, senior staff are using information from assessment to check on pupils’ progress and this is a useful development to keep track of individuals. However, the information could be used more to set specific targets to check on the success of planned improvements in raising standards further. Similarly, assessment information tends to focus on individuals and is not summarised to check on the overall effectiveness of the curriculum. There is good team work at all levels. Teachers have a wide range of responsibilities but recent training on subject leadership has helped to clarify their leadership roles and to plan for further developments in the areas that they manage. Governors have a high level of involvement in the school and are well organised. They

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Grade: 2

play a key role in forward planning for the school and consult parents and staff as part of this planning process. 4 Inspection Report: Hillesley Church of England Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 7 November 2005 Grade: 2 5 Inspection Report: Hillesley Church of England Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 7 November 2005 .

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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: Hillesley Church of England Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 7 November 2005

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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 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 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 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

Hillesley CE VA Primary School Kilcot Road Hillesley Gloucestershire GL12 7RH 8 November 2005 Dear Pupils Thank you for your help when I visited your school recently. I enjoyed talking to some of you about the work that you were doing. A particular ‘thank you’ to the Years 5 and 6 pupils who told me so much about what goes on in the school. Yours is a good school. Some of the best things about it are: you learn a lot as you go through the school and leave with good skills in English and mathematics you do lots of interesting things, particularly through working with children in other small schools in the Tyndale Cluster and through your life skills programme you are helped to grow up sensibly and to learn about what you can do to help in school, the local community and the wider world your teachers have good plans to make things even better so that, for example, you learn more in science and use ICT for lots of different activities.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

This is what I have suggested the school might do now: use all the information about how well you are doing to see if there is anything that they teach that could be taught even better set clear targets – like the ones that you get! - so that teachers know when their plans to make things better have actually worked. Thank you again for all your help. Good luck in your learning – and keep enjoying it! Best wishes Shirley Billington Lead Inspector

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